The Sacramento Kings finally filled their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday by tabbing New Mexico State head man and former NBA player Reggie Theus. We've covered the fictional part of Reggie's resume in these parts in the past but let it be said again that if he could lead a mismatched bunch of Deering Tornadoes to glory there's no reason he can't do the same with Mike Bibby and Ron Artest. Plus he'll probably get a lot of time to show off by the pool at The Palms with his employers from the Maloof family. There's no shortage of coverage on the Hang Time angle today and Tom Ziller's all over the implications for the Kings at Sactown Royalty but we think it's a good hire.
Other rumored candidates included Larry Brown, who proabably shouldn't be appearing on the sideline of any team ever again after the debacle at the Garden and the thought of his interactions with Artest are bone-chilling in their potential for bloodshed. NBA assistants Scott Brooks and Brian Shaw have more pro coaching experience than Theus and there's no doubt that they would be a safer choice for the Kings. They are also a lot closer to Eric Musselman than they are to Theus who should breath a new kind of air into the franchise. There's a lot of building to be done in Sacramento as the last vestiges of the glory days are removed and the foundation for the next contender gets built. College coaches have a history of failure in the NBA but Theus wasn't a college guy as long as Jerry Tarkanian, Tim Floyd or Lon Kruger so perhaps his coaching style is not as predicated on the intricacies of the collegiate game. Taking a shot on a coach who can grow with the team isn't that crazy.
Plus the Western Conference gets a whole lot sexier. Who can be against that?
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