Joe and Gavin Maloof are impulsive, emotional guys, and after watching their reaction to last night's loss to the depleted Milwaukee Bucks, it wouldn't shock me if both Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal are fired within the next few hours/days. As I have written recently in The Bee, the brothers have been privately fuming about the team's struggles (5-22), the trades that haven't significantly upgraded the talent level, the team's overall regression from last year's 25-win season, along with Westphal's inability to cope with youngsters Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.
The Maloofs also are upset with Petrie for urging them - last year - to pick up the option on Westphal's contract for 2011-12 "for the sake of continuity."
The easier move, of course, is to fire Westphal and worry about rebuilding the front office in the offseason. (Assuming Petrie doesn't simply resign). Some Maloof advisers are urging them to take their time and peruse the league for an up-and-coming personnel individual before gutting their entire personnel department.
But check back in a few hours. Remember, they are impulsive, emotional guys.
If a move is made? Or both moves are made? The family is debating whether to bring back former Monarchs GM/coach John Whisenant to give the team some structure, or whether to prod Whiz into the front office and simply promote assistant Jim Eyen for the rest of the year. Whisenant, who guided the Monarchs to the WNBA Championship in 2005, currently runs the New York Liberty. But he would return to Sac in a New York minute ... preferably as coach. He wants to coach the Kings in the worst way.
As of early Friday morning, speculation was ongoing (and fueled by a report on CBSSports.com). But Joe Maloof reiterated in the wee hours that nothing is imminent. Still, I have never seen them more distressed than during/after Thursday's loss. The questions are these: How long does their patience last? And what changes would be made? Votes of "confidence" mean nothing in professional sports, partly because of the fluid nature of the business.
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