The Sacramento Kings’ rough start has already turned one of the loudest complaints in town into a full-blown talking point: why keep Doug Christie around after a 1-10 opening?
That question got sharper on Friday, when Sactown Sports 1140’s Carmichael Dave said the front office plans to stick with Christie through the rest of the season.
“There is zero doubt that they do not want to fire Doug Christie,” Dave expressed. “They do not believe it’s going to make really any difference.
It would really just be to shake things up a little bit and guess and maybe something slightly changes but it doesn’t address the core issues. They don’t want to do the multiple coaches.
They one hundred percent want to hold on to Doug Christie for the remainder of the year. There’s zero ambiguity about that.
“But the waters are rising and it’s getting to a point where I could see at the press conference when they do or if they do make the move saying ‘we didn’t want to do this, we love Doug, this is not on him but at some point you’re wanting whatever the hell it is and we had to do something.’ So yeah, no, it’s not a good… rebuilds can be not fun sometimes and this is the not fun part.”
That explanation did little to calm the frustration around the team. Fans jumped on the reported decision immediately, with the reaction online landing hard and fast.
“I get the fact they don’t wanna go through the multiple coaches thing, especially with younger guys,” one person responded on X. “But these guys… the young ones… are getting nothing from this. Does it really matter that much if they give someone on staff a chance to run the ship?”
“The Doug Christie hire was bad from day one,” another noted. “Until Vivek gets serious about his franchise, it will always suck.
It’s not fair to the fans or the players. Eventually the fans will stop showing up.”
“Garbage franchise,” someone said. “Losing has become accepted and tolerated.”
For a fan base already worn down by years of churn, the message from the front office isn’t landing as a fresh start. It’s landing as more of the same.
In Other News...
Kings Still Searching For A Backcourt Answer Fans Know Well
The Kings are still working to shore up the backcourt, and Gabe Vincent has emerged as a familiar name in that search. Sacramento has a standing contract offer out to the veteran guard and recently brought him in to meet with team officials, a sign the front office is still looking for a reliable answer behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. With an open roster spot available, the fit is obvious on paper: a seasoned guard who can steady the second unit and give the Kings some insurance in a thin area.
Vincent also comes with a connection that makes the pursuit feel less like a cold free-agent chase and more like a reunion. He has prior experience with the organization through its G League affiliate, which gives Sacramento some baseline familiarity as it tries to fill out the guard rotation. The interest is clear, but the roster picture is still waiting on the final step, and for now the Kings are left searching for the veteran backup they believe can fit into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Just Faced His Toughest NBA Test Yet
Darius Acuff Jr. has already found out how unforgiving the NBA can be for a rookie point guard, and the latest reminder came against Luka Doni. Acuff, who has been carving out a role for the Sacramento Kings, said Doni has been the toughest player he has had to defend so far, a fair assessment after a night in which Sacramento fell 116-103 to Donis team.
Even in defeat, Acuff gave the Kings another glimpse of why theyre encouraged by his early progress. He finished with 22 points and 12 assists, continuing a stretch in which his playmaking has trended upward even as his shooting efficiency remains a work in progress. For a young guard learning on the fly, the challenge is obvious, but so is the upside. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Brutal Start Just Made The Next Nine Games Feel Worse
The early hole has only deepened for Sacramento, and the next stretch on the schedule does not offer much relief. With just one win in 11 tries, the Kings are staring at a run of nine straight games against opponents with better records, which makes every misstep feel heavier and every small sign of progress harder to bank.
Roster changes have already started to follow the rough start, including the trade of Nique Clifford and the addition of Mason Plumlee, but the bigger question is whether those moves can steady anything in time to matter. For a team already trying to stop the bleeding, the coming week looks less like a chance to reset and more like another test of how much more losing this group can absorb. [Read more 🡒]