04/23/24
June 02, 2006
The New Coach of the Sacramento Kings?:
Eric Musselman.
posted by lilnemo to basketball at 07:21 PM - 7 comments
I agree. I was born and raised a Kings fan. Though Adelman never seemed to get over the hump, the second half turnaround this year showed the talent the Kings could have had in the future with Artest and Adelman working together. The problem with bringing in a new coach is the risk one takes with Artest. If Artest doesn't get along with the coach, your up shi* creek without a paddle. It's too bad the Maloofs don't see it the same way. Hopefully I will eat my words and all will go well.
posted by kmblives at 12:04 AM on June 03, 2006
Huh. Not that I followed the story all that closely, but I figured once the Kings requested access to talk with PJ Carlesimo, he'd be a major contendor for the position. Oddly, via the 2nd link to the (impressive) sactownroyalty, apparently he wasn't even a major player. At the very least, the rumors of Don Nelson coming out of retirement are out of the picture, which isn't a bad thing, considering he has looked like he's held on to the railing for dear life during the entire Mavs playoff run. Can't say much about Musselman, other than good luck, man.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:27 AM on June 03, 2006
When the Grizzlies picked him up as an assistant coach, I didn't figure they'd have him long. The other wildcard in this situation is his relationship with Bonzi Wells. The Grizzlies traded Bonzi last summer after he had a falling out with coach Fratello. So, I'd be curious to know what Musselman's relationship with him is like.
posted by skifan at 09:10 AM on June 03, 2006
Rick Adelman has a long history of having excellent teams, and not being able to get "over the hump." It was time for him to go. As far as Eric Musselman goes, I don't know him, but his dad was a great guy, I worked with him quite a bit in Portland. If Eric inherited an of his dad's coaching skill, he'll be just fine.
posted by everett at 11:25 AM on June 03, 2006
I don't think that hte Kings would get any better with Musselman as their coach, and I dont think that Musselman could contain Ron Artest like Adelman can.
posted by redsoxrgay at 08:45 PM on June 03, 2006
Musselman was able to actually make the Warriors into a respectable team (I know, having suffered as a Warriors fan through the ugly 90s) before the unsufferable folks in the front office (i.e. Chris Mullin) forced him out. He'll do fine in Sacramento. Artest doesn't mind playing for anybody that he respects and I think Musselman will earn that respect with his hard work. As for Adelman, well, he is the Jim Mora (the older one, who could never seem to make any progress in the NFL even though his teams were always right on the edge) of the NBA. Adelman seems like a nice guy but his teams have always come up just short. What the Kings need now is a guy who can push them over the hump and Musselman might be that guy. It'll be interesting to watch (I live in the Kings TV coverage area so I'll probably tune in a little next season to check it all out) and I'm sure the Maloofs will get their share of criticism/kudos no matter how it goes. Just to note, when the Maloofs booted Adelman the newspaper columnists around here went crazy. It was not a very popular decision among the scribes, although pleasing that audience is secondary I imagine for the Maloofs. On the other hand, we'll see how those crazy Sacramento fans react when the first losing streak hits and Musselman has to assert himself. It'll be fun.
posted by donnnnychris at 09:35 PM on June 03, 2006
Are the Maloofs serious? Sacramento was one of the best teams in the league after the Artest trade. Why get rid of Adelman for this guy.