Rick Adelman In Sacramento

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

John Schumacher
Sept. 18
Sacramento Bee

   Welcome back to the NBA, coach.

   No one ever said coaching the Kings would be easy. And Adelman, officially introduced Thursday as the team's eighth coach in the Sacramento era, faces a major challenge in trying to turn a 27-55 team into a playoff contender.<P>

   The NBA lockout prevents him from talking to his new players. The lateness of his hiring limits the pool of candidates to hire as assistants. And the lockout could deprive a young, inexperienced team and its new coach of a much-needed training camp, which is scheduled to begin the first week of October.<P>

   But after spending a year away from the league, Adelman, 52, sounded ready and willing to shift into high gear.<P>

   "That's a huge challenge," said Adelman, a former head coach at Portland and Golden State. "You may have a shortened camp and the team is probably going to be fairly young. You'd better get yourself organized.<P>

   "What it means is you're really going to have to simplify some things and you're really going to have to zero in on what is good about the group you have and really go to that quickly."<P>

   First up on Adelman's to-do list is hiring a coaching staff. Pete Carril, an assistant the past two seasons, said Thursday he'd like to help Adelman. And Adelman indicated the former
   Princeton head coach would be a valuable asset on the bench.

   "Pete's a great resource," Adelman said. "He's good with players and he's a wealth of knowledge. Why would you not want to have someone like that?"<P>

   Adelman, who is believed to have signed a three- or four-year deal -- the Kings would not release terms of his contract -- said he would like to complete his staff within the next week.<P>

   "That's one problem area in that it is a little late," he said. "I've got a list already. I'm going to go through that very quickly."<P>

   League rules prohibit team employees from talking to players during a lockout, preventing Adelman from getting to know his new players until a collective bargaining agreement is reached.<P>

   "You can't talk to them or mention their names," Adelman said. "They don't know you.. . . One thing you have to do when this is over is try to get with each guy before camp starts, just to get a feel.<P>

   "This could be real difficult."

   Adelman, though, said he's high on the Kings' nucleus of young talent, a group that includes guards Jason Williams, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Anthony Johnson, forwards Chris Webber, Corliss Williamson,
    Predrag Stojakovic and Lawrence Funderburke and center Michael "Yogi" Stewart.<P>

   "I like what's here," he said. "I think there's real potential to grow."<P>

   And the Kings think Adelman, who brings a 357-252 NBA record and the 13th-best winning percentage (.586) in league history to town, is the guy to guide the team from bottom feeder to playoff contender.<P>

   Kings managing general partner Jim Thomas, who made the decision to fire former coach Eddie Jordan after 97 games, was also the one who made the call on Adelman. Thomas did not attend Thursday's press conference but issued a statement saying, "We are excited to have Rick on board."<P>

   So is Geoff Petrie, the Kings' vice president of basketball operations and a former teammate and NBA roommate of Adelman's.<P>

   "I knew early on Rick had a calling to be a good coach, because he started throwing me the ball a lot," Petrie said with a laugh.<P>

   "He's a solid guy, a really terrific coach and a quality person."<P>

   Adelman's track record, certainly, indicates he knows how to win. He posted a 291-154 record in six seasons with Portland, guiding the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, but lost his job following a 47-35 finish in 1993-94. He recorded a 66-98 record in two seasons at Golden State before being fired in April 1997.<P>

   He enjoys a reputation as a coach who knows how to handle difficult players.<P>

   "Whatever their history is, I tell them, 'We start from today; that's how I'm going to judge you,' " Adelman said. "I can't judge any player, what relationship they had with another coach, because I don't know what went on with those two people."<P>

   Adelman spent the past year in Portland with his family, watching his son play basketball and his daughter coach the game. He also watched countless NBA games on the tube.

   After being bumped out of the NBA, Adelman wondered if he would ever get back in. Or if he wanted to try.<P>

   "I was in a great situation at Portland and not so good at Golden State with our success," he said. "If you go through trials like that, you're always looking to say, 'What do you want to do?' "

   Portland State wanted him as its head coach. There was a chance to work for the NBA. And then Petrie called, saying Thomas wanted to talk to him about the Kings' job.

   Adelman and Thomas talked several times on the phone and had at least two lengthy conversations in person.<P>

   "I felt when the time was right, if someone followed what I did, then I would have another chance," Adelman said. "But you never know. You never know what the situations are, what the owners are thinking."

   Adelman knows it takes time for young talent to develop. But he also realizes today's NBA owners don't have the patience to wait very long for results.

   "In this league, a lot of times you need time," he said. "A lot of times, there's not time. So you've really got to address that."