http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14260107p-15074091c.html
Mario Elie spent much of his nomadic pro basketball career attempting to prove he belonged. This afternoon in Las Vegas, he'll try to convince the Kings' management group he's ready for his first pro head-coaching position. Elie and Memphis assistant Eric Musselman, a former Golden State head coach, are expected to interview for the opportunity to replace Rick Adelman as Sacramento's next coach. Elie, 42, an assistant coach with the Warriors, should be well-versed in all types of offensive and defensive systems as well as the use of passports.
He likely has seen more highs and lows of professional basketball than any of the players he could coach here. But few of them had his unusual route into the NBA: undrafted, having played at a Division II school -- American International College -- and then played in Portugal, Argentina and Ireland as well as the United States Basketball League, the World Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association.
If that's paying dues, somebody owes this dude some overtime.
And that's all before beginning an 11-year NBA career that stretched through Philadelphia, Golden State, Portland, Houston, San Antonio and Phoenix. Along the way, Elie played key roles at each end of the floor to help the Rockets win NBA titles in 1994 and '95, and the Spurs in 1999.
Elie was signed as a free agent in 1992 by current Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie to play for the Trail Blazers. Then, Elie was traded in August 1993 to the Rockets for a 1995 second-round choice. Whether it was Petrie or vice president Brad Greenberg -- there were control issues at the time -- or both, that was a bad deal.
Elie basically has been in most of the roles the NBA has to offer a player. He never was the star of any team, but none of his three championship teams won without his aggressive, don't-back-down approach that was combined with a soft, high-arcing jump shot and the ability and willingness to take the ball to the basket for a two-handed dunk in traffic.
Elie is hardly the lone assistant coach around the league who deserves a chance to guide his first squad. Perhaps among the most deserving is Elston Turner, who was on the Kings' basketball staff and placed on leave when it was announced Adelman would not be re-signed.
Turner has done it all as an assistant and player. However, it has not been my experience in the NBA where an ownership group puts a guy on leave in the spring and then hires him to lead the organization in the fall.
And Turner likely didn't endear himself to the Maloofs in the days following the announcement with the expression of his opinion regarding some of their statements.
Certainly, Musselman, Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo and Monarchs coach John Whisenant have their own credentials that will lead to Kings interviews.
But here's a rarity, trust me. It could be an asset for Elie to be a streetwise African-American in this instance. And put the emphasis on could.
One never knows in our society what characteristics can help or hurt in given situations. It would be thought his ability to relate to this era's players would be a strength.
The same, however, was thought about Philadelphia's Mo Cheeks, as classy a guy as there is.
Rising fast -- very fast
Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa has emerged as a key contributor for the Suns, and that's not bad for the 28th pick of the 2003 draft. Especially when it was the Spurs who made the pick and then traded it to the Suns for a future first-round choice. Imagine Barbosa and the Spurs' Tony Parker in the same backcourt and trying to defend that speed for 40 minutes.
Mario Elie spent much of his nomadic pro basketball career attempting to prove he belonged. This afternoon in Las Vegas, he'll try to convince the Kings' management group he's ready for his first pro head-coaching position. Elie and Memphis assistant Eric Musselman, a former Golden State head coach, are expected to interview for the opportunity to replace Rick Adelman as Sacramento's next coach. Elie, 42, an assistant coach with the Warriors, should be well-versed in all types of offensive and defensive systems as well as the use of passports.
He likely has seen more highs and lows of professional basketball than any of the players he could coach here. But few of them had his unusual route into the NBA: undrafted, having played at a Division II school -- American International College -- and then played in Portugal, Argentina and Ireland as well as the United States Basketball League, the World Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association.
If that's paying dues, somebody owes this dude some overtime.
And that's all before beginning an 11-year NBA career that stretched through Philadelphia, Golden State, Portland, Houston, San Antonio and Phoenix. Along the way, Elie played key roles at each end of the floor to help the Rockets win NBA titles in 1994 and '95, and the Spurs in 1999.
Elie was signed as a free agent in 1992 by current Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie to play for the Trail Blazers. Then, Elie was traded in August 1993 to the Rockets for a 1995 second-round choice. Whether it was Petrie or vice president Brad Greenberg -- there were control issues at the time -- or both, that was a bad deal.
Elie basically has been in most of the roles the NBA has to offer a player. He never was the star of any team, but none of his three championship teams won without his aggressive, don't-back-down approach that was combined with a soft, high-arcing jump shot and the ability and willingness to take the ball to the basket for a two-handed dunk in traffic.
Elie is hardly the lone assistant coach around the league who deserves a chance to guide his first squad. Perhaps among the most deserving is Elston Turner, who was on the Kings' basketball staff and placed on leave when it was announced Adelman would not be re-signed.
Turner has done it all as an assistant and player. However, it has not been my experience in the NBA where an ownership group puts a guy on leave in the spring and then hires him to lead the organization in the fall.
And Turner likely didn't endear himself to the Maloofs in the days following the announcement with the expression of his opinion regarding some of their statements.
Certainly, Musselman, Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo and Monarchs coach John Whisenant have their own credentials that will lead to Kings interviews.
But here's a rarity, trust me. It could be an asset for Elie to be a streetwise African-American in this instance. And put the emphasis on could.
One never knows in our society what characteristics can help or hurt in given situations. It would be thought his ability to relate to this era's players would be a strength.
The same, however, was thought about Philadelphia's Mo Cheeks, as classy a guy as there is.
Rising fast -- very fast
Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa has emerged as a key contributor for the Suns, and that's not bad for the 28th pick of the 2003 draft. Especially when it was the Spurs who made the pick and then traded it to the Suns for a future first-round choice. Imagine Barbosa and the Spurs' Tony Parker in the same backcourt and trying to defend that speed for 40 minutes.
