you hit the nail on the head with this:

Perhaps Petrie sees the writing on the walls and understands the need for speed in this matter

The last few years, obviously, haven’t gone GP’s way. Any time wasted could prove to be fatal and I hope Petrie realizes that. The only problem is, with his scouting trip, there’s no one here to keep an eye on the Maloofs, so to speak.

There’s some contrarian scoffing at the power of the Princeton going around, but honestly — that thing is gorgeous and effective. With skilled big men and smart guards, it’s deadly. Provided E.J. can take some direction from others on his defensive scheme (which Wizards fans tell me is basically “pack the lane” — yikes!), the Kings will be a far better team with E.J. at the helm. I can feel it. I can see it.

Has a team with the Princeton offense ever won an NBA championship? I honestly don’t know, so perhaps one of you does.

I also honestly don’t understand the continued love affair with Eddie Jordan. Other than experience and an understanding of the Princeton, his qualifications are underwhelming to say the least. He was at the helm of some supremely talented Washington teams and never took them anywhere. The obvious culprit was the complete lack of any defense, which is a big culprit in our current losing streak. Yet so many are ok with us picking up the guy that has helmed some horrible defensive teams with more talent and athleticism than we currently have.

That the Maloofs will at least want Petrie to wait until the draft lottery to see if a first-overall pick would pique the interest of a bigger name than Jordan or Whis (and potentially give the front office collateral bargaining power in the negotiation with the coach they settle on).

And Petrie looks for his choice of assistants. What I’m hoping for is that the stake isn’t just about Jordan, and that Petrie gets his choice. That’s one reason I’m not really thrilled Jordan is Petrie’s main choice here.

as is the hope of most of us is that we secure whatever coach (prefferably a “name” coach… and honestly prefferably EJ)… as soon as possible, be that after GP gets back, or before he goes. The change needs to happen before the draft, so the organization can have a sense of stability. If we are not going to get an elite defensive coach (JVG, Fratello, TT) then do not settle for a Maloof pick like Whiz. Maybe offer him a job as an Assitant or something and let him work with EJ instead of being the MAN.

Either way, i hope this offseason we see these three things.

1. A coach given stability. (we will see this in the form of a 3 year contract i’m sure, hopefully we see that GP and company are back in control of the choices)

2. A roster overhaul (again we are guaranteed this as well seeing as we have i think 8 players under contract for next season being: Kmart, JT, Hawes, Beno, Nocioni, Garcia, DG, and K9 (woof!) )

3. Progress with the arena situation. (this is the hardest thing, as the recession lasts ((things are perking up a bit!)) and as plans seemed to have stalled, i think a good quality coaching hire, and a very good draft netting either Griffin or Rubio and two other solid potential rotation players as well would go a LONG way in helping the cause here)

So check off one and two… that leaves us with #3 to really worry about.
Also, I am not worried about the Kings moving to Anaheim, first off the other owners and the league would have to approve it (do we really see three teams in the greater LA area???) and secondly there has been no local buzz or rumor that an NBA franchise (other than the clippers) would consider moving to Orange County. The greater LA area is large enough to sustain

is that we seem to be positioning things as Whiz or EJ. Why? This may be a weak draft (or not) but it is certainly a buyer’s market for coaches. No one has any money, there are lots of available names, the Kings will have some decent players, and a top draft pick. And possibly the clincher—you know you are going to improve on wins if you come here, making you look good.

I’m also not entirely sure I buy the whole, “Maloofs hired the last two coaches,” sentiment. Clearly they had a lot of say, but I don’t see GP bending over—twice— if he really thought they were bad hires. The truth of the matter is that the Kings (management and ownership included) hired two coaches for the wrong reasons. The wanted personalities, they wanted someone to shake things up. I believe they thought they had the players to make another playoff run.

I don’t want a knee jerk hire. Don’t hire a coach because he runs the Princeton, or because he is friends with GP, because he wants to come to Sac., or because it will sell tickets. Talk to people, see what’s happening in the market, who is available, what they think they can do with this team, and how they will do it. Hire a coach because you believe he is the best shot at turning a crappy team around.

Please don’t let me hear another coach moan about how they don’t have the right players. These are the players you have to work with. This is the type of GM you have to work with. You will not be picking players here. If you have a plan, and can perform, let’s talk. I want a marriage here, not another one night stand. I want a coach who will be in it for the long haul, who understands that he has to make the defense improve, who is good with younger players, and who has been a major part of building a winning franchise.

1 – The Maloofs sign the paychecks and yes, they must be satisfied with the choice. They seem to want a personality, make a splash – that is their nature. Muss, Theus and Whiz are confusing choices for a splash, but they want “family input” and my belief is that GP respects that.
2 – Winning teams have cohesion between the GM and the Head Coach. EJ is the leading candidate because he is a symbiotic choice. Coachie is an additive – a learned and esteemed teacher. He helps the Princeton work, because he teaches it in practice. Do you think a “big name” – JVG, Flip, Avery – want Coachie’s offense or their own? The Head Coach makes those choices, not GP, not Coachie.
3 – Time to chose takes a positive and negative effect: early decisive direction is a clear “all on board” statement. On the other hand, waiting through the playoffs alllows some of the “valued assistants” to become available. As teams lose some coaches may find that they are no longer employed.
4 – IMO, this is not a coach buyers market, it is the opposite – 8 coaches fired by Xmas and who knows if the playoffs find more openings. There are a handful of “big names” and more than a handful of openings. The desirable candidates have more choices than the teams. If you want a name, better grab him soon, or possibly get in a bidding war.
5- Any choice that is made is a monetary commitment – 3 years minimum. The Kings have recently had an unlikable, unhappy choice (Muss), a charming disorganized choice (Reggie Theus) and an organized inexperienced choice (Kenny Natt). IMO, the Kings need a likable, organized, charming, experienced choice – Eddie Jordan fits the bill. We can wonder about the Budenholzers, Thibodeaus, Bzdeliks, Jim Cleamons, etc – they are gambles pure and simple. 3 year commitment ($10 Million) on a maybe. nuh-uh. You replace a long standing guy with an up and comer (Budenholzer to Jazz, for instance), not this Kings team.
6 – Waiting to see where the Kings end up in the draft order is immaterial. What if the Kings get #1? They are still the doormats of the league. And what if they get the #4? Will someone turn down the job based on that? Immaterial.

My own pretzel logic points to Eddie Jordan more times than not. If this is a fait accompli, pull the trigger and hire the ex-Bullet by the end of the week. Please.

- as i really don’t know crap about the attractive assistants out there (Budz & the Celts guy),
As much as I Hunger for some Natting Defense(!!!) I do think an exciting team, some excitement is needed for the fans right now.

(sigh) but more D Pleeeeease!

No interest in a Natt sequel?

GP has always had the interest of his people formost in his mind. Look what he did for Mikki. Natt isn’t the only member of the coaching staff that will be looking for work after this season. Rex, Randy, Sar & Jason will be looking for work along with Natt. Whether it’s in person or through Levine the coaching staff will know where they stand before the weeks out. If only so, that they can start planning for their future, and getting their resumes ready and out to all the other potential head coaching prospects around the league.

The head coach search probably has already started at least in FO discussions with the Maloofs. The search won’t take long with a short list, and the announcement should come before the end of May so that the new coach can do his hiring of his coaching staff.

I CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER IF A BENCH CONSISTING OF E.J., VLADE AND NATT MIGHT BE MORE OF A DREAM THAN POSSIBILITY. E.J. FOR OFFENSE, NATT FOR DEFENSE AND VLADE FOR THE BIGS (AND I INCLUDE DIAGU IN THE MIX). I THINK THE DRAFT WILL HELP, BUT WE NEED GREAT COACHING MORE.