SACRAMENTO -- George Karl saved his job in the week leading up to the NBA All-Star break, but that didn't mean his staff was safe. Veteran assistant coach Vance Walberg was let go by the Kings Wednesday evening, making for a somber media session.
“I’ve been blessed to have him in my life and my career,” Karl said of Walberg. “There’s no question I’m disappointed and confused, but it’s not time to really harp on that.”
When Karl got the job in Sacramento at last season’s All-Star break, Walberg, 59, was the first to join his staff. He is a long time friend and confidant of the future Hall of Fame coach. The two coached together in Denver in Karl's final season with the Nuggets and he seemed to be a good fit, at least initially with the Kings.
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SIGN UP HERE His removal seemed strangely timed, but Sacramento is just 2-8 over their last 10 and the team is need of a wake of call. Unfortunately for Walberg, he was the odd man out.
“My job is to not take the personal feelings I have for Vance and for the situation, but to coach this team with a determination to figure out how to get in a better defensive place, play with more passion and hopefully play better at home.”
Walberg is credited with developing the dribble-drive motion offense, which is used by Sacramento, amongst others. While the offensive numbers were strong and pace was something Kings ownership was looking for, the style of play didn’t fit the Kings roster. Bad offense, in many instances, led to even worse defense.
“We’re not happy with, lets say the way we played in the first half of the season, so we’re trying to shake things up,” Vlade Divac said of letting Walberg go. “We’re going to try to do the same thing with the players, but now we’ve made our first step.”
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According to Divac, the Kings may look to replace Walberg from the outside with a defensive-minded coach, but he will work on that addition with Karl.
The question still remains as to whether the Kings will respond to Karl after watching the veteran coach almost lose his job a little over a week ago. Divac said the players know who the coach is going forward and he saw no issues in the first practice after the break.
“I think we sent a very strong message to the players (about) who’s our coach,” Divac said. “I was very happy today with our practice.”
Karl has 29 games to show Divac and ownership that he is the right man for the job moving forward.