George Karl had a good reason for missing Willie Cauley-Stein's introductory press conference

The Sacramento Kings introduced Willie Cauley-Stein to the Sacramento media over the weekend, but one notable face was missing from the press conference. Kings head coach George Karl was nowhere to be seen, and given the recent drama involving Karl and the front office, it was easy to begin reading into his absence. But it turns out Karl had a good reason for missing the press conference.

George Karl's absence from Willie Cauley-Stein noticed. Not all coaches show at intro pressers, but given the drama? Cited family reasons.

— Ailene Voisin (@ailene_voisin) June 28, 2015

George Karl in Denver for daughter's swim meet (only 2 of 8 he can attend) and annual birthday party for his two grandkids. Absence noted.

— Ailene Voisin (@ailene_voisin) June 28, 2015

Sometimes it's easy to forget the sacrifice that NBA players and coaches make for the sake of the teams they work for. I have no problem with Karl missing a press conference to spend offseason time with his family. It doesn't mean the rift with the front office is any worse. Simply that he had somewhere else to be.

For what it's worth, George Karl was reportedly very high on Willie Cauley-Stein before the draft.