Well, since IMO the main players (Rudy, Cuz, and Rondo) have been leading another player revolt against coaching/management (just less overt than last year), this is exactly the kind of game that would provide the leverage/pressure to force a move (i.e. get rid of Karl).
It seems pretty clear to me that the key players have not bought into the up-tempo, no-defense, dribble-drive systems.
It seems pretty clear they do not want to win games for Karl.
They have been clearly giving lackluster effort - the only question is "What will cause them to want to win the ballgame more than win their internal power-struggles?"
I think Cuz is misunderstanding just how supportive of the establishment/authority Sacramento is.
I think he is misreading how the public will perceive this internal squabble. I don't see how the players can make this blame fall squarely on the shoulders of coaching. Karl's past coaching history holds way too much sway in the court of public opinion. They simply cannot understand how mismanaged the coaching is - they only see (past) record.
In hindsight, "Cuz's camp" was dead-right to oppose Karl being hired - just for the simple fact that his past record (and sympathetic medical conditions, as coincidentally-detailed recently in that Bee article) makes him impervious to the kind of player mutiny that worked against Corbin.