Krause is looking for a head coach who could have great relationship with the players. Cartwright knows the organization, he was a good player and won championships, knows how to teach and more important, the players like and respect him.
''He's a great teacher,'' Curry said. ''It's real easy to learn from him because he's hands-on with everything. And a person like myself, I really need someone who's going to go through things with me, not just throw a videotape in a person's face and tell him to do things.''
"He's a teacher," said forward Ron Artest. "He understands the game because he played it. He won championships. I enjoy working with him."
"Relating to players is what the league is coming to," Oakley said. "Most of the old coaches are gone. And it's hard for college guys to come up. "You need to get somebody who played the game these days. It's that type of game now. You need a guy who has some [guts]."
Cartwright feels he is ready for an opportunity. "I've had a great opportunity to learn, going back to Phil Jackson and Tex Winter and Johnny Bach and Frank Hamblen. You feel really comfortable on the bench because of the experience."