Kings start multilevel searches
As the draft approaches, coach Eric Musselman is in the hunt for assistants.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Monday, June 5, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14264126p-15076890c.html
They call it predraft camp.
For some NBA types, however, it could be dubbed a preseason job fair.
The five-day event in Orlando that starts Tuesday couldn't come at a better time for new Kings coach Eric Musselman. While the main objective at the industry gathering is to get a final look at the draft talent before June 28, those duties mostly will be left to Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who has held draft workouts for weeks now. Musselman, meanwhile, will be deciding who to add to a coaching staff that currently has just one member.
And because the Kings are the only team to have turnover at the head-coaching spot so far this offseason, Musselman will be a popular man.
"It's a whirlwind because there will be a lot of people who are interested," he said. "We'll sit down and throw different names around. I'll rely on the experience of Geoff to try to help me put together what we feel is a perfect blend, a perfect complement to not only what I need, but what benefits these players."
The whirlwind will include former Kings assistants Elston Turner and Bubba Burrage, whose contracts have yet to expire but whose current tenures ended when they were put on leave following the May 9 dismissal of former coach Rick Adelman.
Petrie acknowledged it could be beneficial to have at least one assistant with some ties to the current Kings roster, but said Musselman will have the final say. One possibility may be Orlando assistant Tom Sterner, the only assistant who was under Musselman for both of his seasons as Golden State's head coach from 2002 to 2004.
"(Head coaches) should have the people they want, but if Eric wants to hire somebody who's been here, for the sake of some continuity and his sense of what they can contribute, then that's fine with me, too," Petrie said. "But in the end, he has to have the people around him that he's comfortable with."
As for the draft itself, the Kings pick 19th overall. If the workouts are any indication, Petrie has his eye on point guards and forwards. Among the most highly projected are Connecticut senior forward/center Hilton Armstrong and UCLA sophomore guard Jordan Farmar.
Early entrants who have not hired an agent can withdraw until June 18, when the draft picture will become more clear.
As the draft approaches, coach Eric Musselman is in the hunt for assistants.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Monday, June 5, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14264126p-15076890c.html
They call it predraft camp.
For some NBA types, however, it could be dubbed a preseason job fair.
The five-day event in Orlando that starts Tuesday couldn't come at a better time for new Kings coach Eric Musselman. While the main objective at the industry gathering is to get a final look at the draft talent before June 28, those duties mostly will be left to Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who has held draft workouts for weeks now. Musselman, meanwhile, will be deciding who to add to a coaching staff that currently has just one member.
And because the Kings are the only team to have turnover at the head-coaching spot so far this offseason, Musselman will be a popular man.
"It's a whirlwind because there will be a lot of people who are interested," he said. "We'll sit down and throw different names around. I'll rely on the experience of Geoff to try to help me put together what we feel is a perfect blend, a perfect complement to not only what I need, but what benefits these players."
The whirlwind will include former Kings assistants Elston Turner and Bubba Burrage, whose contracts have yet to expire but whose current tenures ended when they were put on leave following the May 9 dismissal of former coach Rick Adelman.
Petrie acknowledged it could be beneficial to have at least one assistant with some ties to the current Kings roster, but said Musselman will have the final say. One possibility may be Orlando assistant Tom Sterner, the only assistant who was under Musselman for both of his seasons as Golden State's head coach from 2002 to 2004.
"(Head coaches) should have the people they want, but if Eric wants to hire somebody who's been here, for the sake of some continuity and his sense of what they can contribute, then that's fine with me, too," Petrie said. "But in the end, he has to have the people around him that he's comfortable with."
As for the draft itself, the Kings pick 19th overall. If the workouts are any indication, Petrie has his eye on point guards and forwards. Among the most highly projected are Connecticut senior forward/center Hilton Armstrong and UCLA sophomore guard Jordan Farmar.
Early entrants who have not hired an agent can withdraw until June 18, when the draft picture will become more clear.
