Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports:
Oct 19, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Clippers 96-94. Photo via Newscom
Sacramento Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof are strongly considering firing GM Geoff Petrie and coach Paul Westphal in a sweeping indictment of the direction of the team, two people familiar with the situation told CBSSports.com.
Petrie is on extremely shaky ground with the Kings foundering at 5-22 and Westphal openly feuding with combustible first-round pick DeMarcus Cousins, who has proved to be a disastrous mistake whose selection will doom Petrie. There are concerns within the organization about whether Westphal is the right coach to calm Cousins and groom him into a dependable star.
But while Petrie has gone to bat for Westphal, urging the Maloofs to give him time with Cousins before making an assessment, it may be a moot point. The Maloofs have developed far more serious concerns about whether Petrie himself should be let go. It was Petrie, according to sources, who supported the decision to guarantee the 2011-12 season on Westphal’s contract months ahead of schedule – a decision that, with Westphal apparently losing the team, has become a very expensive one.