Do Sacramento Kings face a parental problem? Vlade says no + other late-season drama
Throughout history, people in various parts of the world have customarily broken plates in times of celebration and times of mourning, so this will be an appropriate exercise no matter how you view what the Kings are about to experience.
Honestly, the china is starting to show some cracks anyway as the Kings (38-40) prepare to play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-59) on Thursday, so let’s throw a few plates on the floor to see what breaks and what doesn’t. Everybody ready?
First up: Marvin Bagley — the dad, not the player.
Next: Willie Cauley-Stein said he “can’t wait to get out” following a 130-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center, although he later said he didn’t mean he wanted to leave Sacramento.
Finally, the fall drama between coach Dave Joerger and assistant general manager Brandon Williams could become an action blockbuster this summer.
And in case the plot needs thickening, I can report some of Joerger’s assistant coaches have not accepted the one-year contract extensions the organization offered them in January.
Opa!
We’ll start with Marvin Bagley Jr., the namesake, father and social media agitator for coveted rookie Marvin Bagley III. We’ll call them MB2 and MB3.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac is aware of the shots MB2 has taken at Joerger on the internet, but somehow he isn’t bothered by it.
“As long as you do not cross the line, I’m fine with it,” Divac told The Bee late Tuesday night. “He’s a fan. We know our goal, we know our way, and, like I said, as long as it’s not crossing the line, it doesn’t bother us.”
This topic is fair game, but it requires a fair assessment with consideration for both sides. MB2 seems like a good father who has a wonderful family and a desire to see his oldest son get everything he deserves. MB3, who declined to comment when approached about this subject Tuesday, is a gifted young basketball player capable of earning everything he achieves.
MB2 occasionally takes to social media to share his impatience and displeasure with Joerger. Sometimes, his criticisms are slightly veiled. Sometimes, they’re not. Sometimes, he deletes them. Sometimes, he doesn’t.
MB2 once referred to Joerger as Yogurt after Joerger accidentally referred to Marvin Bagley III as Marvin Gaye. I believe the Kings were in Detroit at the time — Motown — so it was an amusing slip, and Joerger quickly corrected himself.
When someone opined on Instagram that MB3 was going to put up 30 points and 12 rebounds one night, MB2 replied: “Yogurt won’t let that happen. Mark my words.”
On Monday, MB3 posted a striking image of himself in a white Duke uniform trying to dunk on himself in a purple Kings uniform. The caption read: “Don’t compete with anyone else but yourself. The competition is within you.”
Wise and inspirational words for a 20-year-old, but then MB2 added his own commentary: “The one in white had OPPORTUNITY!!”
MB2 seems to be implying that MB3 isn’t getting enough opportunity in his first NBA season after the Kings selected him with the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft. Bagley is seventh on the team with 25.1 minutes per game this season, but he’s fourth at 27.7 minutes per contest since the All-Star break, averaging 19 points and 8.8 rebounds over that stretch.
MB3 is playing so well, Joerger recently said: “I’ve got the Rookie of the Year on my roster.”
Joerger’s eyes light up when you ask him what the kid could become, but he also sees the need for improvement in his ability to execute and defend the pick-and-roll, for example.
“We’ve upped his usage each month (and) we’ve upped his minutes each month, basically out of a feel situation of letting him learn some things,” Joerger said. “Show him some new stuff, get better at that, then go on to the next level of progression. I think you see it.”
Everybody sees it, but a big point of contention is the fact that Bagley has started only three games this season. Among the top 10 picks in last year’s draft, only the Orlando Magic’s Mo Bamba has started fewer games.
Joerger points to his success in slow-rolling the development of second-year point guard De’Aaron Fox, but Fox started 61 games as a rookie. Bagley is about to become just the 12th top-five pick in the last 10 years to start fewer than 10 games.
Mikal Bridges, the 10th pick in the 2018 draft, has started 52 games for the Phoenix Suns, and he’s averaging just 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. But you know who didn’t start any games as a rookie? James Harden, the guy who erupted for a 50-point triple-double against the Kings on Saturday in Houston and 36 points in 29 minutes Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
He turned out all right.
Bagley will be just fine. The franchise and its fans are all enamored with his talents. All parties want to nurture a healthy, lasting relationship, but it doesn’t help either side to have MB2 out there doing LaVar Ball impressions.
“Quit trying to be a coach killer like Lavar,” one fan wrote on Instagram. “Marv will be starting for the rest of his career.”
MB2 doesn’t seem to be satisfied. Divac doesn’t seem to mind.
“That’s his view, but he’s not part of the organization,” Divac said. “His son is.”
Willie Cauley-Stein wants to be paid; Kings want consistency
That brings us to Cauley-Stein, who could be playing his final games for the Kings after four seasons. Cauley-Stein was stepping in front of about a dozen reporters gathered around his locker after Tuesday’s game when he turned to say something to MB3.
“I can’t wait to get out,” Cauley-Stein said.
You might have wondered if Cauley-Stein, at least in the moment, was saying he wanted out of town, even if only for the summer. He later said he simply meant he wanted to leave the locker room, and we’ll take his word for it.
For what it’s worth, Cauley-Stein recently told me it would be difficult for him to leave Sacramento as an unrestricted free agent this summer just as things are getting good around here, but if Willie does want out, he might get his wish.
When he’s on, Cauley-Stein is one of the deeper thinkers I’ve encountered in the locker room and, in some ways, a perfect fit for this team, but we all know he isn’t always on. On March 21, he had 18 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks. He had no rebounds 48 hours later against the Phoenix Suns.
Willie wants to get paid. The Kings wanted to see consistency. The two sides may ultimately decide they can’t give each other what they want.
Will Vlade Divac, coach Dave Joerger get contract extensions?
Some painfully honest conversations will have to take place over the next few weeks. The Kings are enjoying their best season in more than a decade, but that might not be good enough for some people.
Will ownership give Divac a contract extension beyond next season? Will Divac do the same for Joerger?
What are the holdouts among Joerger’s assistant coaches waiting for? They’ve all been offered one-year extensions to align their contracts with those of Divac and Joerger, but maybe they don’t want to commit to an organization that isn’t making more of a commitment to them.
A league source told The Bee some of them haven’t agreed to come back yet. Divac confirmed that.
“Just a few of them,” he said.
Will everybody get rehired or will everybody get fired? Mass turnover would be a massive mistake unless you’re sure you have a better coach or general manager for the job, but there are complicated issues and personal dynamics at work here.
We heard somebody mention exit interviews for the first time Tuesday. It makes you wonder. How will that conversation go between Joerger and Divac? Will Joerger even sit in the same room with Williams, who was widely believed to be a primary source for the Yahoo! Sports story in November that suggested Joerger’s job could be in jeopardy, largely due to his handling of Bagley?
The fractures are beginning to show as we approach an offseason of intriguing decisions. Do you try to repair the china or throw it all on the floor?
“Let’s finish the season, like I’ve always said all year long,” Divac said. “I don’t want to take anything away from the kids and the positive season they had this year, so let’s let them finish and then we’ll discuss it.”
The headline on this story has been updated.
This story was originally published April 3, 2019 at 7:05 AM.