Wednesday Windmill: George Karl is the most overrated coach in NBA history

                                            (Credit: Keith Allison. Click here for source) 

     When people talk about the best coaches in the NBA, George Karl is a guy who frequently comes up in discussion. He is viewed as a miracle worker of sorts; a guy who turns lemons into lemonade and helps struggling teams find success without having to blow everything up. When there's a team looking for a new head coach, George Karl is often thrown into the mix if he isn't already coaching some other forlorn cast of misfits. From 2005-2013, he coached the Denver Nuggets and currently is coaching the Sacramento Kings, who hired him because they believed he would give them the direction they needed.

     While George Karl has been an NBA Coach of the Year (2013) and coached a team to the NBA Finals (1995-96 Seattle Super Sonics), he has by and large not done anything more than just hang around for a really long time. He has a regular season record of 1173-821 (58.8%) but has struggled in the playoffs with a record of 80-105 (43.2%).

     While his trip to the NBA Finals with the Seattle Super Sonics in 1996 was a great achievement, his inability to guide the 63-19 Sonics past the 42-40 Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1994 NBA playoffs was flat out embarrassing. It was the first time an 8 seed had upset a 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since the NBA adopted the 16-team format in 1984. How he didn't guide that Sonics team to the NBA Finals is something that I'll never understand and the fact that he only managed to come out of the Western Conference once with a Gary Payton/Shawn Kemp duo is rather pathetic.

     When given one of the most talented duos in NBA history, George Karl underachieved big time and that is something that not enough people talk about. Maybe it's because George Karl is a nice person and nobody wants to talk ill of him. While I'm sure he's a swell guy off the court, his coaching hasn't been anything to write home about if you really look at it under the microscope. He has just one trip to the NBA Finals and literally nothing else to write home about.

     He stunk it up with the Cavaliers and Warriors in the 1980s, underachieved with the Sonics in the 1990s, had one good season with the Bucks in 2000-01 in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, and did some solid work with the Denver Nuggets, helping them reach the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009.

     As far as his time with the Sacramento Kings is concerned, that has been a disaster. He has been on a crusade to derail the career of DeMarcus Cousins and take down anybody who is against him. He hasn't made the Kings any better. As a matter of fact, he's made them worse and even more chaotic than they were before he got there. He has embarrassed himself during his time in Sacramento and has made many people believe that he is no longer fit to coach in the NBA.

     But, what's perhaps most puzzling to me is the fact that it has taken this long for people to finally question George Karl. Granted, Sacramento has been a mess unlike anything that George Karl has experienced, but considering his overall resume, one would think that the Sacramento Kings would have looked elsewhere for a coach to turn their team around. One would also think that the Denver Nuggets wouldn't have held on to him for as long as they did.

     If the Oakland Raiders are committed to failure, then George Karl is committed to mediocrity. He finds ways to be mediocre or average as opposed to being great. His teams don't succeed like everybody thinks they do. In truth, they do ok at best and at worst blow up like a fat stick of dynamite.

     George Karl gets mentioned as one of the best coaches in NBA history, but if you really look at it, he shouldn't be mentioned as an all-time great. He's hung around for a long time and found a way to keep getting hired. That in and of itself is impressive, but that doesn't mean he's a great basketball coach. It just means he's great at getting hired and convincing teams he has what it takes to right the ship. He very well may be the best coach in NBA history at getting hired after getting fired, but beyond that, he's nothing more than mediocre.

Saturday Slam: The Sacramento Kings don't know what they are doing

     The Sacramento Kings are the most dysfunctional team in the NBA right now. The head coach George Karl hates the star player DeMarcus Cousins, the general manager Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive are trying to make both guys happy, and as a result, they have made a series of puzzling moves. The first of these moves was drafting Willie Cauley-Stein, the second was trading three players to the 76ers to clear cap space, and the third was signing Rajon Rondo. None of these moves make any sense whatsoever and truly are indicators that this franchise has no idea what they are doing.

     The biggest problem the Kings have at the moment is that it doesn't look like George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins can coexist. Karl has made it known that he wants Cousins gone and Cousins has made it known that he isn't happy with the way Karl has treated him.

     The problem with getting rid of the coach is that if they get rid of George Karl, it isn't at all clear what direction they go in terms of finding his replacement. There aren't any big name coaches available to hire and the only guys willing to take the Kings' job would be guys who are willing to be an NBA head coach purely because it pays well.

     As for getting rid of DeMarcus Cousins, doing so is even more problematic because he has been the piece that the franchise has tried to build around for the past few seasons. Getting rid of him would truly be an indicator that they are back to square one, which would be really hard to sell fans since they really never left square one to begin with.

     Probably the best way to resolve the DeMarcus Cousins/George Karl fiasco will be for both men to find a way to get along. As hard as that may be, the alternatives are much uglier for the Kings. The reality is that on paper, having both guys should be a plus for the Kings: Cousins is a budding superstar and Karl is a coach likely heading to the hall of fame. Usually that's a winning combination and the Kings have to hope that with time, both guys can work out their differences and have success on the basketball court.

     Regarding the decision to draft Willie Cauley-Stein, this was truly a bizarre move. Cauley-Stein has the potential to be a nice rim protector and defender in the paint, but offensively he is quite limited. Usually the best two way players get drafted first and then the more one-dimensional guys follow. For the Kings to take Willie Cauley-Stein with both Justise Winslow and Emmanuel Mudiay on the board is truly a head scratcher.

      Either the Kings see something in him that we don't see, or they see something in him that really isn't there. Given their recent pattern of behavior, I would say that they see something in him that really isn't there. Don't get me wrong, Willie Cauley-Stein could turn out to be a nice player, but taking him over a small forward with great two-way potential (Winslow) and a potential star point guard (Mudiay) is just insane.

     As for the deal with the 76ers, this too was a weird move. The Kings unloaded Nik Stauskas, the 8th overall pick in last year's draft, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a future top-10 protected first round pick, and the right to swap two future first round picks to the 76ers for the rights to Arturas Gudaitis, Luka Mitrovic, and a future second round pick. All three of the players who the Kings gave up are solid players who could have been nice pieces to put around DeMarcus Cousins. Instead, they got rid of them so that they could clear cap space for the purpose of signing a big-name free agent.

     Had they landed LaMarcus Aldridge as a result of clearing all this cap space, the Kings would have certainly done the right thing. But what they ended up doing instead was sign Rajon Rondo to a one year deal worth $9.5M. Rondo was known for having issues with Rick Carlisle in Dallas and he has always been somewhat of a diva and head case.

     While there is no denying his talent, his attitude and mentality should have made him a non-option for the Kings given that they already have to deal with DeMarcus Cousins' ego and a coach who wants him gone. The combination of Karl, Cousins, and Rondo could result in a fatal explosion that wipes out the whole team by Christmas.

     All in all, there is nothing good to say about this Kings team. It appears as though they are randomly adding pieces that don't fit purely because they don't have anything better to do. It almost seems as though their plan is to add as many big names as possible and pray that it all works out. Such a strategy is certainly doomed. If the Kings really want to get better, they'll need to start drafting better and get some talented young players to build around for the future.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

Daily Dunks: February 9, 2015-February 15, 2015

                                                  (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source)

Here is the Daily Dunks page for February 9, 2015 through the 15th. Throughout the week this page will be updated with the latest NBA news and scores so keep checking this page until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Knicks forward Andrea Bargnani was active on Monday (Click here for details).

#2. Grizzlies shooting guard Vince Carter (foot) will be reevaluated after the All-Star Break (Click here for details).

#3. Timberwolves shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad (oblique) returned on Monday and scored 18 points (Click here for details).

#4. The Kings are closing in on a four-year, $16M-$20M deal with George Karl to be their head coach (Click here for details).

#5. The Nets could buyout Kevin Garnett's contract. The Clippers may then sign him (Click here for details).

#6. Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis (shoulder) did not play Monday against the Jazz and is iffy for the All-Star game (Click here for details).

#7. Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (knee) is close to shutting it down for the season and is questionable for the All-Star game (Click here for details).

#8. Clippers power forward Blake Griffin underwent successful elbow surgery and will be reevaluated in three weeks (Click here for details).

#9. Knicks owner James Dolan won't be punished for a nasty e-mail he sent to an angry fan (Click here for details).

#10. Thunder center Steven Adams is out at least three weeks after undergoing surgery for a fractured right hand (Click here for details).

Monday's NBA Final Scores: 

Warriors 89 76ers 84. Jazz 100 Pelicans 96. Hawks 117 Timberwolves 105. Spurs 95 Pacers 93. Wizards 96 Magic 80. Heat 109 Knicks 95. Bucks 103 Nets 97. Clippers 115 Mavericks 98. Thunder 124 Nuggets 114.

Tuesday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Kings hired George Karl as their head coach. He will take over after the All-Star break (Click here for details).

#2. The 76ers unveiled their new mascot Franklin (Click here for details).

#3. Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (hamstring) is out for the All-Star game. Hawks small forward Kyle Korver is his replacement (Click here for details).

#4. The Timberwolves traded guard Mo Williams and guard Troy Daniels to the Hornets for guard Gary Neal and a second round pick (Click here for details).

#5. The Hawks traded power forward Adrien Payne to the Timberwolves for a future first round pick that is Top 14 protected between 2017 and 2020 (Click here for details).

#6. The Mavericks signed center Bernard James to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#7. Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick (back) says he is good to go for the three-point shoot out (Click here for details).

#8. The Nuggets have discussed trading shooting guard Arron Afflalo with the Bulls, Trail Blazers, and Clippers (Click here for details).

#9. Rockets point guard Patrick Beverly will replace Wizards point guard John Wall in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Click here for details).

#10. The Hornets released guard Elliot Williams (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA Final Scores: 

Grizzlies 95 Nets 86. Pistons 106 Hornets 78. Bulls 104 Kings 86. Rockets 127 Suns 118. Nuggets 106 Lakers 96.

Wednesday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Prayers up for Anthony Mason. He just had a heart attack and is fighting for his life (Click here for details).

#2. Gary Neal wants the Timberwolves to buyout his contract (Click here for details).

#3. The Nuggets have signed forward Joffrey Lauvergne from France (Click here for details).

#4. The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Jazz center Enes Kanter wants to be traded by the trade deadline (Click here for details).

#5. Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal has a stress reaction in his lower right leg. He'll be reevaluated after the All-Star break (Click here for details).

#6. The Suns reportedly are the front runners to land Amar'e Stoudemire if the Knicks buyout his contract (Click here for details).

#7. The Bucks will retire Bob Dandridge's #10 on March 7 (Click here for details).

#8. Legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian passed away (Click here for details).

#9. Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis (shoulder) will miss the All-Star game. Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki will replace him (Click here for details).

#10. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had 24 points and 20 rebounds.

Wednesday's NBA Final Scores: 

Warriors 94 Timberwolves 91. Thunder 105 Grizzlies 89. Mavericks 87 Jazz 82. Magic 89 Knicks 83. Celtics 89 Hawks 88. Spurs 104 Pistons 87. Raptors 95 Wizards 93. Pacers 106 Pelicans 93. Cavaliers 113 Heat 93. Bucks 111 Kings 103. Trail Blazers 102 Lakers 86. Clippers 110 Rockets 95.

Thursday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. George Karl's contract with the Kings is 4 years, and approximately $15M (Click here for details).

#2. Tyrone Corbin has been relieved of his coaching duties with the Kings, but he'll remain with the organization in an advisory role (Click here for details).

#3. The Kings are shopping shooting guard Nik Stauskas. The Bucks may be interested (Click here for details).

#4. The Cavaliers have assigned guard Joe Harris to the D-League (Click here for details).

#5. The Pistons have signed guard John Lucas III to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#6. Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson has inked a shoe deal with Anta (Click here for details).

#7. The Suns want a first round pick for point guard Goran Dragic (Click here for details).

#8. Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony likely shuts it down for the season after playing in the All-Star game (Click here for details).

#9. The Nuggets are thinking about trading point guard Jameer Nelson (Click here for details).

#10. The Magic are shopping power forward Andrew Nicholson (Click here for details).

Thursday's NBA Final Scores: 

Bulls 113 Cavaliers 98. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose had 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Cavaliers small forward LeBron James had 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Friday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Pacers small forward Paul George (leg) is targeting a March 1 return to practice and a mid-March return (Click here for details).

#2. Cavaliers small forward LeBron James has been elected the vice president of the NBA Player's Union (Click here for details).

#3. The Heat are interested in Suns point guard Goran Dragic and Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (Click here for details).

#4. The Lakers want Goran Dragic, too. They reportedly are willing to offer him a max contract (Click here for details).

#5. The Pelicans have agreed to sign guard Toney Douglas to a second 10-day contract after the All-Star break (Click here for details).

#6. The Rockets and Lakers are trying to trade for Goran Dragic (Click here for details).

#7. Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler is optimistic he'll be able to go in the All-Star game (Click here for details).

#8. The Kings are interested in Arron Afflalo, Reggie Jackson, and Jonas Jerebko (Click here for details).

#9. Kevin Hart won the MVP of the Celebrity All-Star game (Click here for details).

#10. Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins took home the MVP award for the Rising Stars Challenge game (Click here for details).

Friday's NBA Final Scores: 

World defeated USA 121-112 in the Rising Stars Challenge. The West defeated the East 57-51 in the Celebrity All-Star game.

Saturday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Timberwolves point guard Zach LaVine dominated the dunk contest (Click here to watch his dunks).

#2. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry defeated hist teammate Klay  Thompson and Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers to win the three-point contest (Click here to watch the final round).

#3. Rockets point guard Patrick Beverly won the Skills Challenge (Click here to watch his performance).

#4. Team Bosh won the Degree Shooting Stars (Click here to watch their performance)

#5. Andray Blatche is strongly considering re-signing in China (Click here for details).

#6. Report: The Suns would prefer to trade Isaiah Thomas instead of Goran Dragic (Click here for details).

#7. Former Suns guard Kevin Johnson has been nominated to be in the basketball hall of fame (Click here for the full list of nominees).

#8. Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge will start the for the West in the All-Star game to replace Anthony Davis (Click here for details).

#9. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle says Monta Ellis should have been an all-star ahead of Dirk Nowitzki (Click here for details).

#10. Adam Silver is thinking about changing the playoff system (Click here for details).

Sunday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Knicks and power forward Amar'e Stoudemire have agreed on a contract buyout. He has been waived and should clear waivers on Wednesday (Click here for details).

#2. Kevin Durant has some words for the media (Click here for details).

#3. The Mavericks, Clippers, Spurs, and Suns are interested in Amar'e Stoudemire (Click here for details).

#4. Bobby Brown's season in China is over. The point guard is in discussion with several NBA teams (Click here for details).

#5. The 76ers have not re-signed shooting guard Tim Frazier to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#6. Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith was flirting with a model during the NBA's fashion show (Click here for details).

#7. The East defeated the West 129-94 in the D-League All-Star game.

#8. Andre Emmett from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants won the D-League All-Star game MVP award with 28 points.

#9. The West defeated the East 163-158 in the NBA All-Star game.

#10. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook won the NBA All-Star game MVP award with 41 points on 16/28 shooting.


---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news