The Kings' coaching search wasn't so different Wednesday from the wacky weather in Los Angeles, with the hovering clouds and rain making for an unpredictable climate.
Somewhere below, Kurt Rambis and Paul Westphal had to be chuckling at the appropriateness of the atmosphere. There was, rest assured, no clarity on either front.
As the Lakers prepared for today's start of the NBA Finals, their top assistant is believed to have emerged as the front-runner for the job. But sources close to the situation say Westphal's chances remain strong, with the former Phoenix and Seattle coach and Los Angeles resident having interviewed in Las Vegas on May 13.
Meanwhile, Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau was also waiting while the sentiment remained that he still is being considered.
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie returned to Sacramento on Tuesday after a week away, having gone from the NBA predraft combine in Chicago on May 26 to Las Vegas for the Thibodeau interview on Saturday, then to the East Coast to tend to a family matter later that day. On Wednesday, travel-weary Petrie said more deliberation remains.
"I have been here, there, and everywhere, and I haven't had a real quality moment to circle back with (Kings co-owners) Joe and Gavin (Maloof), so we have to do that," Petrie said by phone. "I'll probably take a little space here and reflect on everything a little bit more."
Asked if all three candidates still were in the running, Petrie said, "I guess at this point, if it was a horse race, it may end up being a photo finish."
While Westphal looked the part of the leader days ago, the subsequent interviews of Thibodeau and Rambis (on Monday) clouded the process. Rambis, specifically, had the edge of interviewing last and appears to have left a lasting impression. The question now is how badly he wants the job.
Because Westphal has agreed to terms of a potential Kings deal – sources say he would be paid $1.5 million per season – a financial bar has been set that the Maloofs don't appear interested in moving. Thus, Rambis could find himself choosing between working on the relative cheap for his first head-coaching job or remaining with the Lakers with continued hope of becoming the heir apparent to Phil Jackson. If the Kings chose Rambis, Petrie said the Finals wouldn't be an obstacle.
"I don't think it's an issue as far as a decision-making issue," he said.
Thibodeau remains the dark horse, if only because of his résumé. Yet while he has none of the head-coaching experience Petrie indicated as a qualification at the search's outset, he remains in the running.
With the race so close, the possibility always exists that candidates could be brought in for a second interview as well. That was the case two years ago, when Rambis interviewed for the Kings' post twice before the job went to Reggie Theus.
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