When Rockets GM Daryl Morey decided not to bring Rick Adelman back, it wasn’t an easy decision. Morey knows Adelman didn’t do enough to be fired, but knew his Rockets needed to move in another direction.
“Tough, tough set of days, Morey told KILT in Houston. “I spoke with Coach Adelman when the season ended. [We] talked through even if it wasn’t going to work out, I wanted to try to get as much feedback from him on how we can improve and go forward.”
The direction to take forward turned out to be different.
Morey added: “Obviously we decided to part ways.”
Morey, though, is still protective of his former coach and how the dismissal was handled.
“People can characterize it how they want,” Morey said. “We had a lot of conversations together. And decided it wasn’t the best fit going forward.”
Adelman isn’t worried. The most-winningest coach in NBA history without a championship told the Houston Chronical he isn’t planning on walking into the sunset.
“I definitely would look at situations,” Adelman told the paper. “It’s not like I’m retiring. I’m OK with doing something else.”
So how do the Rockets move forward without a Adelman?
“We’re going to have a wide process,” Morey said. “It’s going to be different than last time.”
Last time, it was the ousting of Jeff Van Gundy – after a 7-12 playoff record and .555 winning percentage in the regular season. Adelman joined the team after the 2007 season with a solid foundation still in place. He had Tracy McGrady and Yao Miong to build around.
Adelman was supposed to succeed.
The next coach will have the same expectations but not the same talent. While Yao Ming is still hobbling around the court, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Martin are the mainstays.
Morey added: “We’re hoping to win more than we did last year.”
Owner Leslie Alexander’s expectations are still high.
“He’s someone that not only asks us to win every night,” Adelman said. “But he asks us to win every night, doing it in a way that sets us up to be a championship contender.”