Chron: The Legend of Mr. Mean

Nickname sticks to Rockets interim leader Smith

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle


SAN FRANCISCO -- The voice is anything but "mean." Not quite soft, it is gentle. Far from harsh, there is a touch of a lisp coming through an easy, gap-toothed smile.

Mean? Larry Smith comes off as such an easygoing, likeable sort, many assume he got his "Mr. Mean" nickname in the ironic way fat guys are called "Tiny."

"He was as aggressive (a player) as can be within limits of the law," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "As a person, he's a nice, mild-mannered guy. You would watch him on the court, and his personality changed. It was the contrast that got him the name."

Sounds good, but no.

It is also widely assumed Smith was tagged "Mr. Mean" for his "tenacious rebounding style" as a player from 1980-93, as the Rockets media guide reports and most believe.

"People told me it was because he was such a fierce player," Rockets center and prized pupil Yao Ming said.

That's not it, either.

Smith -- who will serve as the Rockets' acting head coach for at least the next three games, starting tonight at Golden State -- has always worn "Mr. Mean" so well that no one bothered to ask where the name came from.

He has become simply "Mean" to his peers, "Meaner" to Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, even "Coach Mean" to Rockets players, almost as if they did not know that "Smith" follows "Larry" everywhere else.

But with Tomjanovich resting in Houston after Monday's bladder biopsy, Smith was charged with guiding the Rockets through the most important test of the season and playoff chase. Since then, players rushed to blame themselves after losses at Seattle and Portland before Smith could rebuke them.

Smith, 45, has coached the Rockets through two games determined to do things as Tomjanovich would have, but also -- as Rockets players quickly found -- in his own way.

"Even before Coach was sick, we had trust in Coach Mean and the staff," guard Steve Francis said. "It's nothing new to me. I'm sure all the players in this locker room would say it's not new to be confident in what he does and what he brings to the team.

"He's just like Coach. But Coach (Tomjanovich) is intense. Coach Mean is, well, he's real intense. He will call you out, and by name, too. But maybe that's just what this team needs now."

So maybe that's where he got the nickname or what made it stick. In the span of two games, Smith has made it clear he is no substitute teacher easy for the kids in the back of the room to torment, a fact the Rockets' big men knew well from times he verbally kicked their butts.

But that has nothing to do with the "Mean" tag.

"The reason I got it was in college (at Alcorn State), I was a real quiet guy," Smith said. "They said I was a real antisocial guy. I kind of kept to myself. They thought I was a mean individual."

Quiet and antisocial would not seem to be the start of a head coaching career. But the Rockets have long considered Smith, who played for them from 1989-92 and also played for the Warriors and Spurs, a potential coaching star.

"We knew he was a good coach the moment we hired him," Dawson said. "He's a hard-working, no-nonsense guy. He uses fewer words. But he gets the point across. Effort is big deal with him. And over the years, he's grown and grown and grown."

Smith's first two games have gone pretty much as many of Tomjanovich's road games had this season, with the Rockets starting slowly and fading late. But the Rockets have rushed to defend him.

"It means a lot," he said of the support. "I still feel we have a great group of guys here. We still can win. The guys rallying behind me meant so much.

"I still feel I can do it. Once I got into it, being around (Tomjanovich) gave me the motivation I can do things of this nature, and it worked out well for me. I feel real confident in my ability to get the job done. I know I have a lot to offer. Hopefully, this thing will work out."

He had hoped to be a head coach somewhere else by now. More specifically, he will serve as an interim coach tonight against the team he thought might call him last offseason. The Warriors instead chose to give another assistant, Eric Musselman, his first head coaching position.

"Every assistant would love to be a head coach someday," Smith said. "I always have. I love Houston. I love these guys, (and) the organization has been great. Everyone wants to have the opportunity to be the head man.

"I did understand the (Warriors') decision. It's a different management, different owners. But I played there for nine years. I was a fixture there for a while. I truly love it there. To me, it's not a big deal anymore. I want to do well right now."

Smith considers himself ready for this week's assignment and whatever opportunity should come. He and Rockets assistant coach Jim Boylen have repeatedly cited Tomjanovich's determination to give them responsibilities.

"I have learned a lot," Smith said. "The way I do things now is complete different than 10 years ago. My demeanor is so much different now. Normally, I was really, really ... at guys. Now I'm more relaxed. I analyze the situation and work things out. Being around Rudy has taught me a lot of things. I used to react to things right away before analyzing them.

"With the guys, I love them all. But I do demand things. That's OK, as long as they know I respect them and will do everything I can to respect them."

Said center Kelvin Cato, often the subject of Smith's demands: "All he's doing is coaching with a different title. He's interim head coach, but his job doesn't change with us.

"He's still going to get on the big men like he has been and treat us like he treats us. He's a great coach. He's very strict, but he doesn't want anybody to feel like they're getting called out. He just gets his point across."

The Rockets, tied for the last Western Conference playoff spot, don't have the time to adjust to a different coaching style. But Rockets players said they are already accustomed to Smith.

Smith's adjustment might be judged solely by his record, 0-2 so far. But that comes when the title changes from a nickname to "acting head coach."

"It's a lot of responsibility moving one chair over," he said. "It's a lot of pressure on you if it doesn't work out. I'm aware of that. I'm willing to deal with it. I wish it was under different circumstances, but that's the way things are right now.

"It's fun. I like the position I'm in right now. It's a learning experience for me, a growing experience for me. I truly believe we're still going to succeed."