Reggie Theus had to go, there is no questioning that. The more significant question is: Why was Theus, with his skimpy coaching résumé, hired in the first place?
Or why was Eric Musselman – Mr. DUI who smiled with his mouth and not his eyes – hired to mismanage the Kings before Theus? Why was a winner in Rick Adelman forced out of town with no viable replacement in line?
Why did the Kings bank everything on a controversy machine like Ron Artest when it was time to rebuild? Why did the team think that Peja Stojakovic/Mike Bibby/Brad Miller was the wave of the future?
We could cite many more flawed decisions that have contributed to a last-place team now toiling under its fourth coach in four years.
That's the definition of instability and the seminal point that demands scrutiny now.
The firing of Theus is a story for a day. The larger narrative of miscalculation at Arco Arena is the story of the Kings.
It's about a relationship between team ownership and team president that's hard to figure.
Say whatever you want about them – and I have – but the Maloof brothers do want to win. And Geoff Petrie, their top basketball guy, is smart and a proven winner.
These guys clearly like and respect each other. This isn't about that.
It's about their working relationship – the results of their shared decisions – that has been consistently wrong for some time now.
To start with, the three are opposites in many ways. The Maloofs are stout fellas who blow hot and hotter. Petrie is tall and exudes an icy calm. Right now, we're seeing what happens when flame throwers team with an ice sculpture: You get a puddle of water.
In each unsuccessful decision made among the three, the pervading impression was that compromises were made that didn't please some or all parties.
That was particularly evident when Theus was hired. At his news conference, neither the Maloofs nor Petrie seemed particularly excited. There was scant conviction behind the move and what little there was faded pretty fast.
All parties were duped by Musselman, who talked a great game but imploded fast. And who could forget Petrie's artful dodging of questions after the Maloofs clearly forced Adelman out?
A sphinx in high-top shoes, Petrie's strength is talent evaluation, with Quincy Douby being the exception.
Yet his record is far more checkered on hiring coaches, signing free agents and being persuasive when talking to his bosses.
The jury is not only out on those issues – it is sequestered.
It's popular to lay all the blame here on the Maloofs, but that's not fair. They own the team and deserve a strong say. Besides, that lets Petrie off the hook too much.
Right now, the Kings are dysfunctional. Getting there was a team effort.
Call The Bee's Marcos Bréton, (916) 321-1096.
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