While the NBA playoffs are heating up, capping one of the most captivating regular seasons of all time, the Houston Rockets have quietly made a drastic change for the future.
The Rockets have fired head coach Rick Adelman after four up-and-down seasons, riddled with injuries, roster changes, and heartbreaks in April.
Despite finishing the season on a 17-8 run after the All-Star break, Houston barely missed the playoffs for a consecutive year, stuck watching the postseason at home with the rest of the NBA fans. Although the Rockets have moved on from the Adelman era, the breakup was quite mutual, and the coach left with high praise.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to work with and learn from Rick during these past four years,” Rockets GM Daryl Morey told the AP. “He is a Hall of Fame coach who earned the respect and admiration of our entire organization during his time here. These situations are always difficult, but we would like to personally thank Rick and his staff for their efforts the past four seasons and we wish them the best in their future pursuits.”
Adelman leaves Houston with a career record of 945-616, the eighth most all time. In his stint with the Rockets, the coach went 193-135 for a .588 winning percentage, the highest in franchise history.
After making contenders out of the Sacramento Kings years after two visits to the NBA Finals with the Portland Trail-Blazers, Adelman joined Houston in 2007 with high hopes of creating another force in the Western Conference.
His predecessor, Jeff Van Gundy, had created a perennial playoff team in Houston, but underachieved in many people’s eyes, as he was unable to push the Rockets into the second round. In his second year, Adelman did just that, advancing Houston for the first time since 1997.
The luck ran out for Houston in Adelman’s times, as “Clutch City” became “Crutch City,” and the injuries came flooding in. Yao Ming, who has played five games since 2009, couldn’t stay healthy, and oft-injured Tracy McGrady was shipped to the New York Knicks, where it became evident that he was as washed up as seashells on the beach. Since then, the team has had little semblance to the unit that Adelman first inherited.
“I look at the team today,” Adelman said in late February. “In 3 1/2 years since I came here, we have only two guys left, Luis (Scola) and Chuck (Hayes). That’s not a lot of stability. I came to coach Yao and Tracy and ended up with Luis and Chuck. It is kind of amazing those are the only two guys left. I told them, ‘This is the group we have. What are you going to make of it?’ That is the same approach I have to take.”
Over the last two years, the Rockets have been in a state of limbo, as the team wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs in the deep West, but wasn’t poor enough to need to rebuild.
There are still pieces to build around in Houston, including Scola, Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Martin, all of whom spoke highly of Adelman upon his exit. This core group of players led Houston to 85 wins in two seasons, which could have easily put the Rockets in the upper six seeds in the Eastern Conference.
The team left now has potential, and with one more piece and the right guidance, Houston can once again return to playoff form. Adelman agreed, and saw a lot of character in the team he’s leaving behind for the next coach.
“I have enjoyed my time in Houston over these past four seasons,” Adelman said in a statement. “We accomplished quite a bit, despite overcoming numerous obstacles during the past few years. I especially enjoyed coaching this group of players the past two seasons. Despite difficult circumstances, they never gave in and they never quit. It was a joy coming in every day and working with such a group of dedicated players and coaches. I wish them all the best.”
The search for the next head coach is already in the works, and Houston will first look internally for Adelman’s heir.
Assistant coaches Elston Turner and Jack Sikma are some early candidates for the vacancy at head coach, along with former Rockets player Mario Elie, who has been an assistant with the Kings, the Golden State Warriors, and the San Antonio Spurs.
The winds of change are definitely present in Houston, from this season’s major roster moves to changes in coaching.
For the fans, hopefully the new look Rockets will be back in the playoffs soon.
Our thanks to Hoops Addict for this basketball article.