Other Side of the Paul Westphal Frittata

by Tom Ziller on Jun 1, 2009 10:48 AM PDT in Commentary

In the interest of both fairness and in not causing a run on cyanide at Sacramento hardware stories, I'd like to point out two well-written, detailed endorsements of Paul Westphal as a Kings coaching candidate.

New StR member KevinSalvadori (who is not, I believe, the actual Kevin Salvadori) discussed some of the perceived weaknesses of Westphal.

It’s saying something that former "malcontents" like Barkley openly endorse him, and applaud both his ethic and personality. The PHX ownership at the time of his hire was very solidly aligned with Fitzsimmons, and while it is easy to say Cotton got the trigger finger over anger at his style, it’s just as easy to say there was a large bit of jealousy over the job he did compared to Cotton in the role. And his departure from the game to date has as much to do with personal choice as it did with job offerings. In fact, Cuban was considering him for a short time following Johnson’s departure before hiring Carlisle as head coach. And his time in Pepperdine was chosen to spend more time with his son, and stay on the West Coast.

Later, new StR member PWfan -- someone claiming to be close to the Westphal/Fitzsimmons situation in Phoenix -- chimed in to back up KS' sentiments and add quite a bit, including this:

The two top players Baker and Payton were very good friends and both of them to put it mildly were highly dysfunctional and they fed off of each other. The result was chaos. Payton is and was a thug and although a great talent a poison in the locker room. Baker suffered from severe bouts of depression and had a significant substance abuse problem. On top of that Seattle was for all practical purposes rebuilding the team but they did not want this to be known by their fan base. In spite of this Westphal managed to get them into the playoffs. [...]

[Rashard] Lewis came to Seattle right out of high school and the Westphals as a family committed to doing everything they could to protect and nurture that young man. Ironically Westphal probably did his best coaching in Seattle but no one thinks that because of what happened.

I'm glad to hear the endorsements, even though I still have reservations. Thanks to KevinSalvadori and PWfan for chiming in.

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Comments

Are you sure PWfan isn't Raymond Ridder?

by RMJ equals Hero on Jun 1, 2009 11:52 AM PDT reply actions

or Paul Westphal?

Father of the "Natt this!" movement.

by Aykis16 on Jun 1, 2009 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Still though, I want to hear how the Thib interview went

and how the Rambis interview goes. And then I want Messina at least talked to.

Father of the "Natt this!" movement.

by Aykis16 on Jun 1, 2009 12:05 PM PDT reply actions

Mmm... frittata

www.mancancook.net

by vfettke on Jun 1, 2009 12:09 PM PDT reply actions

What wasn't said about Westphal in Seattle...

in the Case for Paul Westphal thread that is now closed…

That his first season was the strike shortened weird season.

That Hersey Hawkins stats were down that first season before Owens arrived and never really recovered overall even when Chicago started him again the next season. And that they were going nowhere with him starting and he was 32 and half and they were probably going to trade him and may have wanted to protect him or try to show he could come off the bench.

Or that he started the season out shooting 25% from 3 point land in February and didn’t really look like a guy who should be starting. Or that Hawkins-Dale Ellis on the wings was shooter repetitive and short on rebounding. Rebounding Owens was decent at providing. And that they needed scoring off the bench. Hawk or Detlef. (Or maybe it could have been Ellis.)

And that Hawkins got his job back.

Not starting Hawkins was not a simple boneheaded move. There were reasons.

Seattle went 5-0 in Owens first 5 games, so maybe forgive a coach a little for thinking he might have done something right… for a short stretch. Using him as a role player with a bunch of other scoring starters – not unlike what other some coaches do. A phony starter to save something for the bench and get a boost.

Owens was soon gone so it wasn’t totally like he was clearly a coach’s favorite. he was playing the guy his GM signed. And was checking out given further coming roster attrition. Or planning to use in a trade, after having been obtained for nothing (except paying him). They did trade him within a year.

I could say more about Westphal as a coach overall but I’d have to review everything and don’t want to. I just wanted to add this specific detail.

by StatRaven on Jun 1, 2009 1:04 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks

More good fodder to consider.

by Tom Ziller on Jun 1, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Next time

the Kings organization needs informarion of coaching candidates they should just read StR

by eduardo_m7 on Jun 1, 2009 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions

followup

should have been… they went nowhere different with Hawkins starting – later (still right near .500)

Owens was out of shape and not very good overall but his passing was almost as good as Hawkins and Schrempf and his offensive rebounding was quite good (80% more than Detlef, 170% more than Hawkins) helping the team to a top 7 mark on that team stat.

Hawkins played 30 minutes off the bench instead of 34 as a starter so this wasn’t a huge deal at least on court time change. Detlef only lost 4 minutes too.

One more bigger picture measure (though it isn’t that great a measure):
Westphal beat his team’s Pythagorean W-L stat every season of his coaching career (except perhaps the seasons he got fired and I can’t tell what the Pyth W-L was before he was fired)

by StatRaven on Jun 1, 2009 1:32 PM PDT reply actions

The reason my heuvos are rancheros

is the way this is being handled. Not judging Paul Westphal as a positive or a negative.

There has been a de facto coaching search as soon as the decision to fire Reggie Theus arrived.

As far as we fans know, there have been two candidates and one went to Philly. The other is a bargain.

I am distilling my beef (?) to the above statement. I am not excited. I do not see sexy. I see a poor team, with a lack of talent and the worst record in league, bleeding money and buying on the cheap. Not the formula for success I was expecting.

can you throw me a freakin’ bone here