Marty Mac's World: Let's face it: Musselman should go after season

[fansinceday1]

Oh god, I just don't want to see another coaching carousel, ala the "bad" ol days.

 

[VF21]

I need to throw some water on the adelman love fest.

I still havent forgiven RA for forcing Webber back onto a team that was playing championship basketball. Peja was having an all-star season and was even being mentioned as an MVP candidate. Webber comes back and the wheels fall off. Peja is NEVER the same and now we are where we are today.

This argument has been done to death. It's rather disappointing someone would even think about bringing it up again. And it's NOT Webber's fault Peja shriveled up and died...

Every coach has his flaws. Muss just needs the horses to compete in this league and he just doesnt have them right now. If Muss is fired I say we bring back Dick Motta.

Yes, every coach has flaws. And when you add them all up, they're either not significant enough to worry about OR they're a bigger assemblage of non-working parts than you want to keep around.

There is NO proof whatsoever that Musselman would do any better with "the horses" than he is right now.

 

[Elektrik]

musselmans TRYING as well. i agree with nbrans, the head coach gets a lot of flak, some deserved, some not. but thats the job description of a head coach in the nba.

he just doesnt seem to have a grasp of players the way a HEAD coach should. i think musselman would make an awesome asst coach, the way he analyzes data and so forth. if you paired him with a basketball philosopher guru (say coachie), and some others, i think its a killer combo. seems that his micromanaging is hurting his time actually feeling out the game. however, micromanaging is exactly what an asst coach should be doing...

....and this is why Rick Adelman was such a great coach. He did not micro-manage. His assistants did that for him. Rick was a big picture kind of guy. He new how players needed to be handled. Both individually and collectively. He was always known as a players coach. Some people think that is a knock, but I don't. In todays NBA, Adelman did a great job not only for the Kings, but the Blazers too, in handling the mega-sized ego of the players. I think the players that played for Rick knew what he was about. They knew he was no nonsense and that he was going to do it his way as far a substitutions, roatations, play calling, and minutes, etcc... He was consistent. That was always Rick's buzzword. "Consistency".
With Musselman, the players have no idea what the message is that he is trying to get across. There is absolutely no consistency in anything he does. There seems to be no valid reason for his decisions at times. Him and his statistics sheet (phooey!). Statistics don't always tell the tale. You can't measure heart. He just doesn't get the fact that he comes off as two faced, insincere, and a liar. True or False? Doesn't matter. Fans, writers, and most important, some players perceive him to be that way.
You could say alot of things about Rick Adelman, but two faced or a faker??. Never. I sure miss him.

 

[GoGoGadget]

Every coach has his flaws. Muss just needs the horses to compete in this league and he just doesnt have them right now. If Muss is fired I say we bring back Dick Motta.

Eric Musselman just celebrated his 100th victory as a head coach...

After having been at the helm for a total of over two and a half seasons consisting of 82 games each.

I'd say that, right now, his biggest flaw is that his teams tend to lose more often than they win. But I could be wrong.

 

[Elektrik]

You know, the Muss to be fired etc. line of thought is of course very clear and quite possibly accurate. Maybe even hopefully accurate although I almost shudder to think what might be brought in next.

That said, I do not really like this article, the implications of kind of a continuing hatchet job by Marty on Muss ala Poison on Rick, a columnist openly calling for a coach's head and throwing in innuendo ("faker" and whatnot). I may agree substantially with most of it, but its still just icky.

The difference is that the mud that Aileen Voison threw at Adelman never stuck. Even after 8 years. The mud that Marty is slinging is sticking and drying as hard as concrete, and it only took half a season.

 

[KP]

Shouldn't have let Adelman go, he had a lot to do with the success of Artest fitting in and flourishing, it was obvious then and it's obvious now.

I think it should also be said if Marty says at least 6 players have told him they have lost faith and respect for Musselman, you can pretty much assume it's true(let's not kid ourselves, all you really need is to watch the games to see it's true)... and guys, that's pretty much half the roster we are talking about....

 

[Miles and Miles]

I need to throw some water on the adelman love fest.

I still havent forgiven RA for forcing Webber back onto a team that was playing championship basketball. Peja was having an all-star season and was even being mentioned as an MVP candidate. Webber comes back and the wheels fall off. Peja is NEVER the same and now we are where we are today.

This sounds like the current Artest vs. Martin and Bibby status of the team. The last couple of games Artest has been out we win. When Artest is there he puts up great numbers but we lose.

 

[Cal-Kings]

I'm a big Adelman fan, but I don't know if this is actually true. Before the Artest trade last year the players really looked like they had quit (remember that home Portland game??), there were rumors that the players (Bibby) were tuning him out, and Rick looked and sounded like someone who had pretty much given up. The Artest trade sparked a turnaround, but things were pretty dire before then. Except for Bonzi and SAR, the effort really wasn't there at all on a nightly basis, and no one looked like they cared.

On the whole I would take Adelman over Musselman 100 times out of 100, and maybe this is just a residual Artest effect, but the Kings come to play every single night. Or pretty close to it. I dislike Musselman's rotations, I don't like his decisions, I don't like his constipated look, I wouldn't mind seeing him go. I'd much rather have Adelman. But if there is one thing Musselman deserves at least partial credit for it's the fact that the Kings come to play and play hard every night.

I agree with all this.

I'm only frustrated with our weak defense and rebounding, but I have to say, that's really on Petrie and our weak front-court. I can't put that on Muss.

I also don't like his substitutions, as Marty said, they are just that, not sensible rotations. Maybe that's part of Muss trying to learn about his players, but that should have happened in the first 20 games.

I don't care if Muss stays or goes, largely because I don't think he's the problem here. I think our personnel is lacking at key positions. Mainly the power forward and center combo.

 

[Rug King]

Let's face it, Marty Mac should go.

Mardy has lost it. He's blasting the coach for sarcastic remarks.

Who called who "the little dude" in the local rag??

He's having a melt down like RE did. It's probably time to place Mardy on the Waiver list. His personal ax to grind against Muss is pretty transparent and doesn't serve any usefull purpose.

 

[sidney]

Mardy has lost it. He's blasting the coach for sarcastic remarks.

Who called who "the little dude" in the local rag??

He's having a melt down like RE did. It's probably time to place Mardy on the Waiver list. His personal ax to grind against Muss is pretty transparent and doesn't serve any usefull purpose.

Style aside (and it is an odd writing style), this article represents what a lot of fans are feeling - that the coaching change last summer has been a failure...with a little extra info that someone close to the team has.

It serves a purpose in that it puts pressure on the Maloofs knowing their fans are not happy with the product.

Reading articles like this is just like reading an editorial page - filled with opinions that you may or may not agree with. I'm not sure what people expect from the Bee considering the state of the team this year. Praise? Silence?

 

[BMiller52]

Mardy has lost it. He's blasting the coach for sarcastic remarks.

Who called who "the little dude" in the local rag??

He's having a melt down like RE did. It's probably time to place Mardy on the Waiver list. His personal ax to grind against Muss is pretty transparent and doesn't serve any usefull purpose.

His writing style is kinda odd/not good for this but he has a lot of good points. I mean honestly the majority of fans feel like we hired a big idiot to be our coach. An idiot who won't give his phone number to a reporter, an idiot who resorts to using sarcastic marks about his team in the media, a guy with no rotation at all, a guy who lied to Hart's agent, a guy who has his team underachieving badly, and a guy who got a DUI before he even actually coached a regular season game. You think that deserves praise?

 

[kyo2002]

1. A small player gets outrebounded by a tall player sounds about right Cal-Kings.

2. I didn't know Bibby can get a steal and Brad block a shot. They did a little of that this season.

3. The veterans seem to be discontent. Kenny and SAR look unhappy from their post game comments. Artest and Bibby both wants to be the focal point of the team. The big problem is all the verterans seem to think they are better than this and know-it-alls. Adelman had the same chemistry issue last season.

4. At this point the only players that respect the coaches are the young guys ( and Corliss) based on in game instructions and pre-post game comments.

5. I blame player chemistry more than Musselman. He's a passionate motivator. The team needs a Phil Jackson zen master personality manager.

 

[Warhawk]

I'm not sure what people expect from the Bee considering the state of the team this year. Praise? Silence?

An ounce of professionalism, to start.

RE had to be told to leave the Maloofs alone because his sniping got to the point where it was just terrible. Marty cannot let go of some inner bitterness to Muss. We won't even go into AV's articles. Amick and others do a bit better, but still get things wrong. And if it isn't race-related Breton probably won't comment on it....

We need 4 Kreidlers over there to cover things instead of these bozos.

 

[kyo2002]

I think we've all been pawns in Sac Bee's attempt to sell more newspaper. Even News10 is joining the club. I've heard too many stories on Artest's dogs.

 

[sidney]

An ounce of professionalism, to start.

RE had to be told to leave the Maloofs alone because his sniping got to the point where it was just terrible. Marty cannot let go of some inner bitterness to Muss. We won't even go into AV's articles. Amick and others do a bit better, but still get things wrong. And if it isn't race-related Breton probably won't comment on it....

We need 4 Kreidlers over there to cover things instead of these bozos.

So, style aside, what should he write about Muss? That he is doing a good job?

If Muss was having success and Marty called for him to be fired - that would be bad (see Voison demonizing Webber and Adelman while winning). Muss has produced poor results and is getting criticized. Regardless of Marty's motivation (which no one but he knows), it is not out of line to criticize him.

 

[kupman]

An ounce of professionalism, to start.

AMEN.

 

[Kingster]

So, style aside, what should he write about Muss? That he is doing a good job?

If Muss was having success and Marty called for him to be fired - that would be bad (see Voison demonizing Webber and Adelman while winning). Muss has produced poor results and is getting criticized. Regardless of Marty's motivation (which no one but he knows), it is not out of line to criticize him.

It has nothing to do with style. It has to do with calling Musselman a "liar" and a "fake", and if he wants to call him "incompetent", then back it up. His interview with Napier was priceless, saying that he "reads" people, and in his "reading" of Muss he thought he was a liar, that he just doesn't trust Muss, in part because Muss didn't know his own cell phone number (Marty thinks he does, but he lied that he didn't), and in part because Muss didn't call him back. It's the epitome of petty. I have no respect for McNeil whatsoever. To impugn someone's character in the newspaper, you'd better substantiate it with a heckuva lot more than that.

Confession:I don't know my own cell phone number! Therefore I must be a liar and a fake!

 

[sidney]

It has nothing to do with style. It has to do with calling Musselman a "liar" and a "fake", and if he wants to call him "incompetent", then back it up. His interview with Napier was priceless, saying that he "reads" people, and in his "reading" of Muss he thought he was a liar, that he just doesn't trust Muss, in part because Muss didn't know his own cell phone number (Marty thinks he does, but he lied that he didn't), and in part because Muss didn't call him back. It's the epitome of petty. I have no respect for McNeil whatsoever. To impugn someone's character in the newspaper, you'd better substantiate it with a heckuva lot more than that.

Confession:I don't know my own cell phone number! Therefore I must be a liar and a fake!

I see your point. The whole "faker" thing is too far, I agree.

The fact that players are losing confidence in him, he doesn't have a feel for the game, substitutes poorly, is getting substandard results, has made those bizarre comments recently that puzzle the whole organization, and should probably be fired this summer are all fair points of criticism.

 

[Kingster]

I see your point. The whole "faker" thing is too far, I agree.

The fact that players are losing confidence in him, he doesn't have a feel for the game, substitutes poorly, is getting substandard results, has made those bizarre comments recently that puzzle the whole organization, and should probably be fired this summer are all fair points of criticism.

See, I don't agree with the characterization of Muss as, "bizarre". That's the characterization that the Bee spewing forth. Bizzare is Artest saying he wants to go to work at a Best Buy so he can get a salesman's discount on the merchandise. I don't see how Muss saying he's got to get his players to rebound better is bizzare. He's just taking responsibility, even though in reality you and I and he know that he's not totally responsible. To me, it's no different than an NFL quarterback saying he takes responsibility for losing a game. Everyone knows that although he may be the most important player, he's not the only player. Do they call his comments, "bizzare"?

The only thing that I've heard that has any substance is his substitution patterns and his winning percentage. How can McNeil have any credibility with his reporting on other player's comments? Is he feeding them the answer wrapped in the question? Based on his totally unprofessional comments about Musselman, I can't believe anything he says.

 

[Elektrik]

The only thing that I've heard that has any substance is his substitution patterns and his winning percentage. How can McNeil have any credibility with his reporting on other player's comments? Is he feeding them the answer wrapped in the question? Based on his totally unprofessional comments about Musselman, I can't believe anything he says.

For years and years, Marty Mac was touted not only in this forum, but in many others, along with on radio and TV as being an excellent writer. A writer with inside knowledge who speaks the truth as he saw fit. A writer who had opinions that were respected. Marty Mac was a big proponent of Rick Adelman. Marty earned credibility a long time ago and I'm not about to just ignore it now.
Now, because he no longer is the beat writer and his column is an "opinion column" he is getting ripped constantly by many in this forum and the radio. It just amazes me how so many supported his opinions before but now because he writes something negative about the Kings head coach he is getting blasted. Lots of hypocracy going on here. Maybe Marty's take on Musselman is the truth or at least not very far off the mark, and people just dont want to accept it. When has Marty ever been caught not stating facts? Why all of sudden do we not accept what he has to say as being truthful?
Much of this has been brought on by Grant Napear's rant on his show when he and Marty got into it. Somehow, I just don't believe anything Grant says because he is a Maloof stooge who toes the party line. Grant has been caught having to backpeddle so many times because he has been disproven frequently.

 

[kennadog]

See, I don't agree with the characterization of Muss as, "bizarre". That's the characterization that the Bee spewing forth. Bizzare is Artest saying he wants to go to work at a Best Buy so he can get a salesman's discount on the merchandise. I don't see how Muss saying he's got to get his players to rebound better is bizzare. He's just taking responsibility, even though in reality you and I and he know that he's not totally responsible. To me, it's no different than an NFL quarterback saying he takes responsibility for losing a game. Everyone knows that although he may be the most important player, he's not the only player. Do they call his comments, "bizzare"?

The only thing that I've heard that has any substance is his substitution patterns and his winning percentage. How can McNeil have any credibility with his reporting on other player's comments? Is he feeding them the answer wrapped in the question? Based on his totally unprofessional comments about Musselman, I can't believe anything he says.

First of all, that is not what Muss said. He said he needed to "teach" his players rebounding. Teach? Guys that have been playing basketball most of their lives and some have been NBA players for many years? I'll allow that Muss maybe just used a poor choice of words on the spot and didn't mean it the way it sounded, but I think that was stupid rather than bizarre.

As for Marty, he writes an opinion piece now. It is not news reporting. Therefore he gets to write how he sees things. You can choose not to accept his point of view and I'm sure he won't be hurt. MacNeal has been around the Kings for a very, very long time, tho, and has most certainly earned some credibility. More credibility than Muss has earned with me, yet.

 

[Bricklayer]

For years and years, Marty Mac was touted not only in this forum, but in many others, along with on radio and TV as being an excellent writer. A writer with inside knowledge who speaks the truth as he saw fit. A writer who had opinions that were respected. Marty Mac was a big proponent of Rick Adelman. Marty earned credibility a long time ago and I'm not about to just ignore it now.
Now, because he no longer is the beat writer and his column is an "opinion column" he is getting ripped constantly by many in this forum and the radio. It just amazes me how so many supported his opinions before but now because he writes something negative about the Kings head coach he is getting blasted. Lots of hypocracy going on here. Maybe Marty's take on Musselman is the truth or at least not very far off the mark, and people just dont want to accept it. When has Marty ever been caught not stating facts? Why all of sudden do we not accept what he has to say as being truthful?
Much of this has been brought on by Grant Napear's rant on his show when he and Marty got into it. Somehow, I just don't believe anything Grant says because he is a Maloof stooge who toes the party line. Grant has been caught having to backpeddle so many times because he has been disproven frequently.

Marty was a MUCH better beat writer than he has proven to be columnist. As a beat writer I think he ingratiated himself with the players/staff and so got the scoop. As a columnist/outsider, its just amateur hour.

As an aside, I do not mind his "six players" comment, because the way he operates he may very well have talked to six players and gotten those responses and you have to be in complete denial not to see the disdain for Muss that most of the team has. But Marty doesn't know what to do with it.

 

[kennadog]

Marty ws a MUCH better beat writer than he has proven to be columnist.

I definitely agree with that.

 

[Kingster]

For years and years, Marty Mac was touted not only in this forum, but in many others, along with on radio and TV as being an excellent writer. A writer with inside knowledge who speaks the truth as he saw fit. A writer who had opinions that were respected. Marty Mac was a big proponent of Rick Adelman. Marty earned credibility a long time ago and I'm not about to just ignore it now.
Now, because he no longer is the beat writer and his column is an "opinion column" he is getting ripped constantly by many in this forum and the radio. It just amazes me how so many supported his opinions before but now because he writes something negative about the Kings head coach he is getting blasted. Lots of hypocracy going on here. Maybe Marty's take on Musselman is the truth or at least not very far off the mark, and people just dont want to accept it. When has Marty ever been caught not stating facts? Why all of sudden do we not accept what he has to say as being truthful?
Much of this has been brought on by Grant Napear's rant on his show when he and Marty got into it. Somehow, I just don't believe anything Grant says because he is a Maloof stooge who toes the party line. Grant has been caught having to backpeddle so many times because he has been disproven frequently.

Look at the evidence that Marty uses to support his character assasination of Musselman. That's all you have to do. It's not complicated. And it's not about what Grant said, it's about what Marty said on Grant's show. His own words reveal him as pettiness personified. Talk about the "little man". Those comments by McNeil tell me he is the "little man", in the way that really counts. If you want to call someone a liar and fake in your column you better have a heckuva lot more than: he didn't call me back on his cell phone and he said he didn't know his cell phone number. That's beyond ridiculous.

 

[fansinceday1]

AV has taken a HELLUVA beating for her coverage of RA. Did she ever write an article as bitter and namecalling as Martys? Marty totally lost me after his horrible interview with Napier. He was obnoxious and very bitter. His true colors came out loud and clear.

 

[quick dog]

I'll bet those six players don't confide in him again. McNeal is sophmoric.