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Kings 2004 preview: Can this man make it to the finish on Arco Island?
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 2, 2004
In six seasons as the Kings' coach, Rick Adelman's teams have compiled a 301-159 record (.654). His 658 career wins place him fourth among active coaches, behind Dallas' Don Nelson, Detroit's Larry Brown and Utah's Jerry Sloan.
Adelman's teams play an exciting, free-flowing style that appeals to fans and players alike, with a superlative 70 percent winning record the past four seasons.
What Adelman's teams have failed to do, however, is win an NBA title - and therein lies the rub.
Critics say his talented teams, in Portland and in Sacramento, should have won at least one title.
They contend he lacks what it takes to win the championship.
Asked to assess Adelman's strengths as a coach, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie - the man who hired Adelman in Sacramento - began to do so before halting in his tracks.
"I don't really feel you have to defend Rick as a coach," said Petrie, Adelman's former teammate when they were Portland Trail Blazers guards in the 1970s.
"The record and success speak for themselves," Petrie said. "The development of his best players speaks for itself. His quality players all have had their best years under his tenure."
What about the lack of a title?
"That's really all you can say," Petrie said. "But I don't think you can lay that on one person. The players, coaches and management of those teams all probably could have a done a little more to make that happen."
Adelman's critics say he is inflexible toward change and overly loyal to his veteran players.
"That's mostly a strength," said a person close to the team who asked to remain anonymous, "but it can become a weakness.
"There are times I think when he's given too much time and confidence to his veteran players."
Adelman's decision to immediately place Chris Webber in the starting lineup last season, following his return from knee surgery, has been dissected ad nauseam. The Kings did not play as well from that point as they had before Webber's return.
However, there were few observers at that point who didn't believe Webber's presence was vital to the Kings' chances of winning the title.
And as Adelman has said, he was faced with the decision of how to deal with the team's highest-paid and generally acknowledged best player before the injury.
Adelman not only was dealing with the prospect of coaching Webber last season but also the future.
Adelman still hopes to add an NBA title to his résumé but is under contract only through this season, with one more year at the team's option. He would like an extension as soon as possible, if for nothing more than security. But he recognizes that situation is out of his hands.
"Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to," Adelman said of not winning a title. "But you can't look at yourself as a failure because you didn't get there. There are a lot of coaches who have never won a title. I think Larry Brown is viewed by many as perhaps the best coach, and he just won his first last year. Was he a failure before that?
"I think Jerry Sloan would have to be a prime example of that (too)."
Sloan, who also has been unable to win a title despite twice getting to the Finals, says Adelman is a solid coach. They were Chicago Bulls teammates in the mid-1970s.
"He's a very patient guy," Sloan said of Adelman. "I think his teams play hard. They play intelligently, and it's tough to get players to do that in this league."
Especially for a long period of time?
"Any period of time," Sloan said, laughing. "Their teams execute. We like to try, but we're not as good as they are right now, but we've always liked to try to do it. I think it's a fun way to play basketball where you get a lot of people involved in what you're doing."
Adelman's teams in Portland utilized a similar up-tempo offensive approach but did things differently in halfcourt sets. He says his Sacramento teams are more skilled than tremendously athletic.
Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Jim Cleamons, now with New Orleans, for years was responsible for assessing and attacking Adelman's game plans.
Cleamons said Adelman has made adjustments to his approach with different personnel.
"Going all the way to his Portland teams, they are going to push the ball with authority," Cleamons said. "They stayed after you at both ends of the floor. He's transcended that philosophy to a running team in Sacramento. That Portland team was just aggressive.
"In Sacramento, the speed and the running game is a little different. They run at you (with) more finesse, but the fact remains both teams get up and down the floor. He likes to put points on the board. I think he's made the transition from the early '90s to the 2000s very gracefully in terms of his coaching style and his strategy. He's stayed contemporary; they run different sets than they ran in Portland.
"He stays in tune with the team he has and what their skill level is, and (that) also says he's adjustable. He's not, 'You do it my way.' I can find an offense that is complementary to the personnel that I have and we can still stay competitive in terms of staying at the top of the league."
New Orleans coach Byron Scott said most of the people who judge Adelman really don't know the man.
"Rick is not going to let you inside unless he feels as if he can trust you," said Scott, who has played against, coached with and against Adelman. "Rick is one of the funniest guys you'll ever find, but not many people know that. It's like people who used to say we didn't emphasize defense. I'd read that and know we'd talked about almost nothing but defense. Sometimes, you know, it's the players who may not emphasize it."
Said Petrie of Adelman: "He's not a guy who acts like you're his friend when he's not, but he values relationships that have trust and have been productive."
Kings assistant coach Elston Turner said one of Adelman's strengths is his ability to allow his assistants to do their jobs.
"He'll give you a task and then sit back and let you handle it," Turner said of Adelman. "Without question, one of his strengths is an ability to communicate. He has a real polished way of doing so with a comical situation, especially when he's talking to his players. He'll say it in an aloof way where you have to look at the message."
The Adelman years in Sacramento
1998-99
Record: 27-23
Pct.: .540
Playoffs: Lost in the best-of-five first round to the Utah Jazz 3-2
1999-2000
Record: 44-38
Pct.: .537
Playoffs: Lost in the best-of-five first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3-2
2000-01
Record: 55-27
Pct.: .671
Playoffs: Defeated Phoenix in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Lost in the best-ofseven second round to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0.
2001-02
Record: 61-21
Pct.: .744
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Defeated Dallas in the best-of-seven second round 4-1. Lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4-3.
2002-03
Record: 59-23
Pct.: .720
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-seven first round 4-1. Lost to Dallas in the bestof- seven second round 4-3.
2003-04
Record: 55-27
Pct.: .671
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Lost to Minnesota in the best-of-seven second round 4-3
• Rick Adelman became the winningest coach in Kings history March 19, 2004, with a victory over the Indiana Pacers. His total of regular-season Sacramento wins: 301.
Kings 2004 preview: Can this man make it to the finish on Arco Island?
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 2, 2004
In six seasons as the Kings' coach, Rick Adelman's teams have compiled a 301-159 record (.654). His 658 career wins place him fourth among active coaches, behind Dallas' Don Nelson, Detroit's Larry Brown and Utah's Jerry Sloan.
Adelman's teams play an exciting, free-flowing style that appeals to fans and players alike, with a superlative 70 percent winning record the past four seasons.
What Adelman's teams have failed to do, however, is win an NBA title - and therein lies the rub.
Critics say his talented teams, in Portland and in Sacramento, should have won at least one title.
They contend he lacks what it takes to win the championship.
Asked to assess Adelman's strengths as a coach, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie - the man who hired Adelman in Sacramento - began to do so before halting in his tracks.
"I don't really feel you have to defend Rick as a coach," said Petrie, Adelman's former teammate when they were Portland Trail Blazers guards in the 1970s.
"The record and success speak for themselves," Petrie said. "The development of his best players speaks for itself. His quality players all have had their best years under his tenure."
What about the lack of a title?
"That's really all you can say," Petrie said. "But I don't think you can lay that on one person. The players, coaches and management of those teams all probably could have a done a little more to make that happen."
Adelman's critics say he is inflexible toward change and overly loyal to his veteran players.
"That's mostly a strength," said a person close to the team who asked to remain anonymous, "but it can become a weakness.
"There are times I think when he's given too much time and confidence to his veteran players."
Adelman's decision to immediately place Chris Webber in the starting lineup last season, following his return from knee surgery, has been dissected ad nauseam. The Kings did not play as well from that point as they had before Webber's return.
However, there were few observers at that point who didn't believe Webber's presence was vital to the Kings' chances of winning the title.
And as Adelman has said, he was faced with the decision of how to deal with the team's highest-paid and generally acknowledged best player before the injury.
Adelman not only was dealing with the prospect of coaching Webber last season but also the future.
Adelman still hopes to add an NBA title to his résumé but is under contract only through this season, with one more year at the team's option. He would like an extension as soon as possible, if for nothing more than security. But he recognizes that situation is out of his hands.
"Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to," Adelman said of not winning a title. "But you can't look at yourself as a failure because you didn't get there. There are a lot of coaches who have never won a title. I think Larry Brown is viewed by many as perhaps the best coach, and he just won his first last year. Was he a failure before that?
"I think Jerry Sloan would have to be a prime example of that (too)."
Sloan, who also has been unable to win a title despite twice getting to the Finals, says Adelman is a solid coach. They were Chicago Bulls teammates in the mid-1970s.
"He's a very patient guy," Sloan said of Adelman. "I think his teams play hard. They play intelligently, and it's tough to get players to do that in this league."
Especially for a long period of time?
"Any period of time," Sloan said, laughing. "Their teams execute. We like to try, but we're not as good as they are right now, but we've always liked to try to do it. I think it's a fun way to play basketball where you get a lot of people involved in what you're doing."
Adelman's teams in Portland utilized a similar up-tempo offensive approach but did things differently in halfcourt sets. He says his Sacramento teams are more skilled than tremendously athletic.
Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Jim Cleamons, now with New Orleans, for years was responsible for assessing and attacking Adelman's game plans.
Cleamons said Adelman has made adjustments to his approach with different personnel.
"Going all the way to his Portland teams, they are going to push the ball with authority," Cleamons said. "They stayed after you at both ends of the floor. He's transcended that philosophy to a running team in Sacramento. That Portland team was just aggressive.
"In Sacramento, the speed and the running game is a little different. They run at you (with) more finesse, but the fact remains both teams get up and down the floor. He likes to put points on the board. I think he's made the transition from the early '90s to the 2000s very gracefully in terms of his coaching style and his strategy. He's stayed contemporary; they run different sets than they ran in Portland.
"He stays in tune with the team he has and what their skill level is, and (that) also says he's adjustable. He's not, 'You do it my way.' I can find an offense that is complementary to the personnel that I have and we can still stay competitive in terms of staying at the top of the league."
New Orleans coach Byron Scott said most of the people who judge Adelman really don't know the man.
"Rick is not going to let you inside unless he feels as if he can trust you," said Scott, who has played against, coached with and against Adelman. "Rick is one of the funniest guys you'll ever find, but not many people know that. It's like people who used to say we didn't emphasize defense. I'd read that and know we'd talked about almost nothing but defense. Sometimes, you know, it's the players who may not emphasize it."
Said Petrie of Adelman: "He's not a guy who acts like you're his friend when he's not, but he values relationships that have trust and have been productive."
Kings assistant coach Elston Turner said one of Adelman's strengths is his ability to allow his assistants to do their jobs.
"He'll give you a task and then sit back and let you handle it," Turner said of Adelman. "Without question, one of his strengths is an ability to communicate. He has a real polished way of doing so with a comical situation, especially when he's talking to his players. He'll say it in an aloof way where you have to look at the message."
The Adelman years in Sacramento
1998-99
Record: 27-23
Pct.: .540
Playoffs: Lost in the best-of-five first round to the Utah Jazz 3-2
1999-2000
Record: 44-38
Pct.: .537
Playoffs: Lost in the best-of-five first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3-2
2000-01
Record: 55-27
Pct.: .671
Playoffs: Defeated Phoenix in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Lost in the best-ofseven second round to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0.
2001-02
Record: 61-21
Pct.: .744
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Defeated Dallas in the best-of-seven second round 4-1. Lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4-3.
2002-03
Record: 59-23
Pct.: .720
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-seven first round 4-1. Lost to Dallas in the bestof- seven second round 4-3.
2003-04
Record: 55-27
Pct.: .671
Playoffs: Defeated Utah in the best-of-five first round 3-1. Lost to Minnesota in the best-of-seven second round 4-3
• Rick Adelman became the winningest coach in Kings history March 19, 2004, with a victory over the Indiana Pacers. His total of regular-season Sacramento wins: 301.
