Chron: Rockets staying the course in coach search

June 1, 2003, 12:14AM

Rockets staying the course in coach search
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Any day now -- or one can only hope, at any minute -- Rockets owner Leslie Alexander will give general manager Carroll Dawson a name.

Mike Dunleavy. Jeff Van Gundy. The way things are going in the NBA, Alexander could even try to get Larry Brown to leave the Detroit Pistons at the altar. It might not be too late to get Paul Silas before the ink dries in Cleveland.

But soon, Alexander and Dawson will talk the way owners and general managers have talked around the NBA and choose a coach to target. They likely will move on to a second interview, the one that covers roster moves and the salary cap and even demands and offers for the next Rockets coach's paycheck. And from there, they can move from meeting coaches to introducing one.

Holding a hand they believe contains at least a few aces, they will not draw four -- or any -- new cards. Brown was reportedly ready to take over in Detroit and sources said Silas is the choice in Cleveland and had decided to accept the offer. But Dawson said no additional interviews are scheduled or planned.

Until the deals are made, the four coaches to meet last week with Alexander and Dawson might be considered available. And the Rockets' top pick could be Dunleavy or Van Gundy. But for now, Dawson said the Rockets had not picked whom they want, never mind made an offer or landed him.

"We want to do it the way we think is the right way," Dawson said. "We're having these interviews. They've all gone very well. We want to decipher what we've done so far. You never know what will happen. I don't think you ever say never. There's been some surprising things happening. But we're happy with the way it's gone so far."

But hiring new coaches is all the rage in the NBA. As stunning as it might have been when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down as Rockets coach, his decision has become just part of perhaps the wildest week of coaching comings and goings ever.

The madness of the season reached such an extreme that the chance to chase Brown got two coaches fired in less than 24 hours. Doug Collins had been left twisting in the wind anyway, and the Washington Wizards' interest in Brown served to allow Collins to move on.

But Rick Carlisle's Detroit Pistons had overachieved so much, winning consecutive division titles with Carlisle earning coach of the year honors one season and reaching the conference finals in the other, he likely could have considered himself safe.

Instead, amid obvious tension between Carlisle and the Pistons' front office, the chance to land Brown earned Carlisle a dismissal after two stunningly successful seasons on the job.

Brown is expected to be named the coach there Monday, though until he puts his feet up on Carlisle's old desk, there is a sense he would consider coaching many of the nine teams with openings (assuming the interim coaches would be replaced).

Brown resigned as Philadelphia 76ers coach Monday, ending the longest stay in his 31-year coaching career after six seasons. The Pistons would be his seventh NBA stop, but his first to take over a team with a winning record.

Considered in Houston, a candidate in Los Angeles and coveted in Washington, if Brown is named in Detroit, he might be the spark to set a hiring bonfire. If nothing else, his contract -- expected to be worth $5.5 million per season with bonus clauses that could make it much larger -- could set the price.

Like the first trade in the days leading up the trade deadline, Brown's latest move could get the deal-making rolling.

"Sometimes something generates something else," Dawson said. "I can see that happening. We don't want to do anything hasty. We still want to get the right guy.

"I can't think of a year like this. This is kind of amazing. I've said all week that I'm surprised at all the coaches available when we're searching for a coach. Yesterday, I guess Doug Collins and Rick Carlisle. It's really amazing."

The Cavaliers could move next. With a five-week head start on the Rockets, the Cavs have narrowed their choice to Van Gundy and Silas and all signs point to Cleveland being close to naming Silas.

But Silas on Friday called the Rockets' position "the premier job," indicating he either does not expect to get the Cavs' job or is taking the Cleveland post because he thought his chances with the Rockets were not strong enough to wait. Though the Cavs have reportedly discussed contracts with Van Gundy worth $25 million over five years, league sources have said Van Gundy did not believe he has an offer on the table to sign.

Dunleavy and his agent Warren LeGarie, have openly called the Rockets' opening the right job for Dunleavy.

"We're not here to control the process," LeGarie said. "We just want to be part of the process. Mike just wants to do the job. He doesn't want to politic. He doesn't want to control everything. He just wants to coach, and he wants to win."

For most of the week, Alexander could offer the most coveted job. The Pistons' sudden move offered Brown the chance to take over a conference finalist, with the second pick of the draft coming and the East offering a much smoother path to the Finals.

A year ago the Rockets began June with the top pick of the draft and could use it to get any player they asked in for workouts. This season, a roster that includes young all-stars Yao Ming and Steve Francis has given the Rockets the power to chase any free-agent coach.

But in many ways, the Rockets have only flirted. Courtship has not begun.

With nine jobs still open, little has. But in the season of coaching changes, it figures that the most transient coach of them all will make the first move. And soon after, if not sooner, Alexander will make his move, too.

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