Maloofs get their man in Theus

Joe Maloof knew what was missing from the Sacramento Kings and what was required from the person who would be hired as the NBA team's coach.

Joe and Gavin Maloof, the brothers who own the team, needed a leader.

Whether Reggie Theus can successfully coach at the NBA level remains to be seen. But Theus has proven he has the ability to lead, whether as a player at UNLV in the 1970s or during a stellar 13-year NBA career that saw him register 19,015 points and 6,453 assists.

Theus spent five years with the Kings and was a member of the 1985-86 team that moved from Kansas City, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif. He was a favorite with Sacramento fans as a player.

As a coach, he has shown the ability to lead at the college level, turning around a struggling New Mexico State program in two years and guiding the Aggies to a 41-23 record, 25-9 last season, and earning the school's first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 1999.

On Tuesday, the Maloofs hired Theus, giving him a three-year, $6 million deal. He replaces Eric Musselman, who lasted one season with the Kings after they finished 33-49, last in the Pacific Division, and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

"We were impressed with his leadership," Joe Maloof said Wednesday before a news conference introducing Theus at Arco Arena. "This guy can lead men. He has a presence about him, and he'll get the star players to go in the direction he wants."

That will be Theus' biggest challenge. Can he get veterans Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller to perform at their peak?

"It won't be a quick fix," said Theus, who watched about 10 Kings games on tape before accepting the job. "From what I've seen, I couldn't figure out who they were as a team. We have to start out and create an identity and play a certain style to be successful.

"But this is their team. If you're a professional, you should know what it takes to win."

Theus never has coached in the NBA, but he has professional coaching experience. He guided the now-defunct Las Vegas Slam of the American Basketball Association to the conference finals in 2002.

Before that, he stayed close to the NBA game after he retired in 1991, working as a TV analyst. That, and his work in college basketball, first as an assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville from 2003 to 2005, then as New Mexico State's coach the past two years, has allowed him to keep up with the game.

Theus said he didn't think he would be offered the Sacramento job. He interviewed twice and saw it as a learning experience for future opportunities.

"I was fully prepared to go back (to New Mexico State)," Theus said. "Frankly, I'm still stunned. But the timing couldn't be better. To come back to Sacramento, with their great fans, it's an unbelievable opportunity for me, and I feel so blessed."

Theus will be seeking success at a level where other college coaches have struggled. Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, John Calipari, Lon Kruger, Tim Floyd and Mike Montgomery tried to make the leap from college to the NBA and were unsuccessful.

"It's always a gamble hiring a guy from college, but Reggie's not your typical college coach," Joe Maloof said. "He said he always considered himself a pro coach who was working in college."

Tarkanian, who coached Theus at UNLV, said it's a totally different situation than when he was hired by the San Antonio Spurs in 1992 and lasted just 20 games. He said he told the Maloofs that hiring Theus would be a good move because of his playing background and personality.

"Reggie will do a great job, but it won't be easy," Tarkanian said from Fresno, Calif. "I went to his practices at New Mexico State when they came in to play Fresno (State), and his guys worked really hard.

"The question is, can he get Artest, Bibby and Brad Miller to play hard every night and play at an All-Star level. They haven't done that for a while. He's got to be able to motivate them."

Tarkanian said when he coached Theus, who helped lead the Rebels to their first Final Four appearance in 1977, he knew he would do great things in the NBA as a player -- but not as a coach.

"I never saw Reggie as an NBA coach back then," Tarkanian said. "I knew he'd be a great player. But since he got into coaching, he has taken it very seriously. Rick told me Reggie worked very hard for him and he was really impressed by Reggie."

Joe Maloof said Tarkanian and Pitino endorsed Theus.

"Rick told me the guy was the most persistent person he had and how hard he worked," Joe Maloof said. "He said Reggie was willing to do any job that was required and he did a lot of dirty work.

"When people see Reggie, they see that pre-Hollywood image, and they think he's not willing to work hard. That couldn't be further from the truth. Reggie's a roll-up-the-sleeves kind of guy who's not afraid to get his hands dirty, if you know what I mean.

"Tark said Reggie's New Mexico State teams played hard and he was a positive influence on his players. He thought Reggie would make a great coach for us."

Theus' confidence during his interviews also impressed Joe Maloof.

"He has an ego, which, to me, is a good thing," he said. "That tells me he's confident in his abilities, and it also tells me he doesn't want to fail."

Four years ago, Theus wasn't seriously considered for the coaching vacancy at UNLV, which hired Kruger. Today, Theus said, the snub is a distant memory.

"I go from not getting a sniff (at UNLV) to an NBA job," he said. "How about that?"