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Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger asked assistant general manager Brandon Williams to leave the team's shootaround Thursday, according to The Athletic. Williams departed with Kings general manager Vlade Divac after Joerger's request, the reports said. Joerger and Williams have reportedly been at odds for two weeks following a Yahoo Sports report that a "substantial disconnect" existed between Joerger and the front office. Divac at the time disputed any rift, but The Athletic reported Thursday that Joerger believes Williams to be the source of the Yahoo! story, with the goal of sowing discord and ultimately supplanting him as coach. Following Thursday's reports, Divac said in a statement to The Athletic: "I have advised my front office and coaching staff to not focus on drama and rumors, but instead to focus on continuing to develop our young and exciting team. And that's what we're going to do." Before Thursday's loss to the LA Clippers, Joerger faced questions about the situation. "My job is to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be for the task in front of us and to try to limit as much distractions as possible," Joerger said. "I think the sunshine on this team, this group of players, and our city has been as high as it's been since I've been in the NBA. I'm just trying to keep the distractions to a minimum with our group. I love the game. I know that this is just part sometimes that comes with it." The Kings are off to a respectable 10-10 start as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Williams and Joerger have also been at odds over free-agent targets and the direction of the training staff, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. The Associated Press contributed this report.
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