Lock if posted - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/7547400.html Adelman, Rockets disagreed over successor Team wanted former coach to mentor management-selected future coach By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle May 2, 2011, 7:57PM The Rockets had decided they would choose Rick Adelman's successor even before the team and the coach had agreed to part ways. Adelman could have remained the Rockets' head coach, but was told that the Rockets had decided to hire his successor and put him on Adelman’s coaching staff if he remained, according to two individuals with knowledge of the talks. Though Adelman and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey came together on several issues, Morey wanted Adelman to mentor a successor that Morey and Rockets owner Leslie Alexander would have chosen and put on Adelman’s staff. Adelman was unwilling to make the changes necessary to his staff, arguing in favor of assistants. Adelman, 64, has long touted lead assistant Elston Turner as ready to lead a team, but the Rockets were not willing to designate Turner as Adelman’s successor, leading to Turner’s decision to turn down an offer to interview for the head coaching position. There were discussions about adding Rio Grande Valley Vipers coach Chris Finch to the Rockets staff, according to both persons familiar with the talks, but it is unclear if Finch would have been designated as the head coach in waiting. Finch led the Vipers to the 2009-10 NBA Development League championship and to this season’s D-League Finals. Morey has been unwilling to discuss the disagreements that led to Adelman’s departure. “We agreed to keep those conversations to ourselves,” Morey said last month. “We feel like we need change. I think the differences in terms of the mutual fit revolve around that.” Though there have been instances in which assistant coaches have been designated to succeed veteran coaches, in those cases the assistant was part of a staff, rather than placed on the staff by the front office. It is even more unusual given Adelman’s track record. He moved to eighth in career coaching wins and had the best winning percentage as Rockets coach in franchise history. His assistants – Turner, Jack Sikma, T.R. Dunn and R.J. Adelman – had been on Adelman’s staff in all four seasons in Houston. Turner was a Sacramento assistant under Adelman for six seasons, Dunn for four seasons. Sikma, who interviewed for the Rockets head coaching position last week, was an assistant coach in Seattle for four seasons. R.J. Adelman had been an advance scout for the Kings and SuperSonics before joining his father in Houston. The insistence on putting a successor on Adelman’s staff would not be a part of the current coaching search because the Rockets are not expected to choose a coach late in his career. They could, however, seek to place Finch or another coach with a player development background on a new coach’s staff. Finch is not expected to be a candidate for the head coaching position with the Rockets apparently seeking a coach with experience as an NBA head or assistant coach. The Rockets interviewed Mike Woodson, Mario Elie, Kelvin Sampson and Sikma last week and are expected to meet with Sam Cassell and Kevin McHale this week. They have also shown interest in Dallas’ Dwane Casey, New Orleans’ Michael Malone, Boston’s Lawrence Frank, Los Angeles’ Brian Shaw and San Antonio’s Mike Budenholzer, though Budenholzer said he was not looking to leave San Antonio.
"the Rockets were not willing to designate Turner as Adelman’s successor, leading to Turner’s decision to turn down an offer to interview for the head coaching position." Does this make sense to anyone? The Rockets weren't willing to designate him as a successor...but they were willing to have him as head coach?
It makes sense as to why Turner turned down the interview. IF you wouldn't consider me for head coach, why interview me. I certainly can't imagine what the Rockets were thinking,
Successor is not head coach. That's what they were thinking. A successor is some young guy who can learn from Adelman. Turner, a legit head coaching candidate, is not that guy.
I was, and still am, 99% sure they offered him an interview out of respect to him and Adelman...maybe also out of courtesy to the guys on the roster that really liked playing for Adelman's staff. He was never a serious candidate, same with Sikma.
So it finally comes out... Also, they might have made this move to force Adelman out knowing he'd never accept the terms. This way Morey can always use the whole "it was mutual" bit or say it was Adelman who ultimately turned down their offer. A clever way to save face.
It sounds like the Rockets do in fact already have their man. The offense was to be kept and a young coach to get seasoning. And it also makes me wonder about Morey's timeframe. Perhaps he longs to keep some flexibility still where we might have a shorter timeframe depending on what comes down the pike ...rather than a total commitment to rebuilding. A legitimate attempt at continuity for our team or is this Feigan being used as a propaganda machine?
It sucks Turner and Sigma won't be legit top candidates or even in the Rockets plans for HC. They really worked their asses off despite the Yaogrady debacle. Unfortunately, hard work and perseverance has no lasting significance here.
So they wanted to a hire a head-coach-in-waiting and put him on Adelman's staff? And the Rockets wanted to interview Turner for the job but didnt want him to be the successor to Rick? Huh? Really? So they already have a successor in mind or are ready to hire a successor? So this whole long list of candidates and interview process is basically a dog-and-pony show? Am I reading this whole thing correctly or what am I missing? Thanks
My money is on Sam Cassell. I was shocked that somebody as inexperienced as him even got the interview in the first place.
I don't think so. I think that the successor is somebody too young and inexperienced to be head coach right now and somebody who Morey wants on the next coaches staff to take over in 2-4 years.
Well, I can sorta understand the Rockets' thinking. The RGV roster kept changing but Finch was able to keep some continuity going and coach up the guys on our offensive system. Finch also was the guy who integrated PPat and last year also helped JTaylor. I thought he did a good job in helping RGV stave off several eliminations before losing out in the championship game to Iowa.
Sometimes you want your next coach to keep your system in place. I like it because I feel that assistants who have been with the team for a while have a familiarity with the system, players, city, etc. But this story of upper management trying to force Rick to add somebody onto his staff is just messed up. Rick has his guys, he is familiar with his guys and he probably wants to see his guys be his successor. It is one thing to ask Rick to interview and consider a qualified candidate, it is a completely other thing to force him to take somebody onto his staff.
Maybe but it is different with coaches, especially young inexperienced coaches. I doubt they sign Rick to an extension with intention to fire him after a season. I doubt they are going to interview 100 people, hire one with intention to let him go after the season (unless that one is the successor whom they wanted in the first place, which could be a bad idea due to lack of experience).
Y'all act like this is some alien concept. It is exactly what we did with regard to the GM position. Dawson was GM for the duration of Morey's first year in Houston as assistant GM. oh, WG beat me
