Rockmeister
All-Star
Ailene Voisin: Search for coach turns Kings wary
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/219826.html
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Stan Van Gundy caught their flight, ate their food, drove their car, then rushed to the nearest Kinko's and signed with the Orlando Magic. He was pretty Mickey Mouse about the whole thing, no question about it.
But why the sudden paralysis?
Uncle Junior moved faster than this in his wheelchair.
The search stalls again.
Scott Brooks, the last of the Kings' coaching candidates to meet with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs at that same cafe in Las Vegas, can zip down to his family-owned car wash in Manteca and scrub a few more autos. He probably has time to apply the wax and polish the tires, too. He certainly has time and plenty of reason to sweat.
"They're (Maloofs) not ready to make a decision," Petrie said Tuesday before flying to Los Angeles to attend player workouts for the NBA draft. "We may talk to some other people. I'm looking into it. That may happen. It's going to be their coach, too. You can't force anybody on them."
Or anybody on him -- Petrie -- for that matter.
At this point, group therapy might be advisable.
For the past several weeks, Petrie and the Maloofs have interviewed several candidates to replace the one-year-and-done Eric Musselman, become excited about a few, not so excited about a few others, and in total agreement on only one: Van Gundy. And now that Stan is more mouse than man around here, snared by the Magic after its own painful encounter with Billy Donovan, the three Kings officials are slouching against the wall like schoolboys at the dance hall, debating how to proceed.
Joe Maloof likes the redhead.
Gavin Maloof likes the blonde.
Petrie likes the brunette.
So much for men having one-track minds. The Kings' game plan is ill-defined, the process undoubtedly influenced by the Musselman Mistake -- the wrong coach for a team with stubborn veterans Mike Bibby and Ron Artest -- and more recently, the ill-fated Van Gundy recruitment. Fearful of making the wrong move, of stumbling into another Musselman mess or Van Gundy rejection, the Maloofs, in particular, are proceeding with uncharacteristic caution.
Meantime, Orlando hires Van Gundy. Indiana surprises with Jim O'Brien. Houston turns to Rick Adelman for an offensive fix. Memphis goes young, and hoping to play faster, with Marc Iavaroni. Charlotte goes even younger and hires Sam Vincent. The only vacancies remain in Seattle and Sacramento.
So who's left? Who might fulfill the requirements of the basketball boss and please the owners?
Petrie, reserved by nature, is uncomfortable with big-presence, high-maintenance coaches, which would seem to eliminate Larry Brown, Bill Laimbeer, Jeff Van Gundy, Reggie Theus and Rick Barry from serious consideration.
The Maloofs, who moonlight as billionaire movie producers, prefer dynamic personalities capable of motivating both players and members of the ticket-buying public. They favor big-name, high-profile coaches, and their criteria is thought to have dampened Kurt Rambis' prospects and probably precluded overtures to Del Harris and Terry Porter. Additionally, they endorse résumés thick with job experience and recommendations, which seems to be hurting the unproven, engaging Brooks.
The problem with all of this, of course, is that the search tends to obscure one hugely significant fact, namely that Sacramento is no longer one of the league's coveted coaching destinations. That distinction went the way of Vlade. Petrie, frankly, has a ton of work to do. He is intent on dumping weighty salaries and subtracting bad attitudes, in essence transforming the roster into an appealing, entertaining product.
If he executes his plan effectively, these Kings will be virtually unrecognizable two seasons from now.
But the new coach is only a part of the makeover, at this juncture perhaps not even the most important part. So where to from here?
If the pool of candidates expands, P.J. Carlesimo will be contacted for an interview. Brian Shaw will be granted a second visit. OK, but Petrie and the Maloofs might think about this: If you can't agree on one of the more established coaches? Aren't infatuated with any of them? Why not groom your own star? Why not go young?
There are worse things than hiring a young assistant and hoping he grows into the job. He would be cheap, and in two years easily replaceable. In this league, sometimes you have to improvise.
About the writer:
* Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/voisin.
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/219826.html
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Stan Van Gundy caught their flight, ate their food, drove their car, then rushed to the nearest Kinko's and signed with the Orlando Magic. He was pretty Mickey Mouse about the whole thing, no question about it.
But why the sudden paralysis?
Uncle Junior moved faster than this in his wheelchair.
The search stalls again.
Scott Brooks, the last of the Kings' coaching candidates to meet with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs at that same cafe in Las Vegas, can zip down to his family-owned car wash in Manteca and scrub a few more autos. He probably has time to apply the wax and polish the tires, too. He certainly has time and plenty of reason to sweat.
"They're (Maloofs) not ready to make a decision," Petrie said Tuesday before flying to Los Angeles to attend player workouts for the NBA draft. "We may talk to some other people. I'm looking into it. That may happen. It's going to be their coach, too. You can't force anybody on them."
Or anybody on him -- Petrie -- for that matter.
At this point, group therapy might be advisable.
For the past several weeks, Petrie and the Maloofs have interviewed several candidates to replace the one-year-and-done Eric Musselman, become excited about a few, not so excited about a few others, and in total agreement on only one: Van Gundy. And now that Stan is more mouse than man around here, snared by the Magic after its own painful encounter with Billy Donovan, the three Kings officials are slouching against the wall like schoolboys at the dance hall, debating how to proceed.
Joe Maloof likes the redhead.
Gavin Maloof likes the blonde.
Petrie likes the brunette.
So much for men having one-track minds. The Kings' game plan is ill-defined, the process undoubtedly influenced by the Musselman Mistake -- the wrong coach for a team with stubborn veterans Mike Bibby and Ron Artest -- and more recently, the ill-fated Van Gundy recruitment. Fearful of making the wrong move, of stumbling into another Musselman mess or Van Gundy rejection, the Maloofs, in particular, are proceeding with uncharacteristic caution.
Meantime, Orlando hires Van Gundy. Indiana surprises with Jim O'Brien. Houston turns to Rick Adelman for an offensive fix. Memphis goes young, and hoping to play faster, with Marc Iavaroni. Charlotte goes even younger and hires Sam Vincent. The only vacancies remain in Seattle and Sacramento.
So who's left? Who might fulfill the requirements of the basketball boss and please the owners?
Petrie, reserved by nature, is uncomfortable with big-presence, high-maintenance coaches, which would seem to eliminate Larry Brown, Bill Laimbeer, Jeff Van Gundy, Reggie Theus and Rick Barry from serious consideration.
The Maloofs, who moonlight as billionaire movie producers, prefer dynamic personalities capable of motivating both players and members of the ticket-buying public. They favor big-name, high-profile coaches, and their criteria is thought to have dampened Kurt Rambis' prospects and probably precluded overtures to Del Harris and Terry Porter. Additionally, they endorse résumés thick with job experience and recommendations, which seems to be hurting the unproven, engaging Brooks.
The problem with all of this, of course, is that the search tends to obscure one hugely significant fact, namely that Sacramento is no longer one of the league's coveted coaching destinations. That distinction went the way of Vlade. Petrie, frankly, has a ton of work to do. He is intent on dumping weighty salaries and subtracting bad attitudes, in essence transforming the roster into an appealing, entertaining product.
If he executes his plan effectively, these Kings will be virtually unrecognizable two seasons from now.
But the new coach is only a part of the makeover, at this juncture perhaps not even the most important part. So where to from here?
If the pool of candidates expands, P.J. Carlesimo will be contacted for an interview. Brian Shaw will be granted a second visit. OK, but Petrie and the Maloofs might think about this: If you can't agree on one of the more established coaches? Aren't infatuated with any of them? Why not groom your own star? Why not go young?
There are worse things than hiring a young assistant and hoping he grows into the job. He would be cheap, and in two years easily replaceable. In this league, sometimes you have to improvise.
About the writer:
* Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/voisin.
