COMMENTARY : Kings Would Do Better Seeking Answers Within

They share the same building, but not the same philosophy.

They are pointed toward the same destination, but choose different roads.

The Lakers and Kings found themselves without coaches at the end of their recently concluded seasons.

The Lakers signed their new coach over this past weekend. The Kings are in the early stages of a continent-wide hunt for their new leader.

But is that really necessary?

Perhaps King owner Bruce McNall should take a hint from his Laker counterpart, Jerry Buss. Maybe McNall ought to give up this arduous search across North America for a new coach and look right under his nose.

He might be pleasantly surprised at what he finds.

Under Buss and General Manager Jerry West, the Lakers have promoted from within whenever possible. They did it with Paul Westhead, with Pat Riley and now with Randy Pfund, all of whom earned the head coaching job by working as Laker assistants.

Pfund has been rewarded for putting in seven years as an assistant with a show of loyalty by upper management.

But no such loyalty will be shown by the Kings. Rick Wilson and Cap Raeder, two assistant coaches, have been told they won’t be considered for the head job.

Yet many associated with the club give Wilson and Raeder much credit for holding the Kings together at times during the stormy reign of head coach Tom Webster.

Whether it was Webster’s many illnesses or his untimely suspensions, Raeder and Wilson were there to pick up the pieces.

During a timeout in a game at Winnipeg this season, Webster stood back and let Raeder do all the talking. When a reporter asked a club official why the head coach didn’t speak, the official replied: “That is a good question. I don’t have the answer, but that is a good question.”

There is no question a lot of people in the organization, from Webster to the players, depended on Raeder and Wilson.

But their years with the team are being held against them. Raeder has been a King assistant for four seasons, Wilson for three. In that time, despite the presence of Wayne Gretzky, the club has yet to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs.

When Webster was suspended for 12 games last season, the Kings were 3-8-1 with Raeder and Wilson running the show.

But to blame them for that is like blaming a two-week substitute teacher for the failure of a student to graduate. Assessing the blame for the Kings’ failures, one can zero in on only two possibilities: lack of talent or lack of effort.

If it’s lack of talent, the responsibility lies with General Manager Rogie Vachon.

If it’s lack of effort, the coach can certainly be faulted, but only if he has the power to control that effort.

Many sources around the Kings say Webster didn’t have that authority. Raeder and Wilson certainly didn’t have it. So to say they didn’t produce results when they had the chance is not fair.

In one scenario reportedly being discussed in the Kings’ inner circle, McNall would step aside, promote Vachon to club president and hire someone to be both general manager and coach.

Neither Raeder nor Wilson has the experience for such a dual role.

But if it’s only a coach being hired, one of the two deserves the opportunity.

They have already shown they can design strategy, put together lines and run practices. A new coach from the outside will spend half the season installing a new system. That’s not necessary. Raeder and Wilson already have a system good enough a year ago to propel the Kings to the Smythe Division title.

Just give them the talent.

And give them the power to discipline, when necessary, and to bench even Gretzky or Jari Kurri when their play warrants such a move.

It won’t matter who gets the job if he doesn’t get a whip to go with it. It’s nice to have veterans controlling the action on the ice, but the ultimate control must be returned to the bench.

The Dodgers have been successful through stability, having had only two managers since 1954. The Lakers have done it with loyalty.

The Kings have shown neither.

And look at the result.