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Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and the rest of the front office staff and coach Keith Smart met with the following draft prospects today: Alex Len (Maryland), Richard Howell (North Carolina State), Tim Hardaway Jr. (Michigan), Tony Snell (New Mexico), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State) and Reggie Bullock (North Carolina). Sulia

Sacramento Kings, Draft, Geoff Petrie, Keith Smart, Tim Hardaway, Deshaun Thomas, Alex Len, Tony Snell, Tim Hardaway Jr 

There used to be a time when a coach, who led his team into the playoffs, would be in line for a contract extension. Not anymore. There’s a legitimate chance five coaches with teams in the playoffs could be jettisoned. They are Atlanta’s Larry Drew, Brooklyn’s P.J. Carlesimo, Vinny Del Negro of the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis’ Lionel Holllins and Milwaukee’s Jim Boylan. Another coach, Keith Smart of the Sacramento Kings could also lose his job as part of a front office purge. Racine Journal-Times

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Vinny Del Negro, Coaching, Keith Smart, Larry Drew, Jim Boylan 

The leaguewide presumption remains that longtime front-office chief Geoff Petrie and coach Keith Smart will not be retained by whomever ultimately assumes control of the Kings. Which is a far easier conclusion to reach than trying to identify who's leading the Kings Sweepstakes at the minute. ESPN.com

Sacramento Kings, Coaching, Geoff Petrie, Keith Smart 

Jon Santiago: Keith Smart not at practice today. Had to head back to the bay area to check on his son, who suffered a hoops injury & had emergency surgery Twitter @itsjonsantiago

Sacramento Kings, Coaching, Keith Smart 

There were several moments, though, that were definitely cringe-worthy, such as Kurt Thomas’ 3-point attempt with a 110-60 lead. Smith performed a windmill dance after one of his successful threes. Anthony and Steve Novak mimed pseudo-gun gestures, right in front of several Newtown families sitting in the front row. Keith Smart insisted the Kings did not mind the rejoicing. “I don’t feel that way,” the Sacramento coach said. “We’re all big boys. Guys don’t get a chance to play much, they want to shoot and keep playing. You can’t tell them not to shoot. Take your lumps and move on.” New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Kurt Thomas, Keith Smart, Steve Novak 

Jim Buss is going to fire Mike D'Antoni only if the Lakers experience a locker room mutiny, which is practically unimaginable. In that case, the lone alternative would be to replace D'Antoni with Phil Jackson, and Buss has made it clear that he doesn't want to go in that direction. The Kings have nothing to gain by firing Keith Smart as long as the franchise appears to be headed for Seattle next season. Why would the Maloofs pay extra money to a new coach if the team is about to become the responsibility of potential owner Chris Hansen in a short time? P.J. Carlesimo (Nets) and Jim Boylan (Bucks) are a couple of interim coaches who appear to be safe for the rest of the year. The Bucks have performed better than expected this season, while the Nets have turned hot (see below) since Carlesimo replaced Johnson. SI.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Keith Smart, Jim Boylan, PJ Carlesimo, Jim Buss, Chris Hansen 

Even players and coaches admitted all the attention made it difficult to focus on the game. "It's definitely going to be a distraction," said Kings coach Keith Smart. "But we're pros. We've got to figure out a way how to separate the two and then get ready to play." USA Today Sports

Sacramento Kings, Keith Smart 

Blaming Kings coach Keith Smart for DeMarcus Cousins' issues struck me as odd and a former head coach who has insight to the organization agreed. "Whoever is blaming Keith didn't do their homework," the former coach said. "DeMarcus couldn't have anyone better to work with him than Keith and Clifford (Ray). They put in the time." Sulia

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Coaching, Keith Smart 

“For us coaches our daily job is to refocus our players and get him ready to play that game, get him ready to practice that day,” Smart said. “That’s what we do. I don’t hold anything personally. You have to move on. Holding something personally eats away at you, so I quickly move on and get things behind me as fast as I can. I try to share that with my team because that is how the game is played. You have to forget about a foul, a bad shot, a turnover and get to the next play. “We had our issues with some things on the floor this year and some suspensions happened that way, but we put it behind us and I try to get [Cousins] to understand that you put a game behind you as quick as you can and you put a moment or event behind you as quick as you can. Myself and the staff will continue to do our job once again to try and get the young man to understand how to grow and be a pro, not just for this year, but for the rest of his basketball career because that will also help him with his normal civilian life when he can’t run up and down the floor anymore.” HoopsWorld

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart called DeMarcus Cousins "the guy who makes it all work for us." Friday night's performance was the perfect example of that. Cousins scored a season-high 31 points and matched his career high with 20 rebounds, John Salmons scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings topped the Toronto Raptors 105-96. "He had the right energy to start the game, he had the right mindset of not trying to score 50 but trying to let his teammates play," Smart said of Cousins. "He's in a good spot as a basketball player right now and he's only going to get better." ESPN.com

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Coaching, Keith Smart 

When Paul Westphal could no longer handle the young center, the Kings showed him the door and promoted long-time NBA assistant Keith Smart, known for his success in handling players with baggage. They also brought highly regarded big man coach Clifford Ray to assist in the task at hand, but neither has had the desired effect. “What is the support system that’s not in place?” Smart asked when posed the question of what the Kings haven’t done to help Cousins grow. “What is it? I’m trying to figure out what is it that we are supposed to have – that every team is supposed to have? Let us know, so we can find out what it is. And then we can let you know if we do have that.” Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

Not trying to pile on the young man, who is still just 22. Lord knows I hadn't finished maturing at that age, and some would no doubt say that process is still ongoing a quarter-century later. But Cousins's numerous confrontations with members of the Kings' organization, often sullen disposition and inability to control his temper have worn just about everyone in Sacramento raw, and the Kings, sources say, are finally ready to seriously consider moving the third-year center for a package of less talented, perhaps, but more emotionally grounded players. "If this last thing doesn't work, I don't know what to do," a member of the organization said, referring to the suspension of Cousins by the team after he engaged in a profanity-laden shouting match with Coach Keith Smart at halftime of the Kings' game with the Clippers Dec. 21. The suspension was initially labeled indefinite by the team, but it was reduced to one game, though Smart kept Cousins inactive for a second game last week. NBA.com

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

The team was surprised when Cousins showed up for practice on Christmas Eve, thinking the suspension was indefinite. Upon his arrival, "the Christmas spirit was gone," said the league source who is familiar with the Kings. And there was not much sympathy for him afterward when Cousins tried to apologize. "When he apologized to the team, two players stood up and said 'we've heard this bull(bleep) before,'" the source said. "'You're either going to be with us, or you're not. We don't want to hear any more excuses.'" NBA.com

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

One significant problem, according to sources, is that Cousins has refused the Kings' entreaties to undergo any type of counseling to deal with his anger issues, which were at the heart of many NBA teams' reluctance to take Cousins high in the 2010 Draft. The push has been especially strong recently, "but that's going nowhere," says a source familiar with Cousins' thinking, citing Cousins' unwillingness to even discuss the subject. NBA.com

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

Thomas scored 27 points in his second start in the past six weeks and made one of Sacramento's two four-point plays in the second half as the Kings handed the Boston Celtics their third straight lopsided loss on a California road swing, 118-96 on Sunday night. "That guy has an infectious personality," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "He has that magnetism that brings players and people around to him. He brought that energy to start the game off right with him in the starting lineup. All our guards do a great job, but what he's been able to do is kind of give us a little injection of the steam that we need. He's done that, plus he's making his shots." USA Today

Sacramento Kings, Keith Smart, Isaiah Thomas 

Smart made progress in building a relationship with Cousins after the center's strained relationship with Paul Westphal. Once Cousins didn't trust Westphal, it didn't matter what the coach said, he'd lost Cousins. So Smart did all he could to build a bond. He visited Cousins at home. Got to know him on a personal level and tried to get to know Cousins as a person, not just a player. Smart has to be wary of the same situation Westphal dealt with. Not that he'll be fired, as Westphal was after his final spat with Cousins. But with the Kings at 9-19 the locker room is already on edge after every loss. Add an important and angry player to that, the mix could be toxic. Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

Will DeMarcus Cousins play Friday when the Sacramento Kings host the visiting New York Knicks? The final say is up to Keith Smart, who has apparently made a decision. But in typical Smart fashion, he wouldn’t offer any further details. “I won’t share it right now,” Smart said following Thursday practice. “Because that’s my prerogative to keep it where I want to keep it right now.” Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart 

On the treadmill, on the sideline, in the locker room, Keith Smart sweats profusely. He sweats the small stuff and the big stuff. He sweats about his young center's destructive behavior, the Kings' erratic performances and a collective body language that suggests his 12 players work for 12 different corporations. The one thing he doesn't sweat is his ability to do the job. "I know I can do this," Smart said, "and my nature is that I never get discouraged. If we lose a game, I walk in the next day, and it's like a graveyard around here. I'll ask the guys, 'Did you read the obituaries? Did you see your name in there?' If you're here, you always have the opportunity to change." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Coaching, Keith Smart 

Given the chance to stick around – and the Maloofs have given every indication they plan to keep Smart for the duration of a contract that runs through 2013-14 – the Kings' second-year coach will stick to his program while continuing to advocate for significant personnel changes. He notes the chronic need for an elite facilitator, for a locker room craving a dynamic, established star, along with the fact that his assembled cast – which is not devoid of individual talent – consists of too many small guards and not enough frontcourt length. Nonetheless, given the Kings' poor record (9-18) and an ill-defined style of play, questions about Smart's own stewardship have increased. Is he a capable head coach? Can he establish a team identity? And does he have the forcefulness and internal clout to discipline and nurture Cousins, the gifted center who has been suspended three times this season, most recently for cursing out his coach during halftime of Friday's game against the Clippers at Staples Center? Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Coaching, Keith Smart 

Jon Santiago: Keith Smart suggested that though DeMarcus has been reinstated, it doesn't mean he'll play Wednesday vs. Blazers. #nbakings Twitter @itsjonsantiago

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Keith Smart