Rick Adelman, Sacramento Kings All-Time Coaching Leader, Retires From Timberwolves

Apr 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman on the sideline during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran NBA coach Rick Adelman, who is the all-time leader for the Sacramento Kings franchise with 395 wins in his eight years there, retired Monday as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

According to the Timberwolves, Adelman will remain with the team as a consultant, but will move back to Portland, Ore.:

Minnesota was 97-133 in his three seasons on the bench, including a 40-42 mark as the team missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.

Adelman coached the Kings from 1998-2006 and was 395-229 in eight seasons, making the playoffs each year. He passed Les Harrison as the franchise’s all-time winningest coach with his 296th career victory, achieved in a 94-92 win at Indiana on March 19, 2004.

Under Adelman, the Kings reached the conference finals for the only time since moving to Sacramento in 1985 and just the sixth time since the franchise won its only title in 1951, losing a controversial seven-game series to the Lakers in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.

Sacramento has not been back to the postseason since Adelman was fired after the 2005-06 season, going 215-425 under seven different coaches (Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Kenny Natt, Paul Westphal, Keith Smart and Michael Malone).

Adelman also spent two years as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, going 66-98 in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

He began his NBA head coaching career when he was named to replace Mike Schular as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 17, 1989. The team was 14-21 under Adelman and was swept in the first round of the playoffs, but won 59 games the following season and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning its only championship in 1977. Adelman had the Blazers back in the NBA Finals in 1992. He was fired after the 1993-94 season with a record of 291-154 in parts of six seasons.

After leaving Sacramento, Adelman spent four years coaching the Houston Rockets and the last three years with Minnesota. His 1,042 coaching victories is eighth-most in NBA history.

Adelman also played seven seasons in the NBA with the San Diego Rockets, Trail Blazers, Bulls, New Orleans Jazz and Kansas City-Omaha Kings from 1968-75, finishing with career averages of 7.7 points and 3.5 assists per game in 462 career games. He was a seventh-round pick by the Rockets out of Loyola Marymount in 1968.