POJO_Risin
06-03-2006, 12:54 PM
Great pickup here IMO...
and at 41...could bring many successful years...
Musselman replaces Adelman as Sacramento's head coach
June 2, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings hired Eric Musselman on Friday as their new head coach, choosing the Memphis Grizzlies assistant to replace Rick Adelman.
After a search that stretched nearly four weeks but included only three clear candidates, Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof filled the NBA's only coaching vacancy with Musselman, one of the league's most respected young minds.
"I know we're going to be the best-prepared team in the league now," Joe Maloof told the Associated Press in a phone interview Friday night. "We just like him a lot. We're really comfortable with the guy. Our whole family feels that way."
Musselman, who led the Golden State Warriors to two surprisingly successful seasons from 2002-04, also is a veteran NBA assistant and a former minor-league head coach. He succeeds Adelman, who became the winningest coach in franchise history during eight standout seasons before the Maloof family dismissed him May 9.
The Kings scheduled a news conference Saturday to announce Musselman's hiring, spokesman Troy Hanson said late Friday. The team still was working on contract details.
Musselman, who wowed the Maloofs by writing a 100-page scouting report on the Kings for his second interview Thursday night, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Eric Musselman previously coached the Warriors. (Getty Images)
The 41-year-old Musselman is the 20th head coach in the history of a franchise that began life as the Rochester Royals in 1948. Adelman easily was the most successful coach in the club's 58 seasons, winning 395 games -- 100 more than Les Harrison, who coached the franchise to its only championship in 1951.
Adelman enjoyed eight consecutive winning seasons and subsequent playoff trips after taking over the Kings in 1998, earning two Pacific Division titles and going as far as Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
But the Maloofs decided not to renew Adelman's contract, primarily citing years of mediocre defense from one of the NBA's most exciting teams. Adelman also had spotty communication with the brothers, who could be seen yelling criticism at their coach from their courtside seats late in the season.
The Kings' record has declined in four consecutive seasons during a wholesale roster overhaul that left guard Mike Bibby as the only remaining player from the 2001-02 club. Though Adelman led an impressive midseason revival when the Kings acquired Ron Artest in January, Sacramento lost to top-seeded San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.
The Maloofs also interviewed Golden State assistant Mario Elie and Sacramento Monarchs coach John Whisenant for the job, but Musselman won over the entire clan -- including Colleen Maloof, mother of the four sons who preside over the family's extensive business empire -- and president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie.
Musselman showed up to his interview with the Maloofs carrying a lengthy report on his opinions of the Kings' season, as well as his plans for their future.
"We saw that, and we thought it was great," Joe Maloof said.
and at 41...could bring many successful years...
Musselman replaces Adelman as Sacramento's head coach
June 2, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings hired Eric Musselman on Friday as their new head coach, choosing the Memphis Grizzlies assistant to replace Rick Adelman.
After a search that stretched nearly four weeks but included only three clear candidates, Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof filled the NBA's only coaching vacancy with Musselman, one of the league's most respected young minds.
"I know we're going to be the best-prepared team in the league now," Joe Maloof told the Associated Press in a phone interview Friday night. "We just like him a lot. We're really comfortable with the guy. Our whole family feels that way."
Musselman, who led the Golden State Warriors to two surprisingly successful seasons from 2002-04, also is a veteran NBA assistant and a former minor-league head coach. He succeeds Adelman, who became the winningest coach in franchise history during eight standout seasons before the Maloof family dismissed him May 9.
The Kings scheduled a news conference Saturday to announce Musselman's hiring, spokesman Troy Hanson said late Friday. The team still was working on contract details.
Musselman, who wowed the Maloofs by writing a 100-page scouting report on the Kings for his second interview Thursday night, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Eric Musselman previously coached the Warriors. (Getty Images)
The 41-year-old Musselman is the 20th head coach in the history of a franchise that began life as the Rochester Royals in 1948. Adelman easily was the most successful coach in the club's 58 seasons, winning 395 games -- 100 more than Les Harrison, who coached the franchise to its only championship in 1951.
Adelman enjoyed eight consecutive winning seasons and subsequent playoff trips after taking over the Kings in 1998, earning two Pacific Division titles and going as far as Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
But the Maloofs decided not to renew Adelman's contract, primarily citing years of mediocre defense from one of the NBA's most exciting teams. Adelman also had spotty communication with the brothers, who could be seen yelling criticism at their coach from their courtside seats late in the season.
The Kings' record has declined in four consecutive seasons during a wholesale roster overhaul that left guard Mike Bibby as the only remaining player from the 2001-02 club. Though Adelman led an impressive midseason revival when the Kings acquired Ron Artest in January, Sacramento lost to top-seeded San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.
The Maloofs also interviewed Golden State assistant Mario Elie and Sacramento Monarchs coach John Whisenant for the job, but Musselman won over the entire clan -- including Colleen Maloof, mother of the four sons who preside over the family's extensive business empire -- and president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie.
Musselman showed up to his interview with the Maloofs carrying a lengthy report on his opinions of the Kings' season, as well as his plans for their future.
"We saw that, and we thought it was great," Joe Maloof said.