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Musselman's rule was hardly golden
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, November 16, 2006
On his way to his introduction as the new Kings coach in June, Eric Musselman was in the Denver airport on a layover.
As he walked through the terminal, Musselman spotted Jason Richardson, his former shooting guard from his Golden State days.
"He was on his way to Sacramento, and I was visiting my girlfriend in Denver," Richardson said. "It was weird because I hear 'Jason!' and I turn around and it was him. We talked for a while. We both got delayed and talked a little bit. Let bygones be bygones."
They didn't have talks like that in the old Warriors days, when a youthful Musselman and a core of young players struggled to mesh in their two seasons together. It was, at the time, a topic of much discussion, that of the 37-year-old in his first head-coaching job whose brash style was constantly questioned before he was fired in 2004.
But when Musselman walks into Oracle Arena in Oakland tonight for his first visit since finding head-coaching work again, Richardson and the others who butted heads with him so often in his two seasons there will recognize their former coach by appearance alone.
He's still a small guy with a big presence. He's not quite as dictatorial as before, replaced by a more savvy version. This one has his players praising his interpersonal skills, lauding his ability to handle the X's and O's while maintaining two-way relationships up and down the roster.
Some say Musselman has been humbled, others he's simply learned how to change his style to fit into a league widely considered to be run by the players. Either way, he has thus far answered one of the biggest questions that came with his hire, that of how the once-troubled coach would coexist with the once-troubled franchise player. On every occasion, Kings small forward Ron Artest has endorsed Musselman.
This is, his Kings players say, a coach who welcomes suggestions from players and listens to gripes. He sends his messages to his players face-to-face instead of through the media, and even spends time away from the floor with his talent. Artest said Musselman is the second-favorite coach of his career.
"He treats everybody the same," Artest said. "He doesn't treat me any different than he treats (reserve center) Vitaly (Potapenko), and I'd rather have it that way. I can relate to him more than any other coach besides Bill Cartwright, and Bill Cartwright was like a father to me."
Improving on the past, as Artest knows, is a necessary part of the human condition.
"Nobody's perfect, so he comes together, and you don't do the same things that caused problems before," he said. "You better yourself. And I'm probably a good example of that."
Kings forward Kenny Thomas has taken advantage of Musselman's invitation to discuss, meeting with his coach in his Natomas home before training camp began and, as recently as last week, sitting down for a 20-minute one-on-one talk after practice to discuss his role on the team.
"I think it's a good relationship," Thomas said. "I think he knows how to come at certain people, and others he has to figure out.
"I'm pretty sure he learned, or is still learning, how to talk to certain people. But with me, I just go up to him and tell him how I feel, and he respects that."
Musselman -- who posted a 17-game improvement for the franchise in his first season with the Warriors and went 37-45 in his second season despite losing future All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to free agency -- said tonight's game comes with no significance on the personal level.
"There's no (Earl) Boykins, there's no Speedy Claxton, there's no Gilbert Arenas, there's no Brian Cardinal, there's no Erick Dampier ... there's no Jamison," Musselman said, citing former Warriors players. "The guys that I'm close with have all moved on to other places."
But familiar faces remain. Warriors general manager Chris Mullin, who could not be reached for comment, is the one who fired Musselman, having taken over for Garry St. Jean and putting the since-fired Mike Montgomery in Musselman's place. And the players who, according to numerous reports, certainly didn't fight for Musselman's job are still around, the franchise's young core of Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, which was signed to $173 million worth of contract extensions after Musselman's departure. Richardson was not surprised to hear he wasn't considered one of Musselman's guys.
"If those guys wouldn't have gotten paid (elsewhere), they wouldn't have been his guys," said Richardson, who spent his second and third seasons in the league under Musselman. "Those are the guys he let do whatever, he let run wild. You can score as many points as you want, you can shoot the ball anytime with no restrictions. ... Dampier, Gilbert, Earl Boykins, Brian Cardinal. They used us like a stamping ground to come in here and showcase what they've got and they left us. Of course they would be his guys."
And, Richardson contests, Musselman wasn't any different. He learned plenty of what-not-to-do lessons in his Golden State time, all while orchestrating a relative turnaround that proved he could win in the toughest of environments and, eventually, led to his hiring with the Kings.
"He learned (the improved communication) from us," Richardson said. "When he was here, it was his way and nobody else's way. Us young guys were trying to find our way, and he wasn't talking to us."
Unless, Richardson said, it was through the media.
"Guys weren't calling him out in the press, and you pick up the paper the next day and see your coach dogging you out," he said. "He said I wasn't playing defense. I couldn't dribble. ... It was always bashing and no one there to show me what I was doing."
But veteran center Adonal Foyle, who was used sparingly in the Musselman years, said there was more diplomacy than Richardson remembers.
"His door was always open," Foyle said. "So we went in and we had long conversations about why I need more minutes, and why I would like the ball, and everybody went in and had meetings. And he liked that. That's the way he had his door. ... We didn't think everything was law, and that's how we should take it."
Dunleavy, who was hesitant to discuss the past and described his time with Musselman as "we had some good moments and some tough moments," said he wishes Musselman the best.
"We as players learned, and I'm sure he did, too," Dunleavy said. "As you get older, especially as a coach, you get wiser. You learn how to deal with players differently. ... If you're not improving as you get older, it's like going through school and not getting smarter."
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/78189.html
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, November 16, 2006
On his way to his introduction as the new Kings coach in June, Eric Musselman was in the Denver airport on a layover.
As he walked through the terminal, Musselman spotted Jason Richardson, his former shooting guard from his Golden State days.
"He was on his way to Sacramento, and I was visiting my girlfriend in Denver," Richardson said. "It was weird because I hear 'Jason!' and I turn around and it was him. We talked for a while. We both got delayed and talked a little bit. Let bygones be bygones."
They didn't have talks like that in the old Warriors days, when a youthful Musselman and a core of young players struggled to mesh in their two seasons together. It was, at the time, a topic of much discussion, that of the 37-year-old in his first head-coaching job whose brash style was constantly questioned before he was fired in 2004.
But when Musselman walks into Oracle Arena in Oakland tonight for his first visit since finding head-coaching work again, Richardson and the others who butted heads with him so often in his two seasons there will recognize their former coach by appearance alone.
He's still a small guy with a big presence. He's not quite as dictatorial as before, replaced by a more savvy version. This one has his players praising his interpersonal skills, lauding his ability to handle the X's and O's while maintaining two-way relationships up and down the roster.
Some say Musselman has been humbled, others he's simply learned how to change his style to fit into a league widely considered to be run by the players. Either way, he has thus far answered one of the biggest questions that came with his hire, that of how the once-troubled coach would coexist with the once-troubled franchise player. On every occasion, Kings small forward Ron Artest has endorsed Musselman.
This is, his Kings players say, a coach who welcomes suggestions from players and listens to gripes. He sends his messages to his players face-to-face instead of through the media, and even spends time away from the floor with his talent. Artest said Musselman is the second-favorite coach of his career.
"He treats everybody the same," Artest said. "He doesn't treat me any different than he treats (reserve center) Vitaly (Potapenko), and I'd rather have it that way. I can relate to him more than any other coach besides Bill Cartwright, and Bill Cartwright was like a father to me."
Improving on the past, as Artest knows, is a necessary part of the human condition.
"Nobody's perfect, so he comes together, and you don't do the same things that caused problems before," he said. "You better yourself. And I'm probably a good example of that."
Kings forward Kenny Thomas has taken advantage of Musselman's invitation to discuss, meeting with his coach in his Natomas home before training camp began and, as recently as last week, sitting down for a 20-minute one-on-one talk after practice to discuss his role on the team.
"I think it's a good relationship," Thomas said. "I think he knows how to come at certain people, and others he has to figure out.
"I'm pretty sure he learned, or is still learning, how to talk to certain people. But with me, I just go up to him and tell him how I feel, and he respects that."
Musselman -- who posted a 17-game improvement for the franchise in his first season with the Warriors and went 37-45 in his second season despite losing future All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to free agency -- said tonight's game comes with no significance on the personal level.
"There's no (Earl) Boykins, there's no Speedy Claxton, there's no Gilbert Arenas, there's no Brian Cardinal, there's no Erick Dampier ... there's no Jamison," Musselman said, citing former Warriors players. "The guys that I'm close with have all moved on to other places."
But familiar faces remain. Warriors general manager Chris Mullin, who could not be reached for comment, is the one who fired Musselman, having taken over for Garry St. Jean and putting the since-fired Mike Montgomery in Musselman's place. And the players who, according to numerous reports, certainly didn't fight for Musselman's job are still around, the franchise's young core of Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, which was signed to $173 million worth of contract extensions after Musselman's departure. Richardson was not surprised to hear he wasn't considered one of Musselman's guys.
"If those guys wouldn't have gotten paid (elsewhere), they wouldn't have been his guys," said Richardson, who spent his second and third seasons in the league under Musselman. "Those are the guys he let do whatever, he let run wild. You can score as many points as you want, you can shoot the ball anytime with no restrictions. ... Dampier, Gilbert, Earl Boykins, Brian Cardinal. They used us like a stamping ground to come in here and showcase what they've got and they left us. Of course they would be his guys."
And, Richardson contests, Musselman wasn't any different. He learned plenty of what-not-to-do lessons in his Golden State time, all while orchestrating a relative turnaround that proved he could win in the toughest of environments and, eventually, led to his hiring with the Kings.
"He learned (the improved communication) from us," Richardson said. "When he was here, it was his way and nobody else's way. Us young guys were trying to find our way, and he wasn't talking to us."
Unless, Richardson said, it was through the media.
"Guys weren't calling him out in the press, and you pick up the paper the next day and see your coach dogging you out," he said. "He said I wasn't playing defense. I couldn't dribble. ... It was always bashing and no one there to show me what I was doing."
But veteran center Adonal Foyle, who was used sparingly in the Musselman years, said there was more diplomacy than Richardson remembers.
"His door was always open," Foyle said. "So we went in and we had long conversations about why I need more minutes, and why I would like the ball, and everybody went in and had meetings. And he liked that. That's the way he had his door. ... We didn't think everything was law, and that's how we should take it."
Dunleavy, who was hesitant to discuss the past and described his time with Musselman as "we had some good moments and some tough moments," said he wishes Musselman the best.
"We as players learned, and I'm sure he did, too," Dunleavy said. "As you get older, especially as a coach, you get wiser. You learn how to deal with players differently. ... If you're not improving as you get older, it's like going through school and not getting smarter."
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/78189.html
