Tom Thibodeau was in Las Vegas on Saturday, adding to his résumé with yet another head-coaching interview.
But the Boston Celtics' associate head coach, the third candidate to interview for the Kings' head-coaching spot, appears to lag in the race. He trails Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis and is even further behind former Phoenix and Seattle coach Paul Westphal. Eddie Jordan – initially believed to be the leading candidate – agreed Friday to take the 76ers' head-coaching job.
Rambis is expected to travel to Las Vegas soon for his interview, as the Kings have received permission from the Lakers to do so before the NBA Finals begin Thursday. How that fits into Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie's schedule remains to be seen.
Having spent Tuesday through Friday in Chicago for the NBA draft combine, Petrie on Saturday headed for the East Coast for personal matters. He is expected to miss group workouts Monday and Tuesday in Oakland, with other members of the Kings' scouting staff taking his place.
With Petrie having said at the outset that he prefers head-coaching experience, Westphal's record (267-159, .627) far surpasses that of Rambis (24-13, .649) and Thibodeau (none).
There's also Westphal's vibe with Petrie, who had no prior relationship with the candidate but who seemed to gain a quick comfort level with him in their May 13 interview.
And, as expected all along, there's the financial factor.
Long before Jordan agreed with the Sixers on a three-year guaranteed deal worth $2 million, $3 million and $3.1 million, Westphal outlined his contract desires that fell more in line with the preferences of Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof.
According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, Westphal's price tag is $1.5 million per season.
And while Celtics general manager and former King Danny Ainge said "Tom (Thibodeau) should be a part of any (current) coaching search," he raved about Westphal.
Ainge, who played in Portland while Petrie was an executive there in the early 1990s, played for Westphal in Phoenix for three seasons at the end of his career.
"I'm a big fan of Paul Westphal," Ainge said. "He understands people, and he understands personalities, and he has a very, very creative basketball mind. …
"I think that Paul and Geoff (Petrie) have similar demeanors, in that they don't … freak out under pressure. They're serious. They're great competitors, but they're … calm in the eye of the storm."
Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.