Rockets Courting Larry Brown By Bill "The Rocket Guy" Ingram for HOOPSWORLD.com May 25, 2003, 10:15 Email this article Printer friendly page Some decisions get easier as time goes by. In this case, a week has made all of the difference. Seemingly caught between Paul Silas and Jeff Van Gundy as he tries to find a replacement for the most successful head coach in the history of the franchise, Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander got a piece of news on Saturday that changed everything. The news? Larry Brown is about to leave the Sixers. Larry Brown is exactly the man Alexander needs to turn this cast of impressive individual talent into a fully operational and cohesive unit that actually plays together to win games. He went toe-to-toe with Iverson until The Answer accepted the fact that he's not a point guard. He continued to ride him until Iverson evolved into a team player, and he took that team all the way to the Finals. Larry Brown is a project man, and the Rockets are in need of someone who isn't afraid to hurt some feelings in the process of turning a project into a contender. The interesting quote from Les Alexander about filling his coaching vacancy was that the situation is "too good for a rookie coach." This was clearly in reference to the idea that long-time Houston assistant Larry Smith might take the first seat. When the Rockets fired Coach of the Year Don Chaney in 1993, it was his assistant who took over the team for the rest of the season and landed the job as head coach the following year. We're speaking, of course, of Rudy Tomjanovich. The difference here is that the Rockets don't have a good, solid veteran to lead the team on the court as those vintage Rockets did in Hakeem Olajuwon. This Rockets team is still very young, and they need a coach who will mold, not pamper, his young players. Rudy Tomjanovich was just the man for the job in the early 90's, Larry Brown is just the man for the job of turning the 2003 Houston Rockets into a playoff team. Now it will be interesting to see, if Brown takes the job, whether he keeps the cast of characters the same or makes some moves to improve the lineup. Certainly Eddie Griffin and Yao Ming would be the first two players to benefit from Brown's leadership, but will Brown move Mobley and and switch Francis to the two right away, or wait a while to see what he can do with the lineup that's here? It's going to be another interesting summer in Houston. Bill Ingram is Senior Editor for NEWS@Hoopsworld.com and covers the Rockets, Spurs, and Mavericks for Hoopsworld. That is a good sign.
