Who would’ve thought?
Nuggets coach George Karl laughed at the notion that, when he and Rick Adelman applied for the same Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaching job in 1983 under the legendary Dr. Jack Ramsay, both he and Adelman would one day be in the 1,000 wins club.
That thought never crossed his mind.
“I had no idea,” Karl said, laughing. “I thought if I won 250, I’d have a great career.”
But that’s exactly what happened. On Saturday, Adelman joined Karl in the 1,000 wins club with a 107-101 win over the Pistons at Target Center. It’s an accomplishment only eight coaches in NBA history have reached, and if you go back far enough in the history books you’ll find two of them interviewing for the same job under Ramsay 30 years ago. Adelman ended up with that gig, but both would end up being defining NBA coaches of the 1990s and 2000s.
Not a bad group to pick from, right?
Why Ramsay decided to go with a former NBA player who compiled a 141-39 record in six seasons at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., had a lot to do with Ramsay getting to know Adelman—and his coaching style—leading up to the hire. Adelman often came to Blazers games at the time, and when he came he would visit with Ramsay after games. Meanwhile, Ramsay got a feel for Adelman’s ability to lead on the court by watching him at Chemeketa. When it came down to it, Adelman seemed to be the right fit.