NBA News 2016: Sacramento Kings Considering Firing Head Coach George Karl; Suns Signing Orlando Johnson To 10-Day Deal

By Miguel Vasquez, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 09, 2016

The Sacramento Kings are planning to let go of head coach George Karl within the coming days, reports have claimed.

According to Marc Stein for ESPN, the Kings team management is looking to pursue their plans of making the major change before the NBA All-Star break this weekend.

The report adds that one of the main reasons for firing Karl, which has already been mounting for several weeks, stems from his inability to provide the stewardship that was expected of him since he was hired to replace former coach Tyrone Corbin during the 2015 All-Star break.

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Stein also mentioned some problems both the Kings' front office and players have with Karl's defensive schemes and practice policies, which was believed to have a 'demoralizing effect' on the team. The Sacramento Kings are currently situated at the number ten spot at the Western Conference standings with a record of 21-31.

With the potential release of Karl, the Kings would be appointing their ninth coach since the 2006-2007 season. According to vice president of basketball operations and general manager Vlade Divac, the team intends to find an interim head coach and wants to take time in finding a full-time replacement for Karl.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns signed 26-year-old shooting guard Orlando Johnson to a ten-day deal. A tweet by Yahoo! Sports' Shams Charania confirmed the said news.

Johnson was a second round pick (36th overall) by the Sacramento Kings during the 2012 NBA Draft. The Kings then traded him to the Indiana Pacers. In the same year, he was also playing for D-League team Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 2014, the Sacramento Kings signed Johnson in his first ten-day contract.

Once it lapsed, he once again jumped around D-League teams and played internationally in Spain and the Philippines.

For the current season, Johnson has played in one game so far, during the Suns' 98-89 loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday. In the said game, he played for 19 minutes, and scored 7 points, with one rebound and one steal, apiece.