Rick Adelman top ten coach of all time

#1
Rick Adelman top ten coach of all time

Yep the coach no one wanted to leave, well except for the Maloof's, soon will be a top ten coach of all time. Read about it here:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/7460073.html



Here is an excerpt:

In familiar territory

Adelman said it doesn't matter where he reaches that milestone, but he'd no doubt prefer it happen tonight in Sacramento, considering the Rockets need every win they can get. Many around him say that would be fitting, since his longest coaching stint came with the Kings.
"He would never tell you that," Adelman's son R.J., a Rockets assistant coach, said. "I don't think he is vindictive in any way. He enjoyed his time there. But it's a special place. He has a lot of good memories there. It would probably mean a little bit more."
It might be as appropriate that with a victory, the Rockets would have their first winning record of the season. In 20 years of coaching, Adelman has had just two losing seasons - in his two-year stint with Golden State.
He has the best winning percentage of any coach in Rockets history, with both his overall record and his record with the team. Among the top 10, only Jackson and Red Auerbach have better winning percentages. Adelman is just four wins shy of tying Auerbach, 10 from eighth-place Bill Fitch.
"Truthfully, I'm shocked by it," Adelman said. "When I got the job in Portland, I never expected to do it 20 years. I didn't know what to expect. To do it this long and have three really good situations, I know how fortunate that is. I've seen really good coaches get thrown into situations where you're not going to win. You may never get another shot.
"I never expected to be around those names."


KB​
 
#2
Rick Adelman top ten coach of all time
Yep the coach no one wanted to leave, well except for the Maloof's, soon will be a top ten coach of all time. Read about it here:


Sorry but the last thing I remember before Rick left was that many fans were upset with the way he coached. Their biggest complain was that he hadn't one the big one...(still pisses me off). Rotations, lack of defense, lack of development..you name it, they complained about it...so it wasn't just the Maloofs.

Still pisses me off (not at you)...that's why I disagree with the statement "the coach no one wanted to leave".
 
#3
Sorry but the last thing I remember before Rick left was that many fans were upset with the way he coached. Their biggest complain was that he hadn't one the big one...(still pisses me off). Rotations, lack of defense, lack of development..you name it, they complained about it...so it wasn't just the Maloofs.

Still pisses me off (not at you)...that's why I disagree with the statement "the coach no one wanted to leave".
I don't want to start a debate. Rick was supported in the Kings organization and by many of the fans. Rick ran a solid rotation and his teams won. Fans will always find something not to like:)

I recall the Maloofs did not like Rick because he was a homebody.

Rick was the coach of "The Greatest Show On Earth."

Lest we forget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adf_yI_VJbE&feature=related

KB
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#4
Oh no, he's right -- it was far from just the Maloofs, although they were the worst offenders. But there were many MANY fans who had turned against Rick, and really just about everything good about the organization at this point. There was no perspective about how good we had it. The grass was always greener. Muss was hailed as the guy who would bring defense to Sacto in some quarters.

Anyway, it was dumb. Many many fans also mourned his leaving town. Its not like it was 100% or anything. Oh , and you can thank Poison for stoking those anti-Adelman fires as well.
 
#5
Yes, for a while, people wanted anyone but Adelman: Jeff van Gundy, Larry Brown, Alvin Gentry, Byron Scott, Don Nelson, etc. It was quite maddening.

I still have on my computer the four part Rick Adelman radio interview from a day or two after the Kings let him go.
 
#6
The non-renewing of Adelman was one of those PR problems that damanged fan relations. Adelman was blunt (as always) in his assessment of the situation during the exit interviews. This crowned the peak of anti-Maloof sentiment (until now).
 
#7
Oh no, he's right -- it was far from just the Maloofs, although they were the worst offenders. But there were many MANY fans who had turned against Rick, and really just about everything good about the organization at this point. There was no perspective about how good we had it. The grass was always greener. Muss was hailed as the guy who would bring defense to Sacto in some quarters.

Anyway, it was dumb. Many many fans also mourned his leaving town. Its not like it was 100% or anything. Oh , and you can thank Poison for stoking those anti-Adelman fires as well.
Some of us who were more realistic about it always calimed that letting Adelman go would be the biggest mistake this franchise could make an its certainly proven to be true.

All those stories how Rick doesn't coach defence, how he is not flexible with his rotations were laughable. You can't be a defensive team if the players in your regular rotations are Bibby, Wells, Peja, Abdur-Rahim, Miller, Martin, Thomas and Williamson....thats a ridicilously bad defensive group.

Its funny that in his time with the Rockets, they have been one of the best defensive teams, especially early on in his Rocket's coaching stint when guys like Yao, Mutumbo, Hayes and Battier were getting big minutes. Funny how all of a sudden Rick coaches defence.
 
#8
Rick is a better coach than his replacements, but he has fatal flaws that he is blind to and which cost the team chances. Do not think that Rocket fans are not feeling the same things that Kings fans were feeling back then.

He is not a championship coach. That the front office followed him up with a bunch of assistant coaches is the mistake.
 
#9
Rick is a better coach than his replacements, but he has fatal flaws that he is blind to and which cost the team chances. Do not think that Rocket fans are not feeling the same things that Kings fans were feeling back then.

He is not a championship coach. That the front office followed him up with a bunch of assistant coaches is the mistake.
?!?! What Rockets roster has he had that should have won it all. Honestly, the 2002 Lakers are one of the all time great teams and he coached well enough to win it. Never understood the complaints outside developing youth.
 
#10
it was a foolish thing to let him go w/o a replacement in place. simple knee jerk reaction that costed us years of rebuilding. i'm still upset over the "defense wins championship" baloney they claimed. some dude wows them with a power point presentation and its on.
 
#11
Rick is a better coach than his replacements, but he has fatal flaws that he is blind to and which cost the team chances. Do not think that Rocket fans are not feeling the same things that Kings fans were feeling back then.

He is not a championship coach. That the front office followed him up with a bunch of assistant coaches is the mistake.
Rockets have not had a team to contend in his time there. He has got absolutely the most out of a team that is not assembled to win. People expect him to create miracles.

If you look at the Lakers and the Celtics, I am sure there would be fans of each team that would be bagging on the coaching of their coaches as well. Its a natural fan reaction. Its not rational or realistic because they are blinded by the emotion.

One thing that Adelman does provide and has provide in his entire coaching career is defined roles and stability and this does include the rotation. He will settle on him 8-9 man rotation and go with that unless other circumstances call for it. Its a hell of a better approach than the musical chairs that we have now. It breeds unity and understanding of what is expected from each player.

I laugh at all the suggestions that he does not coach defence. That is the most uneducated statement! He coaches offence and defence but if you give him players that are terrible defenders, you will have a terrible team. This is true for EVERY coach. How can you lock down the lane when your frontcourt rotation consists of Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson?! And your perimeter players are Bonzi Wells (solid defender), Peja (solid defender), Bibby (terrible defender) and Kevin Marin (terrible defender). That team could guard no one because they are not good defensive players. When Adelman had the likes of Webber, Divac, Pollard, Clarke, Peja, Christie, Jimmy Jackson, Hedo etc we were one of the best defensive teams in the league....funny that.

Give me Adelman over majority of the coaches in the NBA today any day of the week and twice on sundays.
 
#12
Actually, just based on winning percentage alone amongst the top 10 winningest (as of today), good ol' Rick is top 3 behind Phil and Red.. Probably should've never let him walk!
 
#15
Sorry but the last thing I remember before Rick left was that many fans were upset with the way he coached. Their biggest complain was that he hadn't one the big one...(still pisses me off). Rotations, lack of defense, lack of development..you name it, they complained about it...so it wasn't just the Maloofs.

Still pisses me off (not at you)...that's why I disagree with the statement "the coach no one wanted to leave".

Rick never played the youngsters and always had a strict rotation of veterans that went 8-9 deep usually... Plus he would leave them in entirely too long..

Every other coach we have had spins a wheel before games and picks the lineup based on what the wheel came up with :)

IMO the second is more annoying.

But anyway, Rick was loved here. If he wasn't then he wouldn't have been given a standing ovation for a couple minutes before his first game back started.. One of my favorite Kings moments.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#16
The only thing that maddens me about the situation was the way it was handled. I defended Rick but midway through his last season I began to feel he had probably run his course and the team was clearly on the decline and it was time to try a new direction. But then the team got hot with Artest, and played the Spurs tough and so he at least merited one more year. Instead he was unceremoniously dumped and unlike Divac and Webber never been properly acknowledged by the organization in the years since. He deserved better.
 
#17
Rick never played the youngsters and always had a strict rotation of veterans that went 8-9 deep usually... Plus he would leave them in entirely too long..

Every other coach we have had spins a wheel before games and picks the lineup based on what the wheel came up with :)

IMO the second is more annoying.

But anyway, Rick was loved here. If he wasn't then he wouldn't have been given a standing ovation for a couple minutes before his first game back started.. One of my favorite Kings moments.
Um, JWill as a rookie 36.1 mins/game, 50 games 50 starts. year 2 34.1 mins 81 games/81 starts. Peja played 24.1mins 48 games 1 start (lockout year) as a rookie, 74 games 11 starts his second year then played over 38 mins the next year. 23.6, ie. Hedo played 16.8 mins in 74 games 7 starts as a rookie, 24.6 mins/80 games 10 starts his second year and played big minutes against the lakers series when peja was out.

I think it's fair to say he played young guys who were ready to play. If they didn't get PT it was because they werent ready.
 
#18
The only thing that maddens me about the situation was the way it was handled. I defended Rick but midway through his last season I began to feel he had probably run his course and the team was clearly on the decline and it was time to try a new direction. But then the team got hot with Artest, and played the Spurs tough and so he at least merited one more year. Instead he was unceremoniously dumped and unlike Divac and Webber never been properly acknowledged by the organization in the years since. He deserved better.
Except a couple of years ago Maloofs publicly praised him (FINALLY) for always having a system in place. It was the first time they praised him in public after showing him the door.
 
#19
Um, JWill as a rookie 36.1 mins/game, 50 games 50 starts. year 2 34.1 mins 81 games/81 starts. Peja played 24.1mins 48 games 1 start (lockout year) as a rookie, 74 games 11 starts his second year then played over 38 mins the next year. 23.6, ie. Hedo played 16.8 mins in 74 games 7 starts as a rookie, 24.6 mins/80 games 10 starts his second year and played big minutes against the lakers series when peja was out.

I think it's fair to say he played young guys who were ready to play. If they didn't get PT it was because they werent ready.
Either they weren't ready or they had multiple players ahead of them performing at a high level. I think people lable him for not playing kids because of what happened with Gerald Wallace but conviniently ignore the fact that Peja and Hedo were well ahead of him in the rotation for a team that was one of the best in the league.

Kind of hard to find spots for players that are 3rd on depth charts for their position.
 
#24
Rick is a better coach than his replacements, but he has fatal flaws that he is blind to and which cost the team chances. Do not think that Rocket fans are not feeling the same things that Kings fans were feeling back then.

He is not a championship coach. That the front office followed him up with a bunch of assistant coaches is the mistake.
I love these kind of statements. No one is a championship coach until they win a championship. So I guess until the night before they win a championship, they just weren't good enough coaches, and they are miraculously better in 24 hours? Both Sloan with the Jazz and Adleman with Portland came up against Michael Jordan in the finals. So they must not have been very good coaches, because they lost to the Jordan Bulls?

Every coach has flaws. I'd take Adelman in a heartbeat. We should never have let him go and I felt that way about it when he was let go.


But winning depends on more than just the coach and some elements are just luck or unluck (like injuires).
 
#26
I love these kind of statements. No one is a championship coach until they win a championship. So I guess until the night before they win a championship, they just weren't good enough coaches, and they are miraculously better in 24 hours? Both Sloan with the Jazz and Adleman with Portland came up against Michael Jordan in the finals. So they must not have been very good coaches, because they lost to the Jordan Bulls?

Every coach has flaws. I'd take Adelman in a heartbeat. We should never have let him go and I felt that way about it when he was let go.


But winning depends on more than just the coach and some elements are just luck or unluck (like injuires).
Not to mention how many coaches have won titles the past 20 year? And how many coaches have been in the league during that time? Do the math and its under 1% of the coaches have titles.
 
K

Kingsguy881

Guest
#27
Not to mention how many coaches have won titles the past 20 year? And how many coaches have been in the league during that time? Do the math and its under 1% of the coaches have titles.
Dude logic doesn't work around here. Don't try that crap with us. You gotta follow your heart. Whatever coach won the title is obviously the best coach in the league and every other coach must be fired and a new one brought in.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#28
Dude logic doesn't work around here. Don't try that crap with us. You gotta follow your heart. Whatever coach won the title is obviously the best coach in the league and every other coach must be fired and a new one brought in.
If it wasn't for MJ, he would have gotten a ring with Portland, just like if it wasn't for MJ, Sloan would have gotten a ring with Utah. And if it wasn't for the refs in WCF game 6....