The tension in Sacramento is still brewing as the Kings are down in the cellars of the Western Conference with a 5-9 record. Reports said that head coach George Karl is more likely to be fired than franchise center DeMarcus Cousins to get traded, and recently-sacked Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is rumored to be a candidate for the job.

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Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler noted that the Karl-Cousins "marriage in Sacramento seems more than doomed" as "Kings ownership say it's far more likely that Karl is removed as coach than Cousins being traded".

Obviously there is no love between player and coach especially after the latter went public about his desire to trade the 25-year-old All-Star last offseason and the team's recent plays are reflecting that friction.

Cousins has the support of his teammates as Kings general manager Vlade Divac reportedly asked the players if they want him to fire Karl after a "players only" meeting two weeks ago, but the players said to give it some more time.

If the players said yes then Karl would have been jobless and the Kings coach-less at this moment.

However, a speculated candidate to replace Karl in the Kings bench is former Rockets coach McHale.

The 57-year-old bench tactician and three-time NBA champion is a fitting replacement as he is known to be a big man's coach, being one of the league's greatest big men himself, and a proven mentor that could improve Cousins both in attitude and competence moving forward.

He did nothing but improve the Rockets in his five seasons and eleven games in Houston, each year increasing the team's win percentage and leading them deeper and deeper into the playoffs until he got fired last week.

McHale would be perfect for the Kings to handle Cousins and finally get back to their winning ways rather than the taskmaster Karl, but only if the front office would recognize it.

However, USA Today recently mentioned that McHale might be looking to reunite with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the passing of its former head coach Flip Saunders.

Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge had reportedly reached to McHale as well. ESPN indicated that Ainge invited him to join the Celtics' front office, but the Celtic great is said to be in a "wait-and-see" mode as of the moment.

TagsNBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, Sacramento Kings rumors, sacramento kings, George Karl, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin McHale