推 RonArtest93:感謝 這篇晚點我來翻 :) 04/26 17:24
Source: http://www.sacbee.com/voisin/story/1810519.html
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To stay in the kingdom, Petrie has to find Kings
By Ailene Voisin / Published: Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009 - 12:00 am
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Geoff Petrie has survived the antics of three teenagers, twice become a
grandfather, hired his son and remained on the job longer than any other
current NBA general manager/basketball president.
He is like the cat with nine lives, except that his Kings lifespan is
extending into its 16th season.
But with the franchise in a precarious, if potentially transformative
position, Petrie, with only a year remaining on a contract that will pay him
$4.6 million in 2009-10, is entering the most critical phase of his
once-illustrious tenure. He has two chances to get it right – to make the
decisions that redirect the franchise into an upward arc – and he has to hit
on both.
The NBA draft in June.
The next Kings coach, whenever.
If he misses on either call, selects the wrong player (a guaranteed top-four
pick) and fails to hire the right coach for his young, evolving squad, it is
almost inconceivable that he will be rewarded with another extension.
The fans are restless and so are the owners, particularly the matriarch.
While Petrie continues to wield tremendous clout over co-owners Joe and Gavin
Maloof, Colleen Maloof has become increasingly vocal with her frustrations
and, according to sources close to the situation, is convinced the team's
basketball president holds undue influence over her sons. When Petrie speaks,
believes the mother, the sons drink the Kool-Aid.
Given the impulsive, emotional nature of Joe and Gavin, Petrie's tempering
personality often has been a tremendous asset. But these are tough times, and
the two-time NBA Executive of the Year – who effectively overhauled for
former Kings owner Jim Thomas and even more impressively later for the
Maloofs – is in the midst of a career-worst slump. The cushion is off the
couch in the Petrie suite.
His recent reign has been marred by a succession of personnel blunders, some
of which bound the franchise in a financial squeeze that is only now
beginning to ease: He traded the ailing, diminished Chris Webber, but stuck
the club with Kenny Thomas' bloated contract. He persevered with a toxic
nucleus of Brad Miller, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby. He signed Shareef
Abdur-Rahim despite the forward's bad knees. He overpaid Beno Udrih and, in
general, compiled rosters that were flawed and unbalanced, with too many
scorers and too few defenders.
Petrie's mishandling of the coaching process since Rick Adelman's departure
in 2006 – and the Maloofs are culpable here as well – is even more
troubling. To counter the owners' desire to hire John Whisenant, the Monarchs
general manager who coached the team to the 2005 WNBA championship, Petrie
countered with an underwhelming list of candidates and pushed hard for the
hiring of Eric Musselman – a disastrous development.
"We didn't talk to enough people," Petrie conceded the other day.
Then it was Reggie Theus' turn. Though the Maloofs later lobbied for Theus,
Joe and Gavin Maloof were totally infatuated with Larry Brown, the deposed
New York Knicks coach who desperately wanted the job and a chance at coaching
redemption. But again, revealing his aversion to strong-willed, dynamic
individuals, Petrie refused to interview the brilliant, if quirky Brown.
The list of choices was thus reduced to younger candidates such as Scotty
Brooks, Brian Shaw, Kurt Rambis and eventual hire Theus, who claims that
Petrie kept one hand on his clipboard and the other on a pink slip.
The decision to fire Theus barely two months into his second season led to
the elevation of interim coach Kenny Natt, who landed with an even louder
thud and an 11-47 record.
So what now? Of course the Maloofs will be involved in the process to some
extent. Owners always are. But they swear Petrie has final say this time, and
if his tendencies persist, the early list of candidates will include several
established and high-profile possibilities – none of whom will be hired.
Jeff Van Gundy. Mike Fratello. Bill Laimbeer. All have immense egos and
dominant personalities, elements common to elite coaches, and none of which
appeals to the introverted Kings boss.
The more likely choice will come from a group that consists, among others, of
Eddie Jordan, a former Kings head coach and longtime favorite of Petrie and
Pete Carril; Paul Westphal, the former Seattle Sonics and Phoenix Suns coach
who also has an affinity for offense; UNLV coach Lon Kruger, a respected
teacher whose previous experience as Atlanta Hawks coach resulted in three
losing seasons; and possibly Bernie Bickerstaff, a quietly powerful sideline
presence.
But this is the critical choice, the seminal Petrie moment, the upcoming NBA
draft the lesser concern.
Petrie, who has two first-round picks and a second-round choice, has always
been exceptional at selecting talent.
So before declaring that the end of an era nears, remember that executives
can reinvent themselves within months. Sometimes, within hours. Boston's
Danny Ainge and the Lakers' Mitch Kupchak once wore dunce caps; last summer
they met in the NBA Finals.
It's all about the future, the very near future.
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