http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14255314p-15070661c.html
Taking control of their team
Some question owners' integrity after latest move
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 14, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
It isn't as though no one saw it coming, which is part of what makes the testy public response to the end of the Rick Adelman era in Sacramento so interesting.
Joe and Gavin Maloof, after all, were trying to hire Phil Jackson a year ago. Adelman entered the 2005-06 Kings season in the final year of a contract that very specifically had not been extended. The Maloofs did everything but have "Lame Duck" stitched into Adelman's sweater vests under the team logo.
So why did the brothers take such a public-relations hit last week, when they officially separated Adelman from the franchise after eight seasons?
There was the Kings' surge to the finish line, a 25-11 regular-season burst in the wake of the Ron Artest trade that might have earned Adelman last-minute converts in support.
Beyond that, though, there was the strong sense among Kings followers, a sense conveyed again and again in e-mails, voice mails, private conversations and sports-talk phone calls, that the Maloofs simply had missed the mark in how they conducted their business - specifically, not delivering Adelman the news themselves.
"Was getting rid of Adelman the right thing to do? I'm reserving final judgment until I see who they bring in," said longtime Kings fan Christine Gillespie.
"Did they do it the right way? Not under any kind of definition of 'consideration' that I can think of."
Welcome to Sports Business 101, where the lines are blurred between what is public and what is private - and where the actions of owners are subject to regular scrutiny, analysis and conclusion.
For years, the Maloofs thrived in that scenario, but they did so under incredibly generous conditions. A president of basketball operations whom they did not hire, Geoff Petrie, led the greatest talent-building process in the Sacramento history of the franchise. A coach whom they did not hire, Adelman, took that talent to eight consecutive winning seasons, eight playoff appearances, one Western Conference finals and a national profile previously unimaginable.
Through many of those years, the Maloofs approached ownership carefully. They entrusted Petrie with virtually every personnel decision, cheer-led wildly from their courtside seats, cultivated a media reputation as outgoing, optimistic stewards of the franchise, and used the Kings' success to grow their business empire in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
The fallout from the Adelman release suggests the Maloofs are in another phase of their ownership life. From their reluctance to engage directly on the arena issue to the criticisms of their failure to call Adelman directly with their decision not to retain him, the brothers are being questioned as never before.
In interviews last week, Joe Maloof was alternately puzzled and irritated by the Adelman scenario. Despite evidence to the contrary, including the fact that assistant coaches were left in the dark long past the time when they normally would be contacted to discuss renewals of their contracts, Maloof insisted the decision not to retain Adelman was made only after the season ended.
Saturday, Maloof said that, upon reflection, he wishes he had contacted Adelman himself or been present in Sacramento for the news conference announcing the family's decision. He also said he winced at the perception that anyone in his family had shied away from a difficult moment.
"I was a little surprised" at the public backlash, Maloof said, "but I think it's time to move on to the future and to going ahead with this franchise.
"We had a great run with Rick. He brought a winning tradition to the franchise, to the city. He did a great job, and I hope I can talk to him soon."
Maloof has offered reasons for the decision that vary from interview to interview, at times citing a need for more defense, at times bemoaning Adelman's low visibility in the community. Furthermore, he has made it clear the decision was made independently of Petrie, which for many fans continues a worrisome trend (from Jackson to the Artest trade to Adelman) of the Maloofs taking power away from Petrie, who is widely regarded as one of the top executives in the NBA.
"They have one of the best in the business at the GM position," Gillespie said. "I think they're undermining his authority and hurting themselves and their public persona at a time when they need to be making supporters, not losing them because of bonehead acts like this."
Gillespie is one of the moderators of a Web site, Kingsfans.com, that has become a popular destination among those who follow the franchise religiously. In two informal polls conducted on the site last week, almost 70 percent of respondents said Adelman should have been given a new contract, while 76 percent said their current view of the Maloofs was either "OK," "not as good" as before, or "terrible" - the bottom three of the five responses available.
Such can be the fate of owners who are deemed to fancy themselves sports experts. Mark Cuban can relate. He regularly leaves his fingerprints all over the body of his Dallas Mavericks franchise - sometimes they're lifted directly from the neck area - and he makes no apologies for it. It's his business.
"It's like managing your personal investment portfolio," Cuban wrote in an e-mailed response to questions. "You get as much advice and information as you can from smart people who know the business, but you realize that there never is one right answer.
"Only one person is responsible for how things turn out, and that's you."
Indeed, the Maloofs' recent activism falls more in line with the Cuban model of ownership than anything else. They're not alone. In Phoenix, owner Robert Sarver has taken public control of decision-making, with former GM Bryan Colangelo having bolted for Toronto. Kevin McHale, once the public face of the Minnesota front office, hasn't been seen lately, but owner Glen Taylor is regularly quoted at length.
Maloof, meanwhile, says his family will be heavily involved in the Kings' coaching search, adding, "We'll make it in accordance with what Geoff wants. It's the family and Geoff."
He also said that, once the head coach is hired, the Maloofs will step back, allowing Petrie to resume control of the day-to-day basketball operations and the new coach to fill out his staff.
As for the perceived breach of etiquette with Adelman, it should be noted the Maloofs have a history of almost never delivering bad news personally. They had Adelman inform Chris Webber he was traded last year; Peja Stojakovic learned of his possible trade for Artest while watching the Maloofs being interviewed on ESPN; and Petrie was left to call Adelman last week despite Maloof having spoken with Adelman earlier.
"I've fired one person in my life, and it was a secretary," Maloof said with a laugh.
Now, with the coaching search under way and their confidence high after pushing hard for Artest, the Maloofs will remain prominent in the hiring process. In terms of their public perception, that may well prove to be both the good and the bad news, but the Cuban approach to NBA ownership suggests it won't be the last time.
"Sometimes you think a risk, like Artest, is worth it, sometimes not," Cuban wrote. "There is so much at stake, like your personal portfolio, that you have to be comfortable with how things are being run."
Taking control of their team
Some question owners' integrity after latest move
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 14, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
It isn't as though no one saw it coming, which is part of what makes the testy public response to the end of the Rick Adelman era in Sacramento so interesting.
Joe and Gavin Maloof, after all, were trying to hire Phil Jackson a year ago. Adelman entered the 2005-06 Kings season in the final year of a contract that very specifically had not been extended. The Maloofs did everything but have "Lame Duck" stitched into Adelman's sweater vests under the team logo.
So why did the brothers take such a public-relations hit last week, when they officially separated Adelman from the franchise after eight seasons?
There was the Kings' surge to the finish line, a 25-11 regular-season burst in the wake of the Ron Artest trade that might have earned Adelman last-minute converts in support.
Beyond that, though, there was the strong sense among Kings followers, a sense conveyed again and again in e-mails, voice mails, private conversations and sports-talk phone calls, that the Maloofs simply had missed the mark in how they conducted their business - specifically, not delivering Adelman the news themselves.
"Was getting rid of Adelman the right thing to do? I'm reserving final judgment until I see who they bring in," said longtime Kings fan Christine Gillespie.
"Did they do it the right way? Not under any kind of definition of 'consideration' that I can think of."
Welcome to Sports Business 101, where the lines are blurred between what is public and what is private - and where the actions of owners are subject to regular scrutiny, analysis and conclusion.
For years, the Maloofs thrived in that scenario, but they did so under incredibly generous conditions. A president of basketball operations whom they did not hire, Geoff Petrie, led the greatest talent-building process in the Sacramento history of the franchise. A coach whom they did not hire, Adelman, took that talent to eight consecutive winning seasons, eight playoff appearances, one Western Conference finals and a national profile previously unimaginable.
Through many of those years, the Maloofs approached ownership carefully. They entrusted Petrie with virtually every personnel decision, cheer-led wildly from their courtside seats, cultivated a media reputation as outgoing, optimistic stewards of the franchise, and used the Kings' success to grow their business empire in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
The fallout from the Adelman release suggests the Maloofs are in another phase of their ownership life. From their reluctance to engage directly on the arena issue to the criticisms of their failure to call Adelman directly with their decision not to retain him, the brothers are being questioned as never before.
In interviews last week, Joe Maloof was alternately puzzled and irritated by the Adelman scenario. Despite evidence to the contrary, including the fact that assistant coaches were left in the dark long past the time when they normally would be contacted to discuss renewals of their contracts, Maloof insisted the decision not to retain Adelman was made only after the season ended.
Saturday, Maloof said that, upon reflection, he wishes he had contacted Adelman himself or been present in Sacramento for the news conference announcing the family's decision. He also said he winced at the perception that anyone in his family had shied away from a difficult moment.
"I was a little surprised" at the public backlash, Maloof said, "but I think it's time to move on to the future and to going ahead with this franchise.
"We had a great run with Rick. He brought a winning tradition to the franchise, to the city. He did a great job, and I hope I can talk to him soon."
Maloof has offered reasons for the decision that vary from interview to interview, at times citing a need for more defense, at times bemoaning Adelman's low visibility in the community. Furthermore, he has made it clear the decision was made independently of Petrie, which for many fans continues a worrisome trend (from Jackson to the Artest trade to Adelman) of the Maloofs taking power away from Petrie, who is widely regarded as one of the top executives in the NBA.
"They have one of the best in the business at the GM position," Gillespie said. "I think they're undermining his authority and hurting themselves and their public persona at a time when they need to be making supporters, not losing them because of bonehead acts like this."
Gillespie is one of the moderators of a Web site, Kingsfans.com, that has become a popular destination among those who follow the franchise religiously. In two informal polls conducted on the site last week, almost 70 percent of respondents said Adelman should have been given a new contract, while 76 percent said their current view of the Maloofs was either "OK," "not as good" as before, or "terrible" - the bottom three of the five responses available.
Such can be the fate of owners who are deemed to fancy themselves sports experts. Mark Cuban can relate. He regularly leaves his fingerprints all over the body of his Dallas Mavericks franchise - sometimes they're lifted directly from the neck area - and he makes no apologies for it. It's his business.
"It's like managing your personal investment portfolio," Cuban wrote in an e-mailed response to questions. "You get as much advice and information as you can from smart people who know the business, but you realize that there never is one right answer.
"Only one person is responsible for how things turn out, and that's you."
Indeed, the Maloofs' recent activism falls more in line with the Cuban model of ownership than anything else. They're not alone. In Phoenix, owner Robert Sarver has taken public control of decision-making, with former GM Bryan Colangelo having bolted for Toronto. Kevin McHale, once the public face of the Minnesota front office, hasn't been seen lately, but owner Glen Taylor is regularly quoted at length.
Maloof, meanwhile, says his family will be heavily involved in the Kings' coaching search, adding, "We'll make it in accordance with what Geoff wants. It's the family and Geoff."
He also said that, once the head coach is hired, the Maloofs will step back, allowing Petrie to resume control of the day-to-day basketball operations and the new coach to fill out his staff.
As for the perceived breach of etiquette with Adelman, it should be noted the Maloofs have a history of almost never delivering bad news personally. They had Adelman inform Chris Webber he was traded last year; Peja Stojakovic learned of his possible trade for Artest while watching the Maloofs being interviewed on ESPN; and Petrie was left to call Adelman last week despite Maloof having spoken with Adelman earlier.
"I've fired one person in my life, and it was a secretary," Maloof said with a laugh.
Now, with the coaching search under way and their confidence high after pushing hard for Artest, the Maloofs will remain prominent in the hiring process. In terms of their public perception, that may well prove to be both the good and the bad news, but the Cuban approach to NBA ownership suggests it won't be the last time.
"Sometimes you think a risk, like Artest, is worth it, sometimes not," Cuban wrote. "There is so much at stake, like your personal portfolio, that you have to be comfortable with how things are being run."
