Just had a chance to speak to Geoff Petrie following this afternoon’s interview with head coaching candidate Tom Thibodeau. Here are some direct quotes from Geoff regarding the Thibodeau interview as well as an update on the other candidates.
On Today’s Tom Thibodeau Interview
“We met for two-and-a-half hours in what I would categorize as an impressive overall interview. We talked at length on his basketball philosophies. Tom was very well prepared and is very engaging. He certainly is someone whose extensive NBA coaching experience, which includes approximately 140 Playoff games, really comes across when you sit down and talk with him. He is definitely a teacher with a pragmatic approach to development.”
On Status of Kurt Rambis Interview
“I had a chance to speak with the Lakers today to confirm that we would like to speak to Kurt before the Finals and they agreed to allow us to do that. We hope to schedule an interview with Kurt in the coming days but do not have a specific date set as of right now.”
On Eddie Jordan Being Hired By The Sixers
“We congratulate Eddie on getting the Philly job. We feel he is an excellent coach and this is a good opportunity for him. We knew thru our interview process that he was a strong candidate for that position. But we feel we have a strong pool of candidates for our job as we continue the search.”
On Paul Westphal’s Status
“I have had continued dialogue with Paul’s representatives over the course of the past couple weeks. Paul remains a strong candidate for this position. Following our next interview we will re-convene and evaluate our search overall.”
Geoff is heading to the East Coast today to attend to a personal family matter and will be unable to attend the pre-draft workouts in Oakland on Monday and Tuesday. However, the Kings will be well represented at the workouts and Geoff will be able to watch full video of all four workouts later this week. He is scheduled to return to Sacramento on Wednesday.
