Disconnect Drove Adelman Out?

[htown11]

There's a race car out there just waiting for Rick Adelman to hop on in, one with parts that don't break down every few miles and a windshield without so many cracks in it.

 

Yao Ming was almost never healthy. Ditto for Tracy McGrady up until he was traded as a shell of himself in Feb. 2010. A supposed championship story became a hoops version of the Little Engine That Could, and Adelman's ability to keep his injury-plagued teams competitive throughout did little to quell the growing frustrations of a coach who is eighth alltime in wins (945) and who made it clear recently that he isn't done just yet.

 

The acknowledged disconnect between Adelman and the Rockets' front office had far more to do with this than the two straight playoff-less seasons, their dynamic unfolding into a classic case of old school vs. new school. Houston general manager Daryl Morey, an MIT grad in his late 30s who remains the face of the league's advanced statistics movement, hardly had a receptive ear on analytical matters when it came to the old-school, 64-year-old Adelman. There were philosophical differences galore, a perceived resentment on the part of the lifelong basketball man that he wasn't consulted more when it came to matters that were so integral to the team; a realization on the other side that the skeptical Adelman could never be counted on to be first in line at the annual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston that has become the trademark event of the game's statistical evolution.

 

Jeff Van Gundy also qualifies in that category, but Adelman's predecessor has given no indication he's ready to leave the analyst's chair. His brother and Orlando coach, Stan, could have serious sway as well, but his current job continues with his job security believed to be firmly connected to the Magic's latest postseason plight. From there, the likes of former Cleveland coach Mike Brown, former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey (now a Dallas assistant), former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, former New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank (now a Boston assistant), television analyst Mark Jackson and assistants like San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer and New Orleans' Mike Malone are expected to draw the most interest.

 

"When I was there we played the majority of the time without Tracy and Yao and he still got it done," New Orleans fourth-year forward Carl Landry, who played for Adelman for the first two-plus seasons of his career, said by phone on Monday. "Just think if you gave him the team that was healthy for pretty much the whole season. He was respected throughout the league, not only by me. Players around the league respect him."

 

The Rockets are expected to conduct an open coaching search, with Adelman assistants Elston Turner and Jack Sikma leading the way. They headed a Rockets bench that also included longtime Adelman assistant T.R. Dunn, Adelman's son, R.J. and respected scout/assistant Pat Zipfel.

 

"Them dudes can all be head coaches somewhere in this league," Landry said of the staff. "They were so good."

 

None come close to Adelman, though. And make no mistake, he'll be driving players again before long.

 

The respect factor is irreplaceable, players enjoyed playing for him and the whole league knows what Adelman is capable off.

 

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/sam_amick/04/18/rick.adelman/index.html#ixzz1JwP62JCA

[Dash]

Should have stuck this in the other topic since all the discussion is there but anyways...

 

I'm not surprised by the disconnection between Rick and the front office, there were hints of that all season long from limiting Yao's minutes to the Terrence Williams. Before long it became obvious that Adelman wouldn't be back next year.

 

And hey Mike Budenholzer gets a mention, expect him to be among the finalists for the job.