The Sacramento Kings made an unexpected offseason decision when they decided to extend head coach Keith Smart for another season through the 2013-14 year. Smart was originally the interim head coach this season after Paul Westphal got axed, got his option picked up for 2012-13.
Here's an official statement from Kings general manager Geoff Petrie.
"Keith's extension gives us the stability we need to continue the development of our team," Petrie said. "He has the commitment, energy and vision necessary to succeed in building a winning team. We are all looking forward to working with him as we pursue an exciting and productive future."
It seems like a peculiar time to extend Smart because it is a peculiar time. It's very likely the Kings are extending Smart now so they can avoid really having to break the bank for him if he does turn out to be a good head coach, and it allows them wiggle room to get rid of him if he's mediocre before it becomes too costly to keep him on. The Kings really don't gain anything from extending Smart, because they're not sure if he'll pan out or not.
Obviously Smart has a good relationship with Cousins, which is important since he's probably going to be the best player on this Kings squad for quite some time. Still, it's a bit early to extend a man who has yet to prove anything as a basketball head coach. Smart is 56-85 in his last two seasons as an NBA head coach with the Warriors and the Kings. He has a lot to prove and the Kings are giving him the chance to prove it.
Talk about the Smart contract extension with Kings fans by heading on over to Sactown Royalty.
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