Sports / China
Yao's home fans welcome new coach
By Zhao Rui (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-05-22 08:43
Chinese fans have hailed the appointment of Rick Adelman as the new coach
of Houston Rockets, home of All-Star center Yao Ming.
The Rockets fired Jeff Van Gundy after the team lost to Utah Jazz 4-3 in
the first round of the NBA Playoffs earlier this month and announced it
has settled on Adelman as leading candidate.
Former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman looks on during a timeout
against the Philadelphia 76ers in this Jan. 23, 2006 file photo in their
NBA basketball game in Philadelpia. [AP]
"The former head coach of Sacramento Kings had talks with Rockets chiefs
and is likely to take his new post in the coming days," Sohu.com reported
yesterday. "Van Gundy should be responsible for the humiliating setback
and Adelman is a good subtitute."
In a poll conducted by the website, 53 per cent of fans believe Adelman
is a better coach for the Rockets while only 37 per cent said they are
sorry for Van Gundy's exit.
"I support Adelman for sure," said Liu Ailin, a member of the Rockets
Fans Circle, a fan group in Beijing. "I like his fast style and outside
attack. This is obviously a great move, the Rockets played dull
basketball this season. They should be more passionate as they have the
best scorers in the league - Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. They should be
more successful than they were in the playoffs."
Adelman is reportedly Houston's only target since he met with Rockets
owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey last week. He has
met several times with Morey since.
Morey would not talk about Adelman specifically, but if hired, Adelman
would have the best career winning percentage of any Rockets coach.
Adelman, 60, is 752-481 in 16 seasons as an NBA coach, reaching the NBA
Finals with Portland in 1990 and 1992. He has a 70-68 postseason record.
He also would join Rudy Tomjanovich as the only former Rockets players to
become coach.
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander met with Rick Adelman, a former NBA coach,
last week following comments by Jeff Van Gundy, pictured April 2007, that
he might not return to guide the Rockets, the Houston Chronicle reported
Wednesday. [AP]
Adelman took Sacramento to the Western Conference finals in the 2001-02
season, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime of Game 7. He was
fired as Kings coach after the 2005-06 season and did not coach last
season.
Van Gundy himself said Adelman is the first choice to replace him.
"He is a great coach and an even better man," Van Gundy said. "They'll
have tremendous coaching coupled with a group of very, very good,
hard-playing professional players. Hopefully, they'll break through next
year."
However, there was some sympathy for the departed coach.
"I will miss him, we shouldn't deny him just because we lost to the Jazz
in the first round," said Luo Qi, a Rockets fan in Nanjing, Jiangsu
Province. "The team chemistry was good and the players were playing hard.
The Rockets just need a few more pieces to complete the roster to be the
top team in the league."
Despite playing without Yao and McGrady or both for more than half the
season, the Rockets finished 52-30, their best record in 10 years.
Van Gundy is 430-318 in 11 seasons as an NBA coach, the best career
winning percentage of any of the Rockets' 10 previous coaches. His
182-146 record in four seasons with the Rockets is second only to Rudy
Tomjanovich.
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