Reggie's Job in jeopardy... Already?

[sactownfan]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/017072.html

wow well it didn't take long for Reggie to be on thin ice. Looking at the sacbee today there was 3 different articles that hit on the comments made by Joe maloof, including the posted link above that even went as far as to throw out possible replacements. It also brings back the idea of giving John Whisenant the job!

OH LORD! John Whisenant??? what a joke! at least Reggie has an NBA background and thus brings an NBA level of respect. But John Whisenant??? this guy coaches girls basketball! you got to be kidding me.

When will the Maloofs learn! Reggie took a job that gave him little to work with for the time being. it was a bad situation with no quick fix and a team loaded with offense but little defense. Plus we traded our best defensive player. Reggie in my mind has done a pretty good job so far this season with the young guys mins and that to me is the most important. Plus hes done alright considering that once again injurys and suspensions are killing our team. Reggie isnt to blame for whats going on. We all knew it was going to be a tough year.

Chill the heck out! Maloofs!

 

[VF21]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/017072.html

wow well it didn't take long for Reggie to be on thin ice. Looking at the sacbee today there was 3 different articles that hit on the comments made by Joe maloof, including the posted link above that even went as far as to throw out possible replacements. It also brings back the idea of giving John Whisenant the job!

OH LORD! John Whisenant??? what a joke! at least Reggie has an NBA background and thus brings an NBA level of respect. But John Whisenant??? this guy coaches girls basketball! you got to be kidding me.

When will the Maloofs learn! Reggie took a job that gave him little to work with for the time being. it was a bad situation with no quick fix and a team loaded with offense but little defense. Plus we traded our best defensive player. Reggie in my mind has done a pretty good job so far this season with the young guys mins and that to me is the most important. Plus hes done alright considering that once again injurys and suspensions are killing our team. Reggie isnt to blame for whats going on. We all knew it was going to be a tough year.

Chill the heck out! Maloofs!

I don't think the Maloofs need to chill out. I think some of the Bee sports staff needs to quit reading message boards.

 

[sactownfan]

I don't think the Maloofs need to chill out. I think some of the Bee sports staff needs to quit reading message boards.

Well the maloofs need to chill out with their ranting to the media about Reggie thus throwing gas on the fire that is the writers at the bee.

 

[VF21]

Whatever happened to the complaints about the Maloofs not talking to the press?



I'd rather see them be upfront about what they want and expect than to never see them or hear a word...

As far as the possible replacements go, that's mere pipe dreaming on the part of the Bee staff. Not really worth the paper it's written on IMHO.

But feel free to get all upset if you like.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I read the BEE rambling comments this morning and heard Joe Maloof's grouchy interview on the Rise Guys. There was another thread on all this which escapes me or I'd attach it. I think it's just a lot of "talk" without a lot of merit. As I said in that other thread, it might be interesting and relevant at the end of this season when Coach Theus will know if he'll be around for the last year of his deal, get an extension, or shown the door. I think one of the first two options are more likely than the last one at this point 10 games in.

 

[VF21]

Exactly.

If I remember correctly, the Bee pretty much tried to tell everyone Brian Shaw had the inside track for the job after Muss hit the road so this could be a "We told you he wouldn't last" pre-emptive strike or it could be inane blatherings. I vote for the latter.

Yes, Maloof was grouchy but he's still recovering from double knee replacement surgery. I think Theus is doing an adequate job and, as usual, I think the Bee is trying to find something "fresh" and "cutting edge" to write about to support their Kings forum.

 

[Kev.in]

The Maloofs are idiots if they're already thinking about replacing Theus. This talk about how Adelman had a system cracks me up, a few years ago they were tired of that system! And it's not like Adelman just showed up into Sacramento one day in 1998 and started coaching his *** off out of nowhere. He had almost 400 career wins as an NBA head coach when they hired him!
Reggie needs some time, just like any NBA coach. Let him have the full arsenal, this is a decent team and if he can keep them around .500 then give him an extension and let him develop these lottery picks and let him coach the team once Petrie has some cap space to work with and add more talent.

 

[Aenadin]

no matter how many times you change a ships captain it is still capable of sinking... come one give Theus a break... hes working with short handed tools here its like asking a doctor to operate giving him a butter knife as a scalpel and a lullaby to knock the patient out.... Theus is doing a good job IMO

maloofs are still in the WE can compete mode... probably watching the standings and hoping those other teams drop....

regarding adelman on the other hand didnt he have a reputation for not playing young guys?

 

[barndoggie]

i wouldn't have a problem with a coaching change if reggie dosn't change his defense scheme. i'm like the moloofs i'm tired of seeing teams shooting wide open threes it's cost us a couple of games. The turn overs i think will go down once the team gels.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

i wouldn't have a problem with a coaching change if reggie dosn't change his defense scheme. i'm like the moloofs i'm tired of seeing teams shooting wide open threes it's cost us a couple of games. The turn overs i think will go down once the team gels.

If you a refering to the zone, we need to play that as long as thompson is starting at SF ..

As far as Reggie Theus goes, I really like him. I may be in the minority, but I like the plays he calls late in games, he seems pretty good at getting decent or better shots off at the end of games ( The douby play at the end of the suns game is as good as it gets ) I get the feeling Reggie really cares. ( unlike muss ) When people call him muss lite or even compare him to that awful coach I get a little upset. Sure, he may play the vets too much at times ( mikki especially ) but look at what the maloofs are saying this early in the season .. they want to win now or its reggie's job .. I cant blame him for playing the players he thinks can win him his job.

Ive seen it too many times. A team with good prospects keep changing coach's and schemes and the players never develope and the team continues to suck because the owners arent patient.

I think there are two reasons why teams stay bad for soo long, bad GMs that leads to frequent coaching changes. Petrie is a great gm, not just good .. great. He has been able to draft well and make decent trades with all the presure he gets from the owners. I think in order to become a good team we need a coach to stay with our team at least until we get better .. look at the good teams right now, Doc Rivers was with the celts for a few years when they were aweful .. he was able to develope young players then trade them off for the big three .. look at the kings of old.. Rick was here for 8 years.. Jackson with the lakers ( granted jackson always had great players ) Sloan with the Jazz ..


I dont know if Reggie IS the answer, but if we fire him we better get the coach of the future next .. 3 coachs in 4 years is not acceptable.

 

[lorraine biffath]

The Maloofs needs to go to Las Vegas and play.

 

[bajaden]

I've had my complaints with Reggie, but then I had my complaints with Adelman. I think, barring a total loss of the team, he should be given the year to see what he can accomplish. Please, don't bring in John Whisenant. I know he's a friend of the Maloffs', and it appears they're determined to give him his shot at being an NBA coach, but please, not now.

Reggie's a young coach, and this is on the job training. So, despite some of my complaints, I don't think he's doing that badly. Lets at least let him have all the peices together before making a judgement.

If I had to pick out one mistake in particular, and its one that has nothing directly to do with his coaching. Its that he is a young inexperienced NBA coach, and, he surrounded himself with other young, inexperienced assistant coaches. Maybe he didn't want a possible sucessor looking over his shoulder. I don't know. But someone like Coachie would have been very helpful to him.

 

[kennadog]

If I had to pick out one mistake in particular, and its one that has nothing directly to do with his coaching. Its that he is a young inexperienced NBA coach, and, he surrounded himself with other young, inexperienced assistant coaches. Maybe he didn't want a possible sucessor looking over his shoulder. I don't know. But someone like Coachie would have been very helpful to him.

This is the one thing that really disappointed me, too. I think Reggie's ego wouldn't let him do this. Too bad.

Regardless of what Joe Maloof said, this is Reggie's contract year and everyone has to be well aware that his job is on the line here.But I certainly don't want to get rid of Reggie just to get rid of him. There would have to be an awfully good replacement out there first and it's not Whisenet.

 

[Kingster]

I agree with Cooper's premise - if a Maloof is saying something in public that's somewhat negative about Theus, he is toning it down for public consumption - i.e he's very negative about Theus.

The owners want a team that plays defense and they want to play the young guys. I don't hear them ranting about making the playoffs. That seems pretty reasonable to me, probably because I believe the same thing. I'll go out on a limb and say that I don't they they like the zone defense that Theus is using, at least not using it nearly as much. Maybe they want him to teach man to man. Maybe they believe that the only way they will learn man to man is by doing it in the games. Just a thought...

 

[quick dog]

I think that the great expectations of some Kings fans, including perhaps a few of the owners, are absurd. They are not a playoff team. They have a roster full of kids with minimal experience. People need to let Reggie do his friggin job. I would assume that the people whining about Theus now are some of the same folks who wanted Adelman fired a few years ago.

I don't think Phil wants the job, and I doubt that he would do any better.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Maloofs becoming Al Davis?

I dont think outburts are good for either side. keep it behind closed doors. if we fire a coach every year people arent going to want to coach here.

I think reggie is doing an ok job. let him coach. let Geoff do his job. we have a gm....dont need al davis 2.0.

worst case bring Avery Johnson here. before a wnba coach.

 

[Bricklayer]

You aren't going to often find me defending the egomanicacal pretty boy otherwise known as Reggie Theus. If I was the owner I would have canned him last year very publicly and reduced him to janitor duty for the remainder of his contract.

That said I do NOT think that Reggie has done anything terribly wrong THIS year. I have complaints, yes. But to a large degree his attitude has been remarkably reformed in key areas -- namely youth development, and also critically keeping his trap shut. Now that doesn't mean that I think he should be our coach beyond this year, but it does mean that a sudden wash of complaints and threats at this stage of the season seems ill timed.

As always my concerns about any of these sorts of maneuvers by the Maloofs, even when they get them right, are that they are coming from a fundamentally flawed and ignorant perspective. If you are going to let Reggie get away with all that crap from last year and bring him back for year 2, then it just HAS to be with the message "and now you are going to play the damn kids and develop us for the future, or you're gone." Well, while I suppose you could go further, to a large degree Reggie has played the kids, or at least the promising Hawes/Thompson frontline. And yet still the pressure may be ramping. And that worries me that once again the Maloofs are prepared to meddle for all the wrong reasons -- because they are some of the very people who cannot hold their water (anybody check for wet spots under their seats?) and that they are upset at the record and the empty arena and looking for another scapegoat. reggie should be able to fire hmself this year with bursts of ego, with public trashings of his players, by player revolt, or by refusing to play the youth. He shouldn't lose it because his owners still refuse to believe that teams have to rebuild and are going to lose a lot of games while they are doing it.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Reggie is still being an *** behind the scenes, which the Maloofs would know more about than we would. Maybe the Maloofs are figuring it out finally -- every once in a while they give an interview which sounds promising. But given their history I do not trust, especially with the asinine Whisenant possibility. Cleaning out another coach from the way so as to clear room for their old nanny. Good lord. I will fully support the arena clearing out entirely in protest of such a maneuver. Let's play to 2,000 fans like they used to in the old KC days and see if the Maloofs finally wise up.

 

[hrdboild]

OH LORD! John Whisenant??? what a joke! at least Reggie has an NBA background and thus brings an NBA level of respect. But John Whisenant??? this guy coaches girls basketball! you got to be kidding me.

While I understand the frustration regarding the coaching carousel, why do you have to go out of your way to rag on the WNBA? I would suspect from the way you refer to it as "girls" basketball instead of women's basketball that you probably haven't even watched a game. I don't know that John Whisenant is the right man for the job or not, but I don't think that WNBA coaching experience should count against him. It is professional basketball whether you realize it or not and if you haven't heard, the games are very competitive and entertaining too. Is it too much to ask to open your mind a little bit and acknowledge that women can be athletes too? I'm just saying...

 

[Bricklayer]

While I understand the frustration regarding the coaching carousel, why do you have to go out of your way to rag on the WNBA? I would suspect from the way you refer to it as "girls" basketball instead of women's basketball that you probably haven't even watched a game. I don't know that John Whisenant is the right man for the job or not, but I don't think that WNBA coaching experience should count against him. It is professional basketball whether you realize it or not and if you haven't heard, the games are very competitive and entertaining too. Is it too much to ask to open your mind a little bit and acknowledge that women can be athletes too? I'm just saying...

Its got little enough to do with coaching girls -- although the game is fundamentally different (any men's college coach has more relevant experience). Its about credibility and qualifications. Coaching a WNBA team gives you neither. None (with credibility being the key thing -- even without Artest to pants him you want to lose a locker room and destroy your team's credibility for free agents? There ya go).

If you've going to hire a WNBA coach where that is the only thing on their resume? No hope. You would be, and should be, the laughing stock of the league. I'll even join the laughter, except I will be laughing so that I do not cry.

 

[fnordius]

I agree that Reggie's doing a better job this year. Not great, but last year I was kind of hating him, and this year I think he's doing adequately.

WRT the Maloofs whining about D, I'm not sure what to tell them. The zone may not be the greatest, but Ademan's departing words on the subject still apply - if you don't have good defensive players, there's only so much the coach can do. The Maloofs should be talking to Geoff about that more than Reggie, in my opinion.

 

[kennadog]

To answer the question....not even close.

 

[hrdboild]

Its got little enough to do with coaching girls -- although the game is fundamentally different (any men's college coach has more relevant experience). Its about credibility and qualifications. Coaching a WNBA team gives you neither. None (with credibility being the key thing -- even without Artest to pants him you want to lose a locker room and destroy your team's credibility for free agents? There ya go).

If you've going to hire a WNBA coach where that is the only thing on their resume? No hope. You would be, and should be, the laughing stock of the league. I'll even join the laughter, except I will be laughing so that I do not cry.

Well then maybe you need to grow up a little too. Maybe hiring a WNBA coach would make you a laughing stock, but not for any of the right reasons. And hiring a former NBA player with a couple years of division II basketball experience isn't any better than hiring a coach who's won a championship on a professional basketball team with a roster full of players drafted out of college. Yes the women's game is different from the men's game, but it's not that different. It's certainly not "fundamentally" different. You have the same five positions, you have shooters and slashers and specialists of every kind and the game of basketball is still the same. The skills required to play it are the same. The goal is still the same. Actually, I would argue that the basketball being played on a daily basis in the WNBA is much more comparable to NBA basketball than is men's college basketball. And there's a lot of WNBA teams that are easier to watch than the Kings are lately. At least they have a system.

Sure it would take balls to hire a women's coach and risk being the laughing stock of the league. But if this is about hiring the right coach for the job, who gives a f*** what the rest of the league thinks? Players respect coaches who'll make them better players, plain and simple. And if your team respects you and you win, then the rest of the league will eventually catch on. And hey, maybe this is a crazy idea, but some players might actually respect a team that took a chance on a coach who the rest of the league is afraid to employ and made good. Just because our culture as a whole is blindingly misogynist doesn't mean everyone is.

 

[Prince_XY]

First, I want to let it be known that this is not my take. It is my nephews joke pretty much half-truth and half-lie. We make fun of each others team all the time.

BTW, he is a Lakers fan.

Since the Kings has been known lately to be a team with seemingly sissy players with girlish approach to defense, and we have a lot of finesse players who does not play brute like a man should ( and always scared of making hard contact ), maybe a women's coach will do good to coach them.

Hey, it might work!

 

[sactownfan]

Well then maybe you need to grow up a little too. )

Im sorry maybe you should watch a wnba game and then an NBA game... Im sorry you could put the a very below avg college mens team against the best wnba team and the wnba team would get murdered. In fact im sure theres mens high school teams that would crush the wnba.

wow grow up a little? are you kiddin?
WNBA vs NBA... im sorry but everything about the game is different minus the rules. its been 12 years since the wnba was formed and zero thats ZERO head coaches have made it as head coaches in the NBA.

the moral of the story is there's a reason that the wnba will not be around in ten years and the NBA will be global... theres a huge difference between the two. The NBA is the elite of the world and the wnba is like high school basketball.

 

[sactownfan]

I'd also like to throw out that Petrie will walk out the door if we hired a wnba coach.... what a joke that would be

 

[6th]

First, I want to let it be known that this is not my take. It is my nephews joke pretty much half-truth and half-lie. We make fun of each others team all the time.

BTW, he is a Lakers fan.

Since the Kings has been known lately to be a team with seemingly sissy players with girlish approach to defense, and we have a lot of finesse players who does not play brute like a man should ( and always scared of making hard contact ), maybe a women's coach will do good to coach them.

Hey, it might work!

Have you watched the Monarchs play, especially in 2005 when Whiz coached them to a championship? They won on their defense. When most guys see the women play, for the 1st time, in the last couple of years, they wish the Monarchs players were playing for the Kings.

 

[CruzDude]

The 49er's were a mess going no where. Brought in a tough, no-holds-barred assistant who then is instilling a linebackers defensive mentality on the rest of the team. Reggie gave lip service to the defensive thing last year and it lasted maybe 6-8 games. Same thing this year along with the Triangle Offense and defense lip-service. Lasted maybe a couple of games in preseason then the Kings were sent to their early season death to open 4 away.

Teaching defense is getting the players to buy into it as a way to create offense. Fast breaking run-and-gun has nothing to do with the Triangle but has everything to do with defense. It happened the first 3 home games then quickly disappeared. Why? Coaching I'd say.

With such a young and mixed group seems it would be important to stay on the same page for awhile, like the first couple of home games. Now they play the other teams dictate and boom!!! its gone.

Coach needs to show some progress, some achievement, some consistency. Heck, his staff has no one with NBA coaching experience and not much assistance experience either so that is difficult. So I think Reggie IS on a short leash now and it is his own doing.

 

[Section 101]

Have you watched the Monarchs play, especially in 2005 when Whiz coached them to a championship? They won on their defense. When most guys see the women play, for the 1st time, in the last couple of years, they wish the Monarchs players were playing for the Kings.

Then fire Reggie and Person. Promote Kenny Natt as head coach and bring whiz on as an assistant to coach the defense. Let him prove himself a couple of years as an assistant.

 

[Bricklayer]

Wading through the misogynistic societies, sissy players, and girls play like high school boys comments, we'll get back to the issue:

Credibility.

Its a simple cold hard reality. And if its because society and the league are a messed up terrible mean place, so be it. If somebody from the WNBA is going to cross over successfully, it would simply HAVE to be somebody with some other claim to knowledge/fame. I would never touch him, but Bill Laimbeer comes to mind.

I pilloried our current coach's sad lack of credentials when he was hired for the same reason. He was woefully underqualified. But he at least had a huge claim to respectability within the NBA (a long NBA career while Whiz was off buying real estate and coaching the rec leagues), which is the only place it matters. Whisenhant is a 63 yr old nobody in the NBA, an outsider, a poser, a man with not a single NBA connection or credit to his name in over 6 decades of life, and that's BEFORE we even get to the WNBA being his big claim to fame (that and having a nose stuck squarely in the Maloofs' hind ends).

The NBA is an ego league, its coaches ego managers. It is full of megarich, megapampered, often egomaniacal nimwits who think they are special because they know how to bounce a ball. And to a degree they are special...at bouncing a ball. To a degree any and every veteran NBA player in the league who laughed at John Whisenhant would be 100% correct to do so...they are better at bouncing a ball than he ever was, know more about bouncing a ball in the NBA, against NBA opponents, NBA defenses, NBA rules, NBA officials, and for legitimate NBA coaches than he ever will. He in fact might be able to teach them something about basketball if they had any reason at all to listen to him. They do not. Even if you could find a magical hippie colony of kumbalylah singing NBA players willing to sit around the Whisenhant tree smoking some of Brad's weed and absorbing Maloof wisdom, it would all come crumbling down amongst the disdain of laughter of their peers, their fanboys, their posses, and the Charles Barkleys of the world. It is about status as well as money, and playing for the "girls coach" makes you an automatic joke. Sign of misogynism? Sure thing. Way it is? Also sure thing.

I had hope we left this Whisenhant thing far behind by now. Maybe we have -- this is Ailene Voison reporting this. A woman with an agenda all her own and a willingness to play as loose with facts and innuendo as she has to to accomplish it. But if not, there is nothing, NOTHING, the Maloofs could do to more thoroughly trash their own "brand name" around the NBA than to look for a pretense to fire their current NBA coach so they scratch another Rupe the Hoop nepotistic publicity stunt. If they do not realize that, or do not care, then they are fools indeed.

 

[6th]

Then fire Reggie and Person. Promote Kenny Natt as head coach and bring whiz on as an assistant to coach the defense. Let him prove himself a couple of years as an assistant.

FYI - I did not mean to imply that Whiz should be considered as the Kings Head coach. I was replying to the comment that Whiz might be a good coach because our men play sissy defense. Since Whiz taught the Monarchs to play tough defense (in some cases tougher than our guys play) then the insinuation I read, did not apply.

I agree that if Whiz wants to coach men he should be an assistant first. I don't see that happening though since he is now the women's GM.