By losing tonight against the Pelicans, the Kings have the assurance of not finishing the season above 50% wins. Alvin Gentry will therefore join the long list of Sacramento coaches who have failed to reach this famous threshold. However, one name will not appear on this list: Rick Adelman.
And one more ! With 41 losses already this year, the Kings have no mathematical chance of finishing the season with more wins than losses (by winning everything, they can finish with a neutral record). If this does not yet condemn the franchise in the race for the Playoffs, even if it still looks really complicated, it especially shows the difficulty of the men in purple to be competitive in the West. A sad habit that is now well assimilated by the fans but it has not always been so. We talk so much about the famous record series without Playoffs that we almost forget to talk about what was before. The famous Kings of Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby or Bobby Jackson. A beautiful blend of talents brought together under the orders of a no less talented coach, Rick Adelman. It was Sacramento’s golden age and a blessed time for those who fell in love with the crown franchise. 8 appearances in the Playoffs, three times on the podium for the best records in the West, once in first place, coach Adelman had done the job. Beautiful results that will not be copied by any of its successors. Even stronger, Rick Adelman is the only coach in Sacramento Kings history to finish a season with a positive record. 37 years spent in Sactown, only eight with a positive balance sheet, the eight years of the guru’s mandate.
The loss by the Sacramento Kings tonight extends an amazing streak:
Winning seasons in Sacramento with Rick Adelman as coach: 8 in 8 years
Winning seasons in Sacramento with anyone else as coach: 0 in 29 years
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) March 3, 2022
Incredible to think that of the… 20 coaches spent between 1985 and 2022, only one managed to slam a season at more than 50%. ONLY ONE. Enough to question the not always clever choices of management (hello Luke Walton) but also to shed some light on a coach who is rarely cited among the best tacticians, despite his entry into the Hall of Fame last year. Small example: Rick Adelman is not one of the fifteen best coaches selected for the 75th anniversary of the NBA. However, he holds the ninth all-time record for a coach with 1042 games won, 12 more than a certain… Doc Rivers. If the stats are there, it is above all the ring that is missing to better appear in the list. The jewel, Rick has turned around several times and he will no doubt be able to regret the missed opportunities. We think of two NBA finals with the Blazers in the early 90s but also this controversial Conference Final in 2002 against the Lakers. One what if which would undoubtedly have allowed the coach to leave an even more lasting mark on the side of Sacramento, he will be satisfied with a good regularity in the postseason.
The Kings have had a season over 50% only eight times since 1985 and it was always with Rick Adelman as coach. Proof that the former guru had built something truly special or that the franchise was clueless when it came to coaching? Probably a bit of both.
Source texte : Josh Dubow / @JoshDubowAP
