Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie made
the announcement ahead of the team's home game against Milwaukee on Thursday
night. Assistant coach Keith Smart, let go by the Golden State Warriors after
one season this summer, will serve as head coach versus the Bucks.
Looking to build momentum for a new arena project,
Sacramento stumbled at the start again this year. A talented and athletic — albeit
raw — roster led by Westphal is 2-5 and in last place in the Pacific Division.
"I want to thank Paul for all of his effort on behalf
of the Kings," Petrie said. "Unfortunately, the overall performance
level of the team has not approached what we felt was reasonable to expect. I
wish him the best in his future endeavors." In two-plus seasons leading
the Kings, Westphal finished with a 51-120 record.
"I would like to thank the Maloof family for the
incredible opportunity they gave me to participate in the attempt to bring the
Sacramento Kings back to prominence," Westphal said. "While the job
is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make.
"Finally, I want to thank my loyal staff and players
for their efforts in attempting to climb out of the hole we shared. Nothing
comes easy in the NBA and I know they will not rest in their efforts to rebuild
this team." In the last week, all of Westphal's efforts in California's
capital shattered.
Westphal abruptly released a statement Sunday criticizing
Cousins' commitment to the franchise and excused him from the team's game
against New Orleans. He also said Cousins asked for a trade, which the center's
agent refuted.
Sacramento drafted Cousins with the fifth overall pick in
2010 after he spent one season at Kentucky. The 21-year-old Cousins was
averaging 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in 26 minutes per game this season.
Cousins' behavior has been well documented going back to
high school and his one season at Kentucky, mixing in dramatic and astonishing
plays with outbursts against players, coaches, trainers and referees. His
conditioning has been questioned and so has his work ethic, however, he showed
up for training camp in prime condition and appeared ready for a breakout
season.
Teamed with 2009-10 rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, Cousins
was expected to anchor the front line for a young and emerging roster in the
deep Western Conference. Sacramento finished 24-58 last season and missed the
playoffs for the fifth straight year, although a late-season surge behind a
healthy Evans provided hope that maybe the Kings weren't that far off from
making the postseason again.
Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof simply couldn't wait any
longer.
The NBA and the Maloofs have given Sacramento a March 1
deadline to approve a plan to help finance a new arena, or the franchise could
again explore relocation. The Kings nearly moved south to Anaheim, California,
in April before the league's Board of Governors decided to give Sacramento
another chance.
