The Sacramento Kings announced on Sunday that they have promoted associate head coach Alvin Gentry to interim head coach after firing coach Luke Walton. The Kings have lost seven of eight games and dropped to 6-11 on the season, which leaves them 12th in the Western Conference. General manager Monte McNair said: “We all know all of us have to be better, especially over the last two weeks. We’re not meeting expectations. That’s not just on Luke. That’s on me, the rest of our coaches and players. Everyone acknowledges that.”

Gentry will be taking over his sixth NBA team, and Kings assistant coach Rico Hines has been promoted to the front of the bench. Hines was hired to Walton’s staff as a player development coach in 2019.

Walton was 68-93 in two-plus seasons as Kings coach. The Kings have been one of the league’s worst defensive teams under Walton, ranking 26th in defensive efficiency this season and last in 2020-21. This season, Sacramento also ranks 26th in defensive rebounding percentage, 29th in paint points per game allowed and last in second-chance points per game allowed, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Editorial credit: Postmodern Studio / Shutterstock.com