Houston has new Adelman-style look

Houston has new Adelman-style look

The former coach of the Blazers likes the opportunities the talented Rockets provide

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

GEOFFREY C. ARNOLD
The Oregonian Staff

Rick Adelman knows that his latest coaching stop might represent his final chance to win an NBA championship.

Adelman, the former coach of the Trail Blazers and more recently the Sacramento Kings, opened training camp Tuesday as coach of the Houston Rockets. The Rockets won 52 games during the regular season in 2006-07 but suffered another playoff collapse.

Adelman's challenge will be to use the talents of superstars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming while blending in other players, some of whom have not been willing to accept lesser roles.

Adelman relishes the opportunity to turn the Rockets into a serious contender, but to have a chance to earn a championship ring, he must bring the team together and navigate through a tough division and the Western Conference.

"This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Adelman said. "It's an opportunity to give myself a chance with a team that can definitely compete for a championship. That's the reason that I actually came back and took this job."

Adelman said he could have taken a job elsewhere, but the other potential suitors were teams a long way from reaching the playoffs, let alone contending for a title. The Rockets posted the best record of the seven teams that hired coaches this offseason.

Adelman replaced Jeff Van Gundy, who was dismissed after the Rockets suffered a surprising first-round playoff loss to Utah last season. It was the third time the Rockets had lost in the first round under Van Gundy.

In addition, Houston hasn't won a playoff series since reaching the Western Conference finals in 1997.

Adelman's teams (Portland, Sacramento, Golden State) have reached the playoffs in 14 of 16 seasons. Adelman has the highest winning percentage ever in Portland and Sacramento.

Adelman primarily is known for his teams' offensive play, particularly after his eight seasons in Sacramento. But he maintains that he does pay attention to defense, and it's that combined philosophy that appealed to the Rockets' braintrust.

"We were looking for a coach to take us to the next level and if you look at the history of the league and what that requires . . . that's a balanced approach," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said during the news conference announcing Adelman as coach. "If you look at both a balanced approach and experience, Coach Adelman stands out."

The defensive-minded Van Gundy usually had the Rockets near the top of the league in many defensive statistics (they were third in points allowed last season). However, the Rockets had difficulty scoring, averaging 96.9 points, 17th in the league, with McGrady and Yao shouldering most of the burden.

"I want to try and make it where Tracy and Yao don't have to score 20 points a night for us to win," Adelman said.


Up-tempo style

The Rockets' decision to hire Adelman will mean a different oncourt look for the Rockets. Look for the Rockets to adopt an up-tempo style of play rather than the half-court style Van Gundy favored.

"There are certain things that we've been very successful doing over the years. But I think there are ways you can tweak those things to go with the strengths of your team," Adelman said. "I don't think you can go into it saying we're going to be the new Phoenix Suns. The offense is going to evolve as you get the players on the floor."

Terry Porter was the Blazers' point guard under Adelman (1989-94) and an assistant coach under Adelman in Sacramento (2002-03). Porter, Clyde Drexler and many of the Blazers had career-best seasons under Adelman in Portland. Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic all thrived during their time under Adelman in Sacramento.

Porter said he expects Adelman to use the same philosophy he used in Sacramento. The Kings were among the highest scoring teams in the league (the Kings averaged at least 100 points a game in seven of eight seasons under Adelman), and one that was entertaining to watch.

"He tries to give them freedom within the structure. There's always structure, but there's a little bit more freedom with Rick than there probably is with other coaches," Porter said. "He keeps it pretty simple. Players like his approach and how he goes about coaching."

Adelman said he's going to move Yao around more, to prevent teams from focusing on stopping him in the low post.


"I want to give Yao a little bit more freedom," Adelman said. "Maybe he's someone you can go to and he could be a playmaker or he's a passer, a jump shooter. I think he can do a lot of different things."

Adelman wants McGrady to come off more screens and play more without the ball, two changes that have McGrady excited.

"I'm looking more to playing off the ball and getting a lot more easy baskets," McGrady told the Houston Chronicle in September. "I used to hate playing Sacramento when Rick was the coach because there was so much offense. It was tough to guard those guys."


Point guard issues

Adelman will face some challenges and decisions before the Rockets begin their regular season with a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 30.

The coach will have to sort out the issues at point guard. Rafer Alston was the starter last season, but the Rockets signed free agent -- and former Rocket -- Steve Francis, drafted former Oregon star Aaron Brooks and traded for Mike James, another former starter.

"I think the one thing about the four of them is two of them can play some at the off guard," Adelman said. "I think Steve and Mike James can both play where they don't have to have the ball and still be effective."

Alston and Francis, along with Bonzi Wells, have developed a reputation as being difficult to coach.

"Rick is the kind of coach who doesn't hold grudges and he'll give everyone a clean slate," said Buck Williams, a former Blazers forward. "He's going to allow players to create their own niche on the team."

Wells, who was a free agent after the 2006-07 season, decided to return to Houston when Adelman was hired as coach. Wells produced one of his best seasons (13.6 points and a career-high 7.7 rebounds a game) when he played for Adelman in Sacramento during the 2005-06 season.

If McGrady and Yao can remain healthy, and the role players make solid contributions, the Rockets could finally advance past the first round and position themselves for a run at a championship.

"I got to a point where I wasn't going to try to get in a situation where you were just hoping to be competitive," Adelman said. "I've been at both ends -- having a team that does have a chance and ones that didn't have much of a chance. I thought this was my best chance to win a championship."

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