Kings mailbag: Will Vlade Divac get fired? Will Marvin Bagley III return? Playoffs?
.JPG "Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac talks with coach Luke Walton during the California Summer classic at Golden One Center on Monday, July 1, 2019 in Sacramento.")
The Kings are coming out of the All-Star break with a 21-33 record and 28 games remaining. Their playoff hopes are pretty much kaput, but the palace intrigue is only growing as the team tumbles through its 14th consecutive losing season.
Buddy Hield, fresh off a four-year, $86 million contract extension and hot off his win in the 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend, is sending mixed signals about his willingness to accept a backup role. Vivek Ranadive and others in ownership are growing frustrated with the front office and coaching staff, according to The Athletic. It’s unclear if or when Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III will return from injuries, and it remains to be seen what roles recent acquisitions Jabari Parker and Alex Len will play.
The Kings have problems and you have questions. Let’s see if we can address some of them in his week’s mailbag.
@Jeffdomingues asks: To have any prayer of making the playoffs, I figure the Kings have to go 24-4 – and that’s a conservative target. What is their plan to make that happen, or are they punting?
That projection is probably on the high side. Going 19-9 or 20-8 would probably get the Kings in contention, but my answer to your question is: C) None of the above. Making the playoffs is highly unlikely, but I don’t expect the team to go into tank mode either. Everyone still has too much to prove.
The Kings need to know if they have the right nucleus, even if Bagley and Holmes are unable to play with De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes and Hield. They have gone 6-4 since coach Luke Walton moved Hield into a backup role in the 10 games leading up to the All-Star break. Continuing that trend might help to alleviate ownership concerns over Walton and general manager Vlade Divac. The Kings are going to win as many games as they can, even if it causes them to fall a few spots in the draft.
@samdickstein asks: When does the misery end and Vlade Divac finally gets fired?
The scrutiny surrounding Divac has needled back into the red given the team’s poor record, Bagley’s growing history of injuries and Luka Doncic’s emergence as a transcendent star and MVP candidate. Even so, I don’t see Divac being ousted in the immediate future.
For one thing, injuries to Fox, Bogdanovic, Bagley and Holmes have been a big factor in the team’s lack of continuity and success, even if everyone is tired of that excuse. Also, Divac and Walton are both in the first year of four-year contracts. Parting with them now would be costly and represent another setback in terms of leadership, stability and direction.
The organization committed to a vision last summer. The powers that be would like to see what this team looks like at full strength before they bring on the mass upheaval some are seeking, but you will probably get your wish if the Kings are still floundering at this time next year.
@barrysacks1 asks: (Is) Bagley done for the season?
I don’t know. Bagley and Divac don’t seem to know either. When they were asked about that possibility recently, both said they hope the 20-year-old big man will be able to return, but neither could say if or when that will happen.
Bagley has missed 19 of the past 23 games due to a left midfoot sprain. He returned for four games after the initial sprain healed only to aggravate the injury. The team recently said Bagley would be reevaluated near the end of the All-Star break, so we could get some clarity on that situation in the days ahead.
Bagley previously missed 22 games with a broken thumb. He has appeared in only 13 games this season after missing 20 games as a rookie in 2018-19.
@YeyoPin asks: Alex Len and Jabari Parker – what is going to be their role? Can we expect them to see meaningful minutes right away?
The Kings acquired both players in the trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon back to the Atlanta Hawks. Both arrived with injuries, but Parker was expected to be ready after the All-Star break and Len could be ready, too. Walton wanted to see both players in practice before talking about how they would contribute, but Parker will likely get backup minutes at power forward and Len will have a backup role at center.
Walton was willing to go far enough to envision the possibility of an explosive second unit featuring Hield and Parker, who has averaged 15.1 points over his six-year career.
“The idea of what Buddy’s already been doing as far as explosiveness off the bench, to be able to add a guy like Jabari and what he can do, we’re excited and interested to see how that looks,” Walton said.
Parker, 24, has a $6.5 million player option for next season. Len, 26, is on an expiring contract, but the Kings are intrigued by him, too. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 36.3 percent from 3-point range in 20.1 minutes per game for the Hawks last season.
We might as well mention what Dedmon has done since returning to Atlanta. In his first three games after rejoining the Hawks, Dedmon averaged 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range. In 34 games for the Kings, who gave him a three-year, $40 million contract in July, Dedmon averaged 5.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks while shooting 19.7 percent from beyond the arc.
