http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/93185.html
Ailene Voisin: Musselman must step up and coach
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PST Friday, December 15, 2006
Ron Artest is asking for it. Mike Bibby is asking for it. Most of their Kings teammates are voicing similar, if more subtle pleas.
They want help.
They want an identity.
They want someone to take control.
They want their coach to coach.
Six weeks into the season, Eric Musselman occupies the hot seat in his own locker room. Players question his schemes and wonder aloud about their roles. The offense is about as free-flowing as a sport-utility vehicle with the brakes pumping, the defense surprisingly passive despite the presence of Artest and the vastly improved Kevin Martin.
Perhaps most troubling is a team dynamic nearing the toxicity level of the final weeks of the Vlade Divac-Chris Webber era. Artest and Bibby, specifically, are separated by more than a few feet in the clubhouse. And everyone else is standing around -- yes, there is too much of that -- and waiting to see who wins the power struggle.
In the meantime, the Kings are losing games at a brisk rate. The team that charged into the 2005-06 postseason is stuck in the mud that is known as the Pacific Division cellar. True, significant personnel issues remain, with the lack of a legitimate shot-blocker and frontcourt length/athleticism the most obvious deficiencies.
While no one projected these Kings as contenders, it is reasonable to expect performances that reflect their young coach -- his intensity, his energy, his feistiness, his innate competitiveness. Indeed, the people who frequent Arco Arena are seeking escape, not root canals. And if the fans watching on television wanted daily off-court drama, wanted to hear details about a dysfunctional family, they would watch "Dr. Phil."
Musselman directs this show.
This is up to him.
"For the team to play better, there has to be a higher level of team play," Geoff Petrie said Thursday. "That's it. Bottom line. No matter how you go about doing that.
"Eric (Musselman) is still finding out about his team. You have to have some kind of vision to accomplish what you're trying to do, but once on the battlefield, it's always a little bit different. At some point, the vision and reality have to start to merge. If not, you look at adjustments."
In other words, Musselman has changes to make. He has major decisions to make. He must clarify roles, establish a more effective offensive style (ditch the playbook and let them play faster), solve the mystery of Bibby's disappearing jump shot and stop placating egos by dispensing playing time on a democratic basis. He appears almost intent on killing his reputation from Golden State. Many of the players didn't care for him, but both seasons, the Warriors undeniably overachieved.
Musselman isn't here to make friends. He isn't here to indulge aging, ailing former stars (see Rick Adelman and Chris Webber). He's here to win games. And to do that? To turn this around and have a reasonable chance at a playoff berth?
Artest must be designated as the man. No doubt about it. This is a star-driven league, a pecking order the natural order of things.
Mere months ago, Artest was the leader, disruptive only with his defense, while Bibby was the leading scorer and complementary sidekick. Why change the script now? Or given Martin's emergence, perhaps Bibby should mix a few more assists and dribble-drives into his jump-shooting repertoire.
"It is what it is," Petrie noted. "Ron was the catalyst last year for significant change."
No, for the Kings to have a prayer at making the extra pass, at reclaiming the zip and unselfishness they displayed during the exhibition season, at accelerating the pace offensively and defensively, Musselman must get the two elephants into the same room and on the same page. He must talk to them. Scold them. Encourage them. Cajole them. Tutor them. Coach them. They'll respect him more in the morning.
The alternative is to allow the situation to fester and await the inevitable implosion. Conflict resolution doesn't necessarily mean avoiding confrontation. Forcing the issue might even result in a healthy exchange -- and provide some answers.
Is Bibby fretting about his contract status? Has he forgotten his value as a facilitator? Does he really want the pressure of measuring his value and mitigating his poor on-ball defense solely by the accuracy of his jump shot? The longest-tenured King has been a durable, enduring asset, one of the league's big-game players. Surely he will emerge from this funk, whatever the causes?
As for Artest? Tough player to coach, yet tougher even to score against.
Musselman has a difficult job.
But he knew that when he signed on.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
Ailene Voisin: Musselman must step up and coach
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PST Friday, December 15, 2006
Ron Artest is asking for it. Mike Bibby is asking for it. Most of their Kings teammates are voicing similar, if more subtle pleas.
They want help.
They want an identity.
They want someone to take control.
They want their coach to coach.
Six weeks into the season, Eric Musselman occupies the hot seat in his own locker room. Players question his schemes and wonder aloud about their roles. The offense is about as free-flowing as a sport-utility vehicle with the brakes pumping, the defense surprisingly passive despite the presence of Artest and the vastly improved Kevin Martin.
Perhaps most troubling is a team dynamic nearing the toxicity level of the final weeks of the Vlade Divac-Chris Webber era. Artest and Bibby, specifically, are separated by more than a few feet in the clubhouse. And everyone else is standing around -- yes, there is too much of that -- and waiting to see who wins the power struggle.
In the meantime, the Kings are losing games at a brisk rate. The team that charged into the 2005-06 postseason is stuck in the mud that is known as the Pacific Division cellar. True, significant personnel issues remain, with the lack of a legitimate shot-blocker and frontcourt length/athleticism the most obvious deficiencies.
While no one projected these Kings as contenders, it is reasonable to expect performances that reflect their young coach -- his intensity, his energy, his feistiness, his innate competitiveness. Indeed, the people who frequent Arco Arena are seeking escape, not root canals. And if the fans watching on television wanted daily off-court drama, wanted to hear details about a dysfunctional family, they would watch "Dr. Phil."
Musselman directs this show.
This is up to him.
"For the team to play better, there has to be a higher level of team play," Geoff Petrie said Thursday. "That's it. Bottom line. No matter how you go about doing that.
"Eric (Musselman) is still finding out about his team. You have to have some kind of vision to accomplish what you're trying to do, but once on the battlefield, it's always a little bit different. At some point, the vision and reality have to start to merge. If not, you look at adjustments."
In other words, Musselman has changes to make. He has major decisions to make. He must clarify roles, establish a more effective offensive style (ditch the playbook and let them play faster), solve the mystery of Bibby's disappearing jump shot and stop placating egos by dispensing playing time on a democratic basis. He appears almost intent on killing his reputation from Golden State. Many of the players didn't care for him, but both seasons, the Warriors undeniably overachieved.
Musselman isn't here to make friends. He isn't here to indulge aging, ailing former stars (see Rick Adelman and Chris Webber). He's here to win games. And to do that? To turn this around and have a reasonable chance at a playoff berth?
Artest must be designated as the man. No doubt about it. This is a star-driven league, a pecking order the natural order of things.
Mere months ago, Artest was the leader, disruptive only with his defense, while Bibby was the leading scorer and complementary sidekick. Why change the script now? Or given Martin's emergence, perhaps Bibby should mix a few more assists and dribble-drives into his jump-shooting repertoire.
"It is what it is," Petrie noted. "Ron was the catalyst last year for significant change."
No, for the Kings to have a prayer at making the extra pass, at reclaiming the zip and unselfishness they displayed during the exhibition season, at accelerating the pace offensively and defensively, Musselman must get the two elephants into the same room and on the same page. He must talk to them. Scold them. Encourage them. Cajole them. Tutor them. Coach them. They'll respect him more in the morning.
The alternative is to allow the situation to fester and await the inevitable implosion. Conflict resolution doesn't necessarily mean avoiding confrontation. Forcing the issue might even result in a healthy exchange -- and provide some answers.
Is Bibby fretting about his contract status? Has he forgotten his value as a facilitator? Does he really want the pressure of measuring his value and mitigating his poor on-ball defense solely by the accuracy of his jump shot? The longest-tenured King has been a durable, enduring asset, one of the league's big-game players. Surely he will emerge from this funk, whatever the causes?
As for Artest? Tough player to coach, yet tougher even to score against.
Musselman has a difficult job.
But he knew that when he signed on.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
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