I was a little too young to fully understand what was going on, so i was wondering if anybody here could fill me in. Back in the late 80s-early 90s, I always hear about how Hakeem and Steve Patterson didn't get along at all, and that Patterson actively pursued trading him. I was just wondering if anybody could tell me what started this rift between the two, and if it ever got resolved before Patterson left? Did Charlie Thomas ever get involved, or was he too busy trying to sell the team? Also, what was the main reason behind Don Chaney being fired? Did those Rockets team tune him out, and underperform? How much of a role did the Olajuwon - Patterson feud play a part in him getting canned? Thanks for the info for anyone that can answer me. I've always been kinda curious about what exactly happened.....I became a die-hard Rockets fan in 1990, but I was only 7.
Hakeem and Charlie Thomas had issues. The Dream always wanted moremoremore money and Charley gave. Reluctantly. Steve Patterson was emerging as a power during this and refused to trade Olajuwan (at one time a Heat deal was on the table...uh, glad it didn't get consummated). Chaney was COTY then lost his brains (the team, led by HO, essentially tanked due to peripheral issues like money). His replacement proved to be the perfect man at the perfect time for the team to reach perfection. Those are not facts, but true, to my knowledge.
Was Rony Seikaly involved in that trade? For some reason, I remember Seikaly to Houston being talked about a lot back then. So Patterson DIDN'T want to trade Hakeem, and Charlie Thomas DID? I always thought it was the other way around?
The rift between Dream and Patterson was when Dream was hurt and Patterson claimed Dream was faking his injury. Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: THU 09/10/1992 Section: Sports Page: 1 Edition: 2 STAR Let's make a deal The three proposed trades for Hakeem Olajuwon: DETROIT PISTONS The Pistons would acquire 7-foot center Stanley Roberts from Orlando for two draft picks and would send Roberts to Houston along with forward Dennis Rodman, left. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS The Sonics would send center Benoit Benjamin, forward Derrick McKey and a choice of guards Gary Payton, Ricky Pierce or Nate McMillan. MIAMI HEAT The Heat reportedly has offered center Rony Seikaly, forward Grant Long and No. 1 draft pick Harold Miner to the Rockets for Olajuwon and guard Sleepy Floyd.
Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: WED 02/19/1992 Section: A Page: 1 Edition: 2 STAR Rockets fire Chaney as team sputters By EDDIE SEFKO Staff Nine months after leading the Houston Rockets to the best season in franchise history and being honored as the NBA Coach of the Year, Don Chaney is out of a job. The Rockets fired Chaney Tuesday after back-to-back losses to two of the worst teams in the league. Owner Charlie Thomas cited lagging fan confidence in the organization and the team's disappointing record as the primary reasons for Chaney's dismissal. Chaney, who was in his fourth season with the Rockets, has a guaranteed contract through the 1992-93 season, the remainder of which is worth about $700,000. "Basically, we've got the same talent as we had last year, so we felt we owed it to our fans and paying customers to make a change," Thomas said. "I couldn't see where it was going to get any better. "Obviously, the lack of wins and being beaten by clubs that should never beat us played a part." The Rockets, who were expected to contend for the Midwest Division title this season, fell to 26-26 with a 124-122 loss to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves Monday at The Summit after blowing a 24-point lead in the second half. That game extracted the last of Thomas' patience. "I knew when I walked out of the arena Monday night something had to be done," Thomas said. Chaney, 45, was not available for comment. His wife, Jackie, said he had left town Tuesday night and would talk with media members today. Rudy Tomjanovich, an assistant to Chaney, was named as the Rockets' interim coach. A search will be conducted for a permanent replacement, but neither Thomas nor General Manager Steve Patterson would say if a permanent coach would be hired before the end of the season April 19. Chaney's firing marks only the third time in the Rockets' 25-year history and the first time since 1973 the team has dismissed a coach while the season was in progress. The Rockets have lost six of their last seven games and are 11-17 since Dec. 23. If the playoffs started today, the Rockets would not make them for the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon joined the team in 1984. They currently have the ninth-best record in the Western Conference, and only the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs. The Rockets had been trying to make a trade to light a fire under the team before Thursday's trading deadline. It became obvious over the weekend no deal could be worked out. The bottom started to fall out on Chaney over the weekend when the Rockets were beaten at Dallas, which had lost 20 of its previous 22 games. When Minnesota -- which sported a league-worst 9-40 record before Monday -- beat the Rockets, Thomas had seen enough of the Chaney era. "You can't trade the team," Thomas said. "We can't expect the public to come out here when teams like Minnesota beat us. "I saw several games where I'm not sure you could be any worse. I couldn't justify it to myself. There just had to be something done. I saw that this was deteriorating. "Maybe three or four years is all a coach is effective for in one area anymore." Thomas met with Patterson on Tuesday morning. By noon, they were in agreement that Chaney would be fired. Chaney, who had a 45-minute meeting with the players before a morning practice at Texas Southern to clear the air after Monday's poor performance, was told about 3 p.m. that he would be relieved of his duties. Thomas and Patterson said Chaney's inability this season to motivate players to match the franchise-best 52-win level they reached last season was a major point against him. With 30 games to go, they feel there still is time to salvage something from this season. "I've got to look for the coach to motivate the players," Thomas said. "I felt there had been a lack of direction, and for the last six weeks it was getting worse." Chaney compiled a 164-134 record in his three-plus seasons with the Rockets. He won 55 percent of his games with the Rockets, the best winning percentage in franchise history. This season, the Rockets won eight of their first 10 games but fell back to 9-8 when Olajuwon missed seven games because of an irregular heartbeat. They made it back to five games over .500 on several occasions, but the recent slump has erased all momentum. "I felt like we were in the top five or six teams in the league," Thomas said. "I think I was justified in giving certain players new contracts. And I think Don deserved his contract. "But there comes a time when you have to make a change." Thomas and Patterson declined to specify which candidates are under consideration to replace Chaney. They said no timetable has been established. "Rudy will be considered, along with any other candidates who apply for the job," Thomas said. Thomas made it clear this decision was not easy, even though the club had played so pitifully in the past few weeks. "I've let guys go who six months later I wish I had back," he said. "But what was going on wasn't good for anybody. It wasn't good for Don, it wasn't good for the players, and it wasn't good for the Rockets' organization." Thomas and Patterson admitted they did not have a game plan fully ready on how to attack the rest of the season or pursue a new coach. But they were certain of one thing. "It won't get any worse," Thomas said, "than it was against Minnesota."
best non-trade ever. Harold Minor was so over hyped back in the day. Rocket fans booed Horry's selection. Seikly has done nothing except marry supermodels.
In retrospect, yes, but remember: Seikaly was, if not a star, at least pretty solid, and a lot of people thought Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner was going to be a star in the NBA: he'd just beat out Shaq and Zo for SI NCAA Player of the Year. I don't think anyone expected him to be washed up at 25.
If you follow the Rockets in the early 90s, you'll remember some pretty crazy trade rumors that included Olajuwon.
this is the Wolves team that the Rockets lost to that caused Chaney's demise Doug West Christian Laettner Chuck Person Micheal Williams Thurl Bailey Bob McCann Chris Smith Luc Longley Felton Spencer Marlon Maxey Lance Blanks Brad Sellers Gundars Vetra Gerald Glass Mark Randall
^ I'm actually thinking that line is pretty hilarious given the current sad state of Minnesota sports outside of the Wild.
