Former Kings GM Recalls What Made Rick Adelman Special

Former Sacramento Kings General Manager shared heartwarming words about Rick Adelman following news of his passing.

Dec 7, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman claps after a foul is called in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves won 91-73. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings received a different kind of sad news yesterday when it was announced that former Head Coach Rick Adelman passed away. Adelman was by far the Kings' best coach in franchise history and helped lead Sacramento to a legendary run in the early 2000s, including the infamous 2002 Western Conference Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though the Kings never made it to the mountaintop and won the finals, they had one of the best runs in NBA history and are often regarded as one of the best teams to never win it all. A huge part of that was not only the talent on the roster that fit together seamlessly, but also having Adelman as the coach to run the ship.

Former General Manager Geoff Petrie joined Damien Barling and Kenny Caraway on D-Lo and KC and had nothing but kind words to say about his partner, who helped lead the Kings in their glory years.

"It was a very fun time. They had a lot of fun together, they joked with each other, made fun of each other, and Vlade was kind of at the center of all that. He really could be the glue, with his positive attitude. Him and Chris, on the court, with their passing, and overall skill level, they made everybody else better, and they were pretty good themselves."

The Kings were ahead of their time with the way they played and moved the ball. In that 2002 season, they were fourth in the league with 23.9 assists per game, and in the 2003 season, they jumped up to third with 24.8 assists per contest.

But it was more than just the passing and assist numbers; it was how they moved and played. It was a show. And it all came back to Adelman's offense being ahead of its time. Having both Webber and Divac be able to pass from the forward and center position gave Adelman something special to build around, and he took advantage of all the skill from his bigs.

Apr 12, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Former Sacramento Kings Chris Webber and Vlade Divac chat before the game at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

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"Rick was behind all of that, in terms of how he developed our overall offense. The game has changed, obviously, from back then, but that team, for about two years, was probably the most popular team in the world in terms of 'fun to watch.' The ball moved, there was a lot of unselfishness, they could all score to some level, and it was just a lot of fun. So I think back fondly on that."

There's a reason that everyone continues to look back fondly on the early 2000s Kings. Part of it is because there aren't any runs in Sacramento that come close to that level of success, but it's more so that that team was just special.

Petrie went on to call Adelman an offensive genius, and it's hard to argue with him. The offensive genius will continue to be remembered as one of the best coaches in the league and by far the best coach in Sacramento Kings history.

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