You know when you first buy a new toy — an iPad, a new flat screen television, a new drill — you just have to play with it. You spend an inordinate amount of time with it, getting used to it and setting it up like you want.
That is Vivek Ranadive and the Sacramento Kings.
Ranadive just had his purchase of the Kings approved and he is moving fast to change the basketball side of the operations around, reports Sam Amick at the USA Today. Which is smart because after the Maloofs were done with it there was a whole lot of cleaning up to do on that side.
According to two people with knowledge of the talks, the owner who formally took control of the team on Tuesday has already interviewed Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk and Memphis general manager Chris Wallace for the Kings’ general manager position….
Even though no formal announcement has been made about current coach Keith Smart, two people with knowledge of the situation said Ranadive is targeting Golden State assistant Michael Malone above all others and indicated that – if Malone agrees to come – his hiring could very well precede the hiring of a general manager.
It’s Ranadive’s toy, but he may want to slow down a little bit. You can hire a coach before a GM and it can work, but it tends not to. Also, while Malone is a qualified candidate no doubt, so would be a host of other guys such as Brian Shaw or Kelvin Sampson. You don’t think Shaw and his handful of rings as a player and a coach could get your guys attention?
Still, after the last few years of what passed for the Maloof ownership and Geoff Petrie steering the ship, it’s good to see someone taking charge and plotting a new direction. The Sacramento fans deserve that.