Ailene Voisin: Theus could use an assist on bench

Reggie Theus actually played golf the other day without breaking a sweat or stressing about his job security, which, given the volatility of the NBA head-coaching market, ranks him among the fortunate few.

Avery Johnson, gone. Pat Riley, gone. Isiah Thomas, Larry Krystkowiak, Sam Vincent, Jim Boylan … am I missing anyone?

In varying degrees, the 2008 hit list of potential candidates has been known to include Mike D'Antoni, Mike Brown, Mike Woodson, Eddie Jordan and George Karl. P.J. Carlesimo, Sam Mitchell, Marc Iavaroni and Lawrence Frank squirmed until their respective bosses finally announced their return. And, of course, no one ever knows for sure about Don Nelson and his on-again, off-again romance with both retirement and his bosses.

Theus, in all seriousness, has no such worries. This season.

But if he wants to enhance his job security? If he hopes to persuade Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs that his rookie transgressions were exactly that – rookie transgressions – and convince them to guarantee the third and final year (2009-10) of his contract, then he needs to hire a mentor.

He needs to admit that he needs help. Bernie Bickerstaff. Del Harris. Tex Winter. Hank Egan. Kelvin Sampson would have been a terrific choice had Scott Skiles not already hired him in Milwaukee. But he needs to add someone of similar pedigree to his staff.

Although Theus, 50, accurately points out that current assistants Chuck Person, Kenny Natt, Jason Hamm, Rex Kalamian and Randy Brown work industriously and interact famously, there isn't a former NBA or college head coach in the bunch. Maybe there's a gray hair or two among them.

Without discounting Theus' two-year head-coaching tenure at New Mexico State, the absence of a more seasoned assistant at the pro level is counterproductive for this reason: Players increasingly are entering the league at a younger age, more deficient than ever in fundamentals, and based strictly on age and years of service alone – on the benefit of having someone around who isn't a neophyte at teaching footwork, drilling the fastbreak, designing defenses and demanding execution – Theus' guys fail to measure up.

"I'm pleased with the job my staff did," Theus said from his cell phone Friday afternoon, "and we've talked about hiring a big man's coach. I don't have any problem with that, someone who will be present all the time to work with Spencer (Hawes). That's the important thing. They have to be here all the time. When I meet with Geoff, and Joe and Gavin, this week, if that (hiring an older assistant) becomes an issue … if we do it … it's only because we're trying to give ourselves absolutely the best possible chance to grow and develop."

Isn't that the point? What lottery-bound teams in the rebuilding phase attempt to accomplish?

Theus continued: "For sure, I am open to becoming the best coach I can possibly become. I've learned a lot. If there is a situation where I could bring someone in who was helpful and insightful, and make our team better, that's the only thing I care about."

That, and hanging onto his job for a while. Fans and owners have all the patience of 6-year-olds on soda.

Though disrupted by injuries to Hawes, Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, Beno Udrih and the departed Mike Bibby, his rookie season was not without its burps. There were tiffs with agents, confused looks from players, inexplicable timeouts and silly benchings during the opening weeks, and most recently, a very public wounding of his talented shooting guard.

Some of this, of course, is to be expected. Teams that hire inexperienced coaches realistically anticipate tactical mistakes, public gaffes, clashes with players, perhaps even a larger-than-usual number of locker-room incidents, especially with an Artest or similarly combustible personality on the roster.

But entering his second season, Theus, who remains a popular figure within the community, will be judged on more far-reaching factors, on whether he maximizes his talent, develops the younger players, establishes an offensive and defensive identity that remains elusive, and of equal importance, builds trusting relationships with his stars.

This is a tough job, the seat perpetually warm. But the textbook on this was written years ago. Riley hired Bill Bertka. Phil Jackson hired Winter. Nelson hired Gregg Popovich. Rick Carlisle hired Kevin O'Neill. Byron Scott hired Darrell Walker. …

They're out there, older, wiser, available to assist.

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• Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.