Interview Shows Musselman's Value with NBA Draft Goes Deeper Than Players, Fans Think

Arkansas coach experience stretches far beyond NBA coaching into years literally in team draft rooms

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jun 17, 2023 3:06 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas fans have heard it over and over. Eric Musselman was once a head coach in the NBA, so he brings a lot to the table in preparing college athletes that other coaches can't. However, the scope of what that truly means to Razorback fans, and sometimes recruits also, is limited at best.

People tend to only envision what they have actually seen or experienced. When it comes to the Hogs' faithful, that picture comes in the form of Musselman constructing shorter line-ups at the turn of the season, in-game adjustments and a few glimpses into the in-depth nature of processing the other team during practice. What's missing from that picture is all of the executive duties that come with coaching in the NBA that don't directly translate to college basketball, especially when it comes to the NBA draft.

Musselman recently appeared on the Aaron Torres podcast where he opened a lot of eyes to how deep his knowledge of the draft truly goes. From stints as an assistant coach in Orlando and Atlanta to time as a head coach with Golden State and Sacramento, the things he has been allowed to do and be part of go far beyond what fans might normally think.

"Really, having been in the draft room, I have so many wild, wild stories of what's happened in draft rooms," Musselman said. "Whether it's trade proposals, whether it's thinking about buying a second round pick. I mean the stories are endless in the time that I was in those draft rooms. I was really fortunate to be around some general managers that really allowed me to maybe do more than a coach because I had a great passion for evaluating and wanted to be a part of the draft."

It was an involvement that came with the choice to be exposed to another area of the game, followed by the price that had to be paid to gain that knowledge. It's a price that pays off now as Musselman guides his players, in the case of this year, four expected Arkansas draftees, through the entire selection process.

"When I worked for the Hawks, Pete Babcock was general manager and he called us all in, all the coaches, and he said 'Hey, here's the deal. If you're willing to be in the office from seven in the morning until seven at night with all of our scouts, then you can participate in the draft and give an opinion,'" Musselman said. "'If you're not willing to put that time in leading up to the draft, you won't have a voice in the draft, and you won't have a say, and you can go down there and put the guys through their six-man workouts, but you're not going to be part of our draft meetings.'"

According to Musselman, the coaches who chose to be part of the full draft process got four days off before reporting back. The season ended with a win over the Washington Wizards on April 17, 2001. That put Musselman back on the clock for consecutive 12 hour days in hopes of finding a pick that might get head coach Lon Kreuger beyond the following year on April 22. The draft didn't take place until June 27. Just over a month and approximately 432 work hours later, the Hawks drafted Paul Gasol and Terrance Morris, then promptly traded both.

Gasol was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the Grizzlies' 27th pick, Jamaal Tinsley. Rahim averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists the following year over 81 starts. He would be with the team for two and half seasons. Tinsley, however, never set foot in Atlanta. He was dealt to Indiana, his third team in one night, where he would play for the majority of his 11 NBA seasons. In his rookie year, Tinsley averaged nine points and eight assists and notably recorded just the ninth five-by-five game in NBA history.

Gasol went on to win Rookie of the Year, won two NBA titles, made six NBA All-Star teams, was named to four All-NBA teams and had his No. 16 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers. As for that future first round pick, it became Boris Diaw with the No. 21 pick in the 2003 draft. However, neither Musselman nor Kreuger were around to see the fruits of that trade, nor the future first round pick from Houston for Morris.

Needless to say, Musselman's seen a lot of the chaos that can go on during draft night. At times as an assistant, he was even the man taking the calls for all those crazy trades and trade offers.

"John Gabriel with the Orlando Magic, he had an open door policy," Musselman said. "Then when you're assigned to be the second guy or you're the third guy when a trade proposal comes up to actually be the guy to pick up the phone and listening to the proposal, and then you've got to relay that on to a general manager."

As he shifted from the East Coast to the West Coast to serve stints as head coach of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, the perspective of the draft room and diversity of experience with general managers expanded even more.

"Each draft room was completely and utterly different with what voices were allowed to talk," Musselman said. "How many people were actually giving input feedback and how things change randomly with one pick that's off of the wall and now you're readjusting."

All of this experience, including time learning from general managers Jerry West, Gary St. Jean and Geoff Petrie, has made a huge difference in what to tell players and parents throughout the draft process. It also makes the days leading up to the draft run a little more smooth, even when juggling four players expected to be picked up like this year.

"So. I have a pretty good feel for a couple of guys and then two other guys, I really have no idea where they're going to land," Musselman said. "But there has been a couple of general managers in this year's draft that I feel like I'm on speed dial with them right now. And then, like I said, there's others where we're just talking to regional scouts or talking to maybe some guys that are in organizations with an NBA team, but not the decision maker. I think when you start having conversations with the decision maker, you have a pretty good feel and understanding on where a particular player could possibly land."

However things shake out, he knows it will have a huge impact for his players. It will also be the cherry on top of what he's able to give his players on the final few steps of their college journey.

"To say that you know what's going to happen on draft night, that's not the case, because even in the draft room, there are so many things flying around," Musselman said. "It's a cool night for fans. It's a cool night for obviously the players that are projected to be in the draft and their families as well. It's gonna change a lot of lives for sure from a financial standpoint as well."