Kings Fire Westphal
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Sacramento Kings/NBA(SACRAMENTO) — The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Paul Westphal on Thursday.
Westphal was coaching his third season for the Kings. Over his time as head coach he compiled a record of 51-120, including a 2-5 start to this season.
“I want to thank Paul for all of his effort on behalf of the Kings,” Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. “Unfortunately, the overall performance level of the team has not approached what we felt was reasonable to expect. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Westphal has been in the news lately for clashing with young center Demarcus Cousins.
He released a statement questioning Cousins’ commitment to the franchise. He also claimed Cousins demanded to be traded, a claim Cousins’ agent denies.
Assistant Keith Smart signed a deal with the team and will take over as head coach.
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