NBA News: Petrie Reportedly Out As Kings GM

Sacramento Kings

It’s out with the old and in with the new these days for the Sacramento Kings. The new owners of the team have informed Geoff Petrie that he will not be returning as general manager and the search for his replacement is underway, reports USA Today.

Petrie had a long tenure in Sacramento that included the team’s succesful stretch of eight straight playoff berths highlighted by a 2002 Western Conference finals appearance. However, the team has been on hard times lately and have gone the last seven seasons without a playoff berth. The NBA owners recently voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento with the team being sold to Indian software magnate Vivek Ranadive. Petrie’s contract is set to expire at the end of June.

I can’t fault Ranadive for wanting to have his own people in place to oversee his investment, that’s just business 101. This is one of those situations where cleaning house is going to play a vital role in how quickly the Kings can turn around the direction of the franchise. They were right to not waste anytime and start right at the top.

According to the report, Ranadive’s short list of potential candidates includes San Antonio Spurs president R.C. Buford, Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk, and Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace.