We continue our Kings coaching staff profiles with a look at assistant coach Bob Beyer, who spent last season as an assistant in Oklahoma City.
Analyzing the Sacramento Kings coaching staff should give fans a look at the quality people surrounding head coach Luke Walton. Is the organization moving forward or taking a step backward from previous head coach Dave Joerger? Will Walton prove he is a better fit for the young squad? Can the assistants in the gym implement Walton’s system? The season may depend on it.
Beyer’s history and teaching style
There is one common thread among the Kings assistants: they all have more experience in the coaching ranks than Walton. Beyer for instance, has thirty-five years in the business to draw from. For former players, career-ending injuries often lead to a steady stream of former players joining the coaching field. This was the road Beyer took in his senior year at Alfred University.
He graduated in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in history along with coaching, writing, and education as a minor. While getting his masters in curriculum and development at Albany, he joined the Great Danes coaching staff as an assistant from 1985 to 1989. Beyer then moved on to Siena College, where he was an assistant until 1993. His first and only head coaching gig came when he returned to Siena in 1994 after a season at Wisconsin. Beyer did not fare well as a head coach, going 22-59 in three seasons.
Beyer served as an assistant for the next five years, with stops at Northwestern and Texas Tech, coaching under Bobby Knight for two seasons. Then the NBA finally called. In 2003, Beyer was offered an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Raptors, and lasted one season before it was back to college for two years at Dayton. His second and final NBA call-up was with the Orlando Magic, who had Beyer on staff from 2007 until 2012, the Magic’s 2009 Finals run.
Since leaving the Magic, Beyer has bounced around the NBA, with stops in Golden State, Charlotte, Detroit, and Oklahoma City. Lucky to find opportunities that challenged him, with every stop adding to his resume of experience and knowledge. Beyer is known for running a system of player motion with ball movement. His style is perfect for the athletic players on the Sacramento Kings roster.
Conclusion on Beyer
You do not survive in any profession for three and a half decades without bringing talent and knowledge. Beyer will be one more respected opinion for Walton to draw from, having decades of experience, with the ability to apply what he teaches in practice. General Manager Vlade Divac has addressed the needs and upgraded the roster, but I believe that the ability to have a successful season rests in the hands of the coaches.