http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/146776.html
Ailene Voisin: Coach At Crossroads
Eric Musselman hopes for another season even though the Kings have underachieved
By Ailene Voisin -
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, March 30, 2007
Seated at a window table in a cafe a mile from where he works, Eric Musselman, in the waning weeks of a meat grinder of a season and possibly his tenure with the Kings, shifts restlessly, his hands fiddling with the coffee cup and the napkin, and anything else within reach.
He continues to exude confidence, perhaps even a trace of defiance. He avoids some topics (his conviction for driving under the influence), speaks candidly on others, pokes fun at himself -- something he is accused of rarely doing -- and, in a moment of reflection, wonders how his dream job so quickly became his dilemma.
One day he's the Kings' present and future leader, and within months, he's the preferred target on sports talk shows and in The Bee's letters-to-the-editor section. His integrity has been assailed. His personality has been dissected. He is too scripted, too sarcastic, sometimes, simply too much of a new thing: keeper of the Kings' unimpressive record.
"I've been hit," Musselman said. "The perception is that it's me, and that's OK. Anybody who's in a leadership position understands that there's going to be criticism, and in the NBA, it's going to fall on the head coach."
But the villain is not a victim. Musselman is adamant about that.
If released by the Kings at the end of the season -- and team officials hint at that possibility -- their first-year coach will whimper and whine only in private. He was conceived in the NBA womb. The son of the late Bill Musselman and current San Diego resident Kris Platt knows one way of life: If you win, you can be scripted and sarcastic and still be embraced by the masses and the media. But if you fail to meet expectations -- to reach the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season -- you're pushed to the head of the local hit list.
Some of Musselman's wounds, of course, are self-inflicted, some a painful byproduct of a team in transition. He has failed to establish a rapport with his players. His arrest for drunken driving undermined his authority and reflected poor decision-making, as did obtaining a health waiver from performing community service for his conviction. The players' roles and style of play remain ill-defined, yet though the roster is flawed and unfinished, the talent level is adequate enough to secure a playoff spot.
"We haven't been a better defensive team," Musselman said. "That's the thing that most disappoints me. But, yeah, it's been a tough three years. Getting fired by the Warriors. Moving to Memphis for two years. Moving back to California."
With a laugh, he added: "But what a fortunate thing to come back home and coach a team only an hour and 15 minutes from my boys! That has been such a blessing."
Musselman, 42, who shares custody of sons Michael, 11, and Matthew, 6, with his ex-wife in Danville, routinely shuttles between the Bay Area and Sacramento to accommodate the boys' basketball and Little League commitments. (His companion or another friend does the driving because of his restricted driving status.) It is not uncommon for him to make three round trips per weekend.
"You do what you have to do," he said. "That's just the way I was raised."
Growing up in the Musselman household meant keeping the bags packed, the family going along for what wasn't always a joyride. There was no whining, no whimpering, and no regrets, even when Bill Musselman was fired by former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien. You cashed the check and offered thanks for the opportunity.
"I remember my dad saying, 'It's all about wins and losses,' " Musselman related, "and I said, 'What about Stepien?' He said: 'The man gave me my job. The food you're eating tonight is because of him. The house you're living in is because of him.' I have never forgotten that. And my mom, she tells me every day, 'Son, that's the job you signed on for.' Believe me. There's no pity party with my mom."
Kris Platt, who was divorced long before Bill Musselman's death, accepted the NBA as a cruel, if generous employer shortly into her marriage.
"The more money you make, the more problems you have," she said from San Diego. "A head coach is always in the public eye. It doesn't make it fair. But if you can't deal with the hit, get out. Excuses do not make men great. The thing about Eric ... he made a very serious mistake with the DUI, but I don't think any of us should be judged by one moment in our lifetime. He is going to rise above this and become successful. He is just like his father; the only person who outworked Bill Musselman might be his son."
With an almost rueful laugh, she asks and answers what is arguably the most pertinent question: If the Kings were churning toward the postseason, would her son still be under the microscope?
"It's all about winning," she noted.
The Kings certainly aren't winning enough to satisfy Musselman's critics. In some respects, he has been held to a higher standard than Rick Adelman, who had better players and a deeper bench yet never won a title. Adelman's successor hasn't won anything yet, and in fact, has yet to win over his own players.
So Musselman is right. He knows this league, knows that he takes the hit. "I hope I'll be back," he said. "I feel like there's a job unfinished."
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@ sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Coach At Crossroads
Eric Musselman hopes for another season even though the Kings have underachieved
By Ailene Voisin -
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, March 30, 2007
Seated at a window table in a cafe a mile from where he works, Eric Musselman, in the waning weeks of a meat grinder of a season and possibly his tenure with the Kings, shifts restlessly, his hands fiddling with the coffee cup and the napkin, and anything else within reach.
He continues to exude confidence, perhaps even a trace of defiance. He avoids some topics (his conviction for driving under the influence), speaks candidly on others, pokes fun at himself -- something he is accused of rarely doing -- and, in a moment of reflection, wonders how his dream job so quickly became his dilemma.
One day he's the Kings' present and future leader, and within months, he's the preferred target on sports talk shows and in The Bee's letters-to-the-editor section. His integrity has been assailed. His personality has been dissected. He is too scripted, too sarcastic, sometimes, simply too much of a new thing: keeper of the Kings' unimpressive record.
"I've been hit," Musselman said. "The perception is that it's me, and that's OK. Anybody who's in a leadership position understands that there's going to be criticism, and in the NBA, it's going to fall on the head coach."
But the villain is not a victim. Musselman is adamant about that.
If released by the Kings at the end of the season -- and team officials hint at that possibility -- their first-year coach will whimper and whine only in private. He was conceived in the NBA womb. The son of the late Bill Musselman and current San Diego resident Kris Platt knows one way of life: If you win, you can be scripted and sarcastic and still be embraced by the masses and the media. But if you fail to meet expectations -- to reach the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season -- you're pushed to the head of the local hit list.
Some of Musselman's wounds, of course, are self-inflicted, some a painful byproduct of a team in transition. He has failed to establish a rapport with his players. His arrest for drunken driving undermined his authority and reflected poor decision-making, as did obtaining a health waiver from performing community service for his conviction. The players' roles and style of play remain ill-defined, yet though the roster is flawed and unfinished, the talent level is adequate enough to secure a playoff spot.
"We haven't been a better defensive team," Musselman said. "That's the thing that most disappoints me. But, yeah, it's been a tough three years. Getting fired by the Warriors. Moving to Memphis for two years. Moving back to California."
With a laugh, he added: "But what a fortunate thing to come back home and coach a team only an hour and 15 minutes from my boys! That has been such a blessing."
Musselman, 42, who shares custody of sons Michael, 11, and Matthew, 6, with his ex-wife in Danville, routinely shuttles between the Bay Area and Sacramento to accommodate the boys' basketball and Little League commitments. (His companion or another friend does the driving because of his restricted driving status.) It is not uncommon for him to make three round trips per weekend.
"You do what you have to do," he said. "That's just the way I was raised."
Growing up in the Musselman household meant keeping the bags packed, the family going along for what wasn't always a joyride. There was no whining, no whimpering, and no regrets, even when Bill Musselman was fired by former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien. You cashed the check and offered thanks for the opportunity.
"I remember my dad saying, 'It's all about wins and losses,' " Musselman related, "and I said, 'What about Stepien?' He said: 'The man gave me my job. The food you're eating tonight is because of him. The house you're living in is because of him.' I have never forgotten that. And my mom, she tells me every day, 'Son, that's the job you signed on for.' Believe me. There's no pity party with my mom."
Kris Platt, who was divorced long before Bill Musselman's death, accepted the NBA as a cruel, if generous employer shortly into her marriage.
"The more money you make, the more problems you have," she said from San Diego. "A head coach is always in the public eye. It doesn't make it fair. But if you can't deal with the hit, get out. Excuses do not make men great. The thing about Eric ... he made a very serious mistake with the DUI, but I don't think any of us should be judged by one moment in our lifetime. He is going to rise above this and become successful. He is just like his father; the only person who outworked Bill Musselman might be his son."
With an almost rueful laugh, she asks and answers what is arguably the most pertinent question: If the Kings were churning toward the postseason, would her son still be under the microscope?
"It's all about winning," she noted.
The Kings certainly aren't winning enough to satisfy Musselman's critics. In some respects, he has been held to a higher standard than Rick Adelman, who had better players and a deeper bench yet never won a title. Adelman's successor hasn't won anything yet, and in fact, has yet to win over his own players.
So Musselman is right. He knows this league, knows that he takes the hit. "I hope I'll be back," he said. "I feel like there's a job unfinished."
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@ sacbee.com.
