After being unemployed for close to two days, former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger has found a new job. First reported by The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski and confirmed by CBS Sports' Ken Berger, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to hire Joerger to be their next head coach. Wojnarowski reports that Joerger will sign a three-year, $12M deal that includes an option for a fourth year.
From the Kings:
Sacramento Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Vlade Divac today named Dave Joerger as the team's new head coach. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am thrilled to welcome Dave to the Sacramento Kings," said Divac. "He is a strong and passionate leader with a proven track record of producing results. Dave shares our focus on creating a long-term culture of winning and I look forward to a bright future ahead for the Kings with his leadership on the court."
The Kings didn't limit their options in searching for their next head coach after firing George Karl at the end of the season. Interviewing and considering several top name candidates, the Kings were planning on taking their time with the search, but once Joerger was dismissed by the Grizzlies they quickly brought him in and offered him the job.
Joerger will look to instill a winning attitude in Sacramento and improve on the team's 33-win season, which was the most wins for the Kings in their last eight seasons. Joerger led the Grizzlies into the postseason all three years he was there while accumulating a regular-season record of 147-99. Joerger wanted to play a more up-tempo offense in Memphis, but without the personnel he relied on the grit-n-grind style that the Grizzlies thrived on for the last several years. In Sacramento, he should have the chance to unleash a faster-paced offense, which the Kings' front office prefers.
But perhaps Joerger's biggest challenge will be working with DeMarcus Cousins, who is superbly talented yet is often volatile and has not got along with many of the Kings coaches. Since Cousins got drafted in 2010, Sacramento has had five different head coaches, with Joerger being the sixth. If Joerger can develop a system that plays to Cousins' strengths while also getting the most of the Kings' complementary pieces, then he should be quite successful in Sacramento.
The Kings should be in good hands as Joerger does have a proven track record and can relate to his players, getting maximum effort at all times. His emotional press conference after the Grizzlies got bounced in the first round coupled with Joerger getting an ever-changing Memphis roster into the playoffs proves that. At the very least, Joerger brings a sense of stability to the Kings, who have had a revolving door of coaches and been one of the most drama-filled franchises over the last several years.
