Musselman Fired

Sam Amick from The Sacramento Bee cites an anonymous source saying Eric Musselman got his pink slip.

Far from a surprise. Be interesting to hear both Muss' and Geoff Petrie's comments. Stay tuned.

Update [2007-4-20 15:48:29 by TZ]: Plan on seeing a column about Muss' mistakes and the future outlook this afternoon. But here's a quick comparison of Sacramento in 2006 and Sacramento in 2007:

But this team has talent, and Musselman proved incapable of getting a majority of that talent out on the floor in terms of execution. He changed his mind about 20 times this year about what this team should be. Remember all that "42%" nonsense? Remember the "open offense?" None of it happened, all strategies abandoned on seeming whims. That's why Musselman is without employment today. Because he could not come close to leading this team. That DUI? It has a lot to do with that lack of respect.

As I wrote below, the Kings lost the tiebreak. We're due for some good karma, right?

Update [2007-4-20 15:55:55 by TZ]: Geoff Petrie released a statement. Not online yet, but Amick quotes it: "I want to thank Eric for his engery and effort. I wish him the best of luck in the future. There is no particular joy in making this decision. However, I feel it is in the best interest of everyone going forward."

Press conference has been called for 2 p.m. News10.net typically streams these things.

Update [2007-4-20 16:18:51 by TZ]: The press release is here. It does answer one question: the status of Musselman's assistants will be resolved after Petrie's two-week scouting trip to Europe. I actually assume their status will be resolved when a new coach takes over, which I would imagine won't happen until at least a week after Petrie returns, which means no sooner than May 15. Muss was hired in June, for perspective's sake, some four weeks after Adelman was let go. For anyone thinking about assistants currently in the playoffs... the conference finals will end by June 5th and the Finals will end no later than June 21st.