When the Kings hired Vlade Divac and named him the Vice President of Basketball and Franchise Operations, it was originally believed his role would be more on the business side of things.
Once it became clear that ownership brought him in to run the basketball side, however, those currently in the front office -- adviser Chris Mullin and GM Pete D’Alessandro -- bolted for better opportunities.
But it appeared to be a messy transition.
From Tom Ziller of SB Nation:The Kings’ franchisee has never stopped tinkering with his front office since acquiring the team in May 2013, eventually adding enough members that no one outside the walls really knew who reported to whom. (The midseason hiring of George Karl, a known personnel meddler from the sidelines, only complicated the issue.) D’Alessandro showed his hand by offering a “no comment” when asked about Divac’s arrival once it became clear Vlade would be more a decision-maker than a community ambassador.
This is the craziest thing about Divac’s arrival: According to league sources, no one but Divac and Ranadive actually understood he’d be in a powerful basketball operations position until a few days after the announcement. It was assumed that because Divac has extremely limited front office experience -- one year as a scout for the Lakers -- and deep business connections, he’d be a glad-hander instead of a personnel boss. Even folks in the front office, according to sources, were unclear Divac had personnel power until the big man said as much in the media and Ranadive confirmed. Imagine getting a new boss and not realizing it until a few days after s/he arrives. That’s some serious professional whiplash.
The organization can obviously operate however it chooses, but the Kings franchise has a long history of handling things poorly and making questionable decisions.
Hopefully for the fans in Sacramento, Divac can finally provide some stability while working toward achieving a sustained measure of success.