Musselman scheduled for second interview with Kings

Memphis assistant coach Eric Musselman is scheduled for a second interview Wednesday with the top brass of the Sacramento Kings, whose search for a new head coach has stretched into a fourth week.
Musselman, who coached the Golden State Warriors for two surprisingly successful seasons from 2002-04, traveled to Las Vegas for a Wednesday night meeting with Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof and president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie at the Palms, the Maloof family's casino.
Musselman, Mike Fratello's top assistant with the Grizzlies, was among the coaches who interviewed for the job last week. Golden State assistant Mario Elie and Sacramento Monarchs coach John Whisenant, a longtime Maloof family friend thought to be the initial front-runner, also got initial interviews.
The Maloof brothers dismissed coach Rick Adelman on May 9 after eight consecutive winning seasons and the longest sustained run of success in franchise history. Sacramento reached the playoffs this spring for the eighth straight season, but lost a first-round series with the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
The Maloofs said they wanted a coach with a strong defensive mindset and winning NBA experience - but after their first round of interviews, Whisenant reportedly was their top choice despite no experience playing or coaching in the NBA.
The Kings didn't even interview P.J. Carlesimo, an assistant on San Antonio's last two championship teams, despite initially expressing interest in the former Golden State and Portland coach.
Musselman would be a more logical choice, given his extensive experience at all levels of pro coaching and scouting. He was a head coach for seven seasons in the CBA, getting his first job at 23, and was an assistant with Minnesota and Orlando before landing the job with Golden State in 2002.
Musselman went 75-89 in two seasons with the Warriors, making the longtime losers competitive for the first time in a half-decade, but was fired after clashing with players and Chris Mullin, the club's incoming top executive.
Musselman has a disciplined, defense-oriented approach that would be welcomed in Sacramento, where the Kings' defensive shortcomings were part of Adelman's downfall despite his 395 victories.

NBA coach Adelman leaves Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings head coach Rick Adelman left the NBA club on Tuesday after both sides agreed not to renew his contract for the 2006-07 season.
Kings' president of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie said in a statement that the team's assistant coaches would not be retained either.
"During my individual discussions over the past several days with (owners) Joe and Gavin Maloof (agents) and Rick, it became apparent that going forward it would not be feasible for any of the parties involved," Petrie said.
"I want to thank Rick personally and professionally for his hard work and determination. He leaves as the winningest coach in Sacramento Kings history."
Adelman coached the Kings for eight seasons, leading the team to the playoffs in all eight years. But rumors were prevalent he was on his way out after a 44-38 regular season in 2005-06, followed by a first round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Sacramento won back-to-back Pacific Division titles in 2001-02 and 2002-03, and won 50 or more games for five consecutive seasons,from 2000-01 to 2004-05.
The winningest coach in franchise history, Adelman has compileda 752-481 record over 16 seasons in the NBA, with Portland, GoldenState and Sacramento. He ranks fourth on the wins list among active coaches, behind Phil Jackson, Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan.
Adelman also played in the NBA for seven seasons, primarily with the San Diego Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers.