Don't forget that it was Petrie that resigned in Portland over the firing of Rick Adelman. So he's not afraid to stand up for what he believes, or at least he wasn't in the past.
Thanks to my Sac State account I was able to look through their Sacramento Bee archives and found some interesting tidbits.
PETRIE HAS REBOUNDED FROM DIFFICULT TIMES
SACRAMENTO BEE - Friday, June 3, 1994
Author: Mark Kreidler Bee Sports Columnist
"And the Blazers' GM consistently, steadfastly supported coach Rick Adelman, a friend whose reputation as an underachiever in Portland still rankles Petrie . A few days after Petrie resigned, Adelman was fired."
LEAVE PORTLAND FOR SACRAMENTO? WHY?
SACRAMENTO BEE - Thursday, June 2, 1994
Author: Mark Kreidler
"In hindsight, though, the people who know Petrie well can understand his decision, stunning as it was. Chalk it up to benign neglect by the Trail Blazers - and learn a lesson.
Petrie 's distress in Portland had three primary causes: Allen's impending dismissal of Adelman; an ongoing front-office confusion involving team vice-president Brad Greenberg; and the simple matter of a new contract to replace the one of Petrie 's that was just expiring.
Of the three, Petrie is quickest to knock down the Adelman angle - "That was never an issue," he said again Wednesday - but those in the Trail Blazers organization acknowledge he repeatedly made his case for Adelman with Allen and others in the front office. And while Petrie might not have departed over that issue alone, he clearly was upset at what he perceived as an unfair judgment of the coach, one of his closest friends.
"It's about loyalty," a member of the Kings' front office said. " Geoff is a terribly loyal person. That's something to be proud of, not covered up."
Too, Petrie 's relationship with Greenberg, though not irreparably torn, was becoming complicated. Greenberg, Portland 's VP for player personnel, made no secret of his desire to become a general manager - in essence, to take Petrie 's job - and that sat badly with Petrie . The day after his resignation was announced, Petrie answered a question by saying he didn't believe "in promoting yourself for another job when you already have one."
There is little chance of that in Sacramento; Thomas said in a telephone interview after returning to his Los Angeles home that Petrie will be "absolutely the man in basketball operations, no question. I don't want to lord that over anybody, but there is no doubt."
The Blazers? They were left without Allen's most trusted basketball adviser, without any immediate prospects to replace Petrie and - when Allen indeed fired Adelman a few days after Petrie resigned - without a coach. The NBA draft is June 29, and the free-agent signing period begins July 1."