Sacramento Kings Shockingly Fire Coach Mike Malone

Uhh, what? Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Sacramento Kings have fired head coach Mike Malone, a move that hadn't even been hinted at. Malone was hired at the beginning of last season, and was tasked with returning the Kings to the playoffs. He seemed to be well on his way, developing a rapport with star DeMarcus Cousins and leading the Kings to a surprising 9-5 start, before they fell to earth more recently as Cousins missed nine straight games. Still, in the brutal, brutal West, Malone's team was seemingly improving at an acceptable rate, but according to Wojnarowski that isn't the case.

Assistant Ty Corbin—an unmitigated disaster in three years as Utah's head coach—takes over. I guess when your owner thinks a 4-5 defensive scheme is the future, nobody's job is safe.

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