From a Sid Hartman column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
The word in Sacramento is that if the owners of the Kings decide to fire coach Rick Adelman -- and that is possible if the Kings play poorly in the playoffs -- Flip Saunders will be offered the job.
While this has been mentioned locally by the sports talk radio guys, the Sacramento Bee has been focusing on the possibility the Maloofs have been in contact with Phil Jackson, who they think would be more then willing to come to coach the Kings. They are more concerned with the health of Geoff Petrie at the moment, however. Geoff just had an angioplasty performed on Wednesday. Before discussing the possibility with the media, the Maloofs have been uncharacteristically terse with reporters over the rumor until they have that chance because they rely so much on Petrie's input. So we will just have to wait and see.
Back to this Hartman guy. I know he is older then dirt, and longs to be under it, but his attitude about an innocuous inquiry by our favorite factfinder on KHTK Sports Talk, named Little Joe (he just gets things done and no one knows how) was borderline 'death threat is imminent'.
Three times this morning, Little Joe called the recalcitrant Hartman to ask about this little blurb that appeared in his May 2 column in the Star Tribune regarding the Kings considering Saunders for their next coach. Three times, Old Sid hung up on him, the last time after Little Joe asked politely that he not do so, but if he would just tell him he was declining to talk, that would be fine. Hartman never even stayed on the line long enough to find out who Joe was or what he wanted anyway.
So, Sid let me share my own feelings about you - :bash: :moon: :angry: :puke:
jn, could you possibly pass this on if you are in the area? But
DON'T call him.
Oh, and I think you could gather from these inferences that the Maloofs were not too pleased with the way the Kings performed in the first round against the Sonics, though Adelman has yet to get
THE PHONE CALL from them yet.
You see, Petrie has been hospitalized for the last few days and the Maloofs have not talked any business with him, and won't until he is feeling better.......