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Ailene Voisin: Decisive Adelman deserves new deal
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, May 5, 2006
There he is, stalking the sidelines.
There he is, benching ineffective starters.
There he is, confronting his superstar.
There he is, stressing defense.
There he is - finally - making difficult decisions without regard to locker room politics, team salary structures or even his own job security. Or perhaps because he has so little job security left, Rick Adelman has been empowered and emboldened, has become a more forceful authority figure whose players have rushed back to his side while muscling their way into an extended series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
That hot spot at the end of the Kings' bench should have a new sign: seat occupied.
Adelman is the best candidate for his job.
Regardless of the series' outcome, the Maloofs should scratch out another contract and let the Kings and their coach continue on their way. This is no time to strip the franchise of a momentum that began when Artest arrived, survived a brief dip late, and swung right back into a Game 6 tonight at Arco Arena.
Different era, different team, different coach. Or maybe this is just a peeved and purposeful coach on the offensive, his team's heightened defensive tenacity and mental resilience notwithstanding. Whatever the motivation, things have changed.
If Artest has lifted an entire franchise with his massive hands and outsized personality - and he has - Adelman has been right there offering directions, demanding answers, refusing to allow another Chris Webber situation to develop. He is governing by a clearly defined set of rules. His. His decisions continue to elicit healthy, heated debate - hey, this is sports, not cardiac surgery - but he no longer seems to be looking over his shoulder, wondering whether Webber is brooding or Geoff Petrie is disappointed or the Maloofs are plotting another run at Phil Jackson.
When engaging in any coaching analysis, of course, the relevant questions are these: Has the incumbent maximized his talent, and if not, is a superior candidate available? And the answers, in order, are yes and no.
Jackson is doing marvelous work in L.A., Gregg Popovich isn't going anywhere until his Timmy retires, Jerry Sloan is embedded in Salt Lake City, and Adelman is continuing to earn a raise as we speak.
Indeed, if the careers of players and coaches are defined by postseason performances - and I firmly believe they are - his leadership during these past few weeks, coupled with his years of service, counts for plenty. Counts for dollars and sense. His roster manipulation and demonstrative, even combative demeanor, in fact, represent nothing short of a seismic shift.
Based on both his words and deeds, he is fretting less about egos and more about matchups. Defense matters. My, my, my. My previous and much-discussed differences with Adelman can be traced to his reluctance to confront his stars, to his failure to utilize his bench and to an organizational disdain for discipline, the absence of which fosters only an illusion of harmony and eventual success.
Who cares who dines together?
More than two players on a mattress dooms a marriage anyway.
No, just a hunch here, but Rick Adelman might never again be so beloved by his players. This Adelman probably would have subbed for Jason Williams before John Stockton's last-second jumper in 1999, would have canceled the pity party following the referee's theft of Game 6 against the Lakers in 2002, would have left the fearless Bobby Jackson on the floor in Game 7, and certainly would have been more assertive with Webber.
Why exactly was a hobbled C-Webb allowed to dictate his playing time, in essence crippling the team with the league's best record at the time of his return (March, 2004)? That still grates. That one lingers.
But that's also the distant past. More recent developments offer an increasingly flattering portrayal. The man is coaching like all those other coaches who know their X's and O's, who appear resigned to coaching's routinely short tenure, who acknowledge that coddling stars only corrupts a team's prospects. Disagree with Adelman's decision to play Brad Miller during the final minutes in Game 5? Disapprove of a tight rotation that forces the starters to play marathon minutes? (Who spells Mike Bibby? The disappointing Jason Hart?) Question the selection and frequency of Artest's field-goal attempts in the opening minutes of Game 5?
Yet did you notice Adelman's visibly perturbed reaction? Did you hear him berate his starters for sluggish defensive rotations during those final timeouts? Did you observe the way his Kings responded after the first two emotionally numbing losses in San Antonio?
No, while Adelman should reward the Maloofs with breakfast, lunch and dinner for their patience during the Kings' three-month stagger earlier this season - and the silence at Arco before the Artest trade certainly warrants a historical franchise footnote - he has every right and reason to stretch his spine.
Artest brought the Kings back.
Adelman took it from there.
Link
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, May 5, 2006
There he is, stalking the sidelines.
There he is, benching ineffective starters.
There he is, confronting his superstar.
There he is, stressing defense.
There he is - finally - making difficult decisions without regard to locker room politics, team salary structures or even his own job security. Or perhaps because he has so little job security left, Rick Adelman has been empowered and emboldened, has become a more forceful authority figure whose players have rushed back to his side while muscling their way into an extended series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
That hot spot at the end of the Kings' bench should have a new sign: seat occupied.
Adelman is the best candidate for his job.
Regardless of the series' outcome, the Maloofs should scratch out another contract and let the Kings and their coach continue on their way. This is no time to strip the franchise of a momentum that began when Artest arrived, survived a brief dip late, and swung right back into a Game 6 tonight at Arco Arena.
Different era, different team, different coach. Or maybe this is just a peeved and purposeful coach on the offensive, his team's heightened defensive tenacity and mental resilience notwithstanding. Whatever the motivation, things have changed.
If Artest has lifted an entire franchise with his massive hands and outsized personality - and he has - Adelman has been right there offering directions, demanding answers, refusing to allow another Chris Webber situation to develop. He is governing by a clearly defined set of rules. His. His decisions continue to elicit healthy, heated debate - hey, this is sports, not cardiac surgery - but he no longer seems to be looking over his shoulder, wondering whether Webber is brooding or Geoff Petrie is disappointed or the Maloofs are plotting another run at Phil Jackson.
When engaging in any coaching analysis, of course, the relevant questions are these: Has the incumbent maximized his talent, and if not, is a superior candidate available? And the answers, in order, are yes and no.
Jackson is doing marvelous work in L.A., Gregg Popovich isn't going anywhere until his Timmy retires, Jerry Sloan is embedded in Salt Lake City, and Adelman is continuing to earn a raise as we speak.
Indeed, if the careers of players and coaches are defined by postseason performances - and I firmly believe they are - his leadership during these past few weeks, coupled with his years of service, counts for plenty. Counts for dollars and sense. His roster manipulation and demonstrative, even combative demeanor, in fact, represent nothing short of a seismic shift.
Based on both his words and deeds, he is fretting less about egos and more about matchups. Defense matters. My, my, my. My previous and much-discussed differences with Adelman can be traced to his reluctance to confront his stars, to his failure to utilize his bench and to an organizational disdain for discipline, the absence of which fosters only an illusion of harmony and eventual success.
Who cares who dines together?
More than two players on a mattress dooms a marriage anyway.
No, just a hunch here, but Rick Adelman might never again be so beloved by his players. This Adelman probably would have subbed for Jason Williams before John Stockton's last-second jumper in 1999, would have canceled the pity party following the referee's theft of Game 6 against the Lakers in 2002, would have left the fearless Bobby Jackson on the floor in Game 7, and certainly would have been more assertive with Webber.
Why exactly was a hobbled C-Webb allowed to dictate his playing time, in essence crippling the team with the league's best record at the time of his return (March, 2004)? That still grates. That one lingers.
But that's also the distant past. More recent developments offer an increasingly flattering portrayal. The man is coaching like all those other coaches who know their X's and O's, who appear resigned to coaching's routinely short tenure, who acknowledge that coddling stars only corrupts a team's prospects. Disagree with Adelman's decision to play Brad Miller during the final minutes in Game 5? Disapprove of a tight rotation that forces the starters to play marathon minutes? (Who spells Mike Bibby? The disappointing Jason Hart?) Question the selection and frequency of Artest's field-goal attempts in the opening minutes of Game 5?
Yet did you notice Adelman's visibly perturbed reaction? Did you hear him berate his starters for sluggish defensive rotations during those final timeouts? Did you observe the way his Kings responded after the first two emotionally numbing losses in San Antonio?
No, while Adelman should reward the Maloofs with breakfast, lunch and dinner for their patience during the Kings' three-month stagger earlier this season - and the silence at Arco before the Artest trade certainly warrants a historical franchise footnote - he has every right and reason to stretch his spine.
Artest brought the Kings back.
Adelman took it from there.
Link
