| Kings Take Step Back With Coaching Move Authored by Douglas Benton - May 9, 2006 - 7:39 pm
With the announcement that they won’t renew the contract of head coach Rick Adelman today, Geoff Petrie and the Kings have taken a step back in their quest to return the Kings to the elite level of the NBA. Adelman was the man who put the Kings on the basketball map with an exciting brand of basketball that regularly put the Kings into the discussion of title contenders.
Over the last few seasons, Adelman has had to deal with the departures of key members of the conference finals team in 2002, the changing of the guard from Chris Webber to Peja Stojakavic, and finally the overhaul this season from a finesse offensive team to a tough, physical group during the season. Through it all, Adelman has kept the team competitive and remained well-liked by his players.
I truly believe that this move didn’t come from Petrie himself, but from owners Joe and Gavin Maloof because they were spoiled with past successes and thought it was their birth right as NBA owners to be a dominant franchise every year. They should have already learned that you have to ride the tides that are known as the NBA and look at your product from afar before making a move like this.
You should only change coaches or your best players if you can improve in that area of your team. That is the problem because there isn’t a better coach out there right now, so any move at this point would be a downgrade.
Well since the Maloofs don’t consider me a confident and Petrie can plug his ears with his executive of the year awards, I will stop berating this move and look at who the Kings can hire that might minimize the damage of letting Adelman go.
Don Nelson: His name has already been floated around because of his relationship with the Maloofs and his proven track record in the NBA. He has coached almost every type of player you can in trouble-makers like Latrell Sprewell, alleged coach-killer Chris Webber, and has worked for compulsive owners, like Mark Cuban. I don’t think Nelson is the right fit because his problems in Dallas were the same that faced Adelman before he was pushed aside for Avery Johnson last season.
Doug Collins: Like Nelson, he has a good relationship with the Maloofs and will automatically gain the respect of the locker room for his work in the television booth, as well as the backing of basketball legend Michael Jordan. Collins is known around the league as a teacher of the game, which makes him an awkward fit for a team that already is filled with proven players at the NBA level. Sacramento isn’t the right fit for Collins, but he should get some looks this off-season if he has a desire to get back into the coaching ranks.
Terry Porter: Porter was once an assistant for the Kings and has some early success before falling out of favor in Milwaukee. Porter will automatically get respect in the locker room because of his former player status and because of the familiarity with the players. Probably not a logical choice for the Kings because of his recent dealings with possible ownership and because he is too closely connected with Adelman through his playing days and coaching underneath him.
PJ Carlesimo: Almost the opposite of Nelson, Carlesimo has had a spotty past with players and is almost the forgotten name in coaching circles. I believe he has improved as a coach under Greg Popovich in San Antonio, where I’m sure he has been drilled in defense, defense, defense, which is something the Kings will need in a new coach. Out of these candidates, I think Carlesimo is the best choice because he has past experience, has a glowing recommender in Popovich, and is a respected name around the league.
However, most likely, the next coach will be someone off of this page because the Maloofs made their money off of gamblers and that’s how they built the Kings into one of the better franchises in basketball. On this move, I think the Maloofs went all in on a 7-2 non-suited. |
