Sacramento, Calif.
General manager Vlade Divac announced the move a day after the Kings wrapped up another disappointing season with a 33-49 record. Karl was given a four-year contract when he was hired in February 2015 to replace Tyrone Corbin but never worked out and finished with a 44-68 mark.
Karl was unable to improve the team’s defense, had frequent run-ins with star center DeMarcus Cousins and faced questions about his status as far back as November. His fate was officially determined Thursday, leaving the Kings to search for a new coach to lead them into their new downtown arena slated to open next season.
Karl is the eighth coach in Sacramento since the team last went to the playoffs in 2006 under Rick Adelman. Sacramento and Minnesota are the only teams not to go to the playoffs in that span and the Timberwolves are the only team with more losses than the Kings the past 10 seasons.
Washington
The team announced Thursday that it would not pick up its option on Wittman’s contract.
Wittman was informed of the news Wednesday night, when the Wizards’ season ended with a 109-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. With a team built around All-Star point guard John Wall, and a roster set up to make a bid for Kevin Durant as a free agent this offseason, Washington finished 41-41 and 10th in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards missed out on the playoffs after reaching the second round each of the past two seasons.
In all, Wittman went 178-199 in 4½ seasons with the Wizards, a winning percentage of .472. That lifted his career NBA coaching percentage to .406.
Cleveland
If Cleveland’s opening-round NBA playoff series against Detroit goes to five games, the April 26 game would bump a show planned by pop singer Justin Bieber at Quicken Loans Arena.
A sweep by the top-seeded Cavaliers over the eighth-seeded Pistons in the best-of-7 series would avoid any potential problem. However, Detroit beat Cleveland twice during the regular season, so winning a game would be no surprise.
The Cavs are working with tour organizers on a contingency plan with new dates for the Bieber show in case the events overlap. Cleveland is one stop on Bieber’s Purpose World Tour.
A big sports fan, Bieber attended James’ first game back in Cleveland in 2014 after he re-signed with the Cavaliers following four years in Miami.
