{"id":344831,"date":"2026-06-03T14:24:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/344831\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:24:25","slug":"reynolds-on-rick-adelman-the-most-underrated-great-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/344831\/","title":{"rendered":"Reynolds on Rick Adelman: &#8216;The most underrated great coach&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Rick Adelman\u2019s impact on the Sacramento Kings remains unmatched, and few people are better equipped to explain why than Jerry Reynolds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The legendary former Kings general manager, head coach, and television analyst joined <a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/shows\/the-drive-guys-with-kevin-gleason-allen-stiles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sactown Sports\u2019 The Drive Guys<\/a> this week to reflect on the life and career of Adelman, who passed away at the age of 79.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Adelman coached the Kings from 1998-2006, compiling a 395-229 record while leading Sacramento to the playoffs in all eight seasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">His teams, known as \u201cThe Greatest Show on Court,\u201d featured stars such as Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, and Jason Williams.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63692\" class=\" wp-image-63692\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780496665_234_GettyImages-2751109-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"PORTLAND - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Rick Adelman of the Sacramento Kings folds his arms during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on November 13, 2003 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won in overtime 112-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)\" width=\"754\" height=\"505\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-63692\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a0(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>More on Rick Adelman<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">For Reynolds, Rick Adelman\u2019s legacy extends far beyond wins and losses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cI just think maybe the best, the most underrated great coach ever,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cOf course, he didn\u2019t get a championship, because the league decided they didn\u2019t want the Kings to win one, but that\u2019s another story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Reynolds pointed to Adelman\u2019s success not only in Sacramento, but throughout his NBA coaching career. He cited Adelman\u2019s trip to the NBA Finals with Portland and his ability to keep winning in Houston despite major injuries to stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">What made Rick Adelman special, according to Reynolds, was his creativity. Long before floor spacing and ball movement became staples around the league, Adelman built an offense around those principles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cHe was ahead of the game with the two bigs high, all the cutting, the spacing of the floor,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cWe got two great passing bigs, we got to figure out a way to use them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Reynolds believes many of the concepts that dominate today\u2019s NBA can be traced back to Adelman\u2019s Kings teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cI thought Coach Adelman and the teams of that time were ahead of the league,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cThe Kings really established that spacing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63709\" class=\" wp-image-63709\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2002111-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"SACRAMENTO, CA - MAY 10: Mike Bibby #10, Jim Jackson #22, Hidayet Turkoglu #5, Predrag Stojakovic #16, Doug Christie #13, and head coach Rick Adelman of the Sacramento Kings huddle in Game three of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2003 NBA Playoffs at Arco Arena on May 10, 2003 in Sacramento, California. The Mavericks won in double overtime 141-137. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn\/Getty Images)\" width=\"710\" height=\"476\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-63709\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a0(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Beyond the X\u2019s and O\u2019s, Reynolds remembered Adelman as a family man who kept his priorities in order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cHe wanted to coach his team the best he could, and then go home to his family,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cThat was it. Family at home, and a job. I can\u2019t think of many people who did it better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Reynolds also argued that Adelman never received enough recognition from the franchise he helped transform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy that he didn\u2019t have a jersey retired up there,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cHe\u2019s more important than any player\u2019s jersey hanging up there to the Sacramento Kings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As Sacramento mourns one of the most influential figures in franchise history, Reynolds offered perhaps the most fitting tribute of all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not going to see another coach as good as he is in Sacramento,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI know in my lifetime I won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Listen to\u00a0The Drive Guys\u00a0from 2 \u2013 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sactown Sports 1140.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n<p>What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?<\/p>\n<p>The Sacramento Kings are preparing for a crucial 2026 NBA Draft, which is set to take place from Tuesday, June 23rd, through Wednesday, June 24th.<\/p>\n<p>Sacramento owns the 7th pick in the Draft, giving them a chance at selecting a talented player with upside, such as Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., Houston\u2019s Kingston Flemings, and Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for pre-draft workout news, player breakdowns, draft rumors and MUCH more.<\/p>\n<p>Upcoming Sacramento Kings &amp; NBA Offseason Schedule<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday, June 23rd\u00a0\u2013 NBA Draft (Round 1)<br \/>\nWednesday, June 24th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Draft (Round 2)<br \/>\nTuesday, June 30th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)<br \/>\nSaturday, July 4th \u2013 Monday, July 6th \u2013 California Classic at Golden 1 Center<br \/>\nThursday, July 9th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins<br \/>\nMonday, July 13th\u00a0\u2013 Free Agency moratorium ends \/ signings can become official<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Thank you for reading\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sactown1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMMGengsw2Ki2Aw?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US:en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/SactownSports1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n<p>                    <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rick Adelman\u2019s impact on the Sacramento Kings remains unmatched, and few people are better equipped to explain why&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344832,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-344831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}