Adelman Out In Houston, Wonders What Might Have Been

Rick Adelman reportedly will be shown the door in Houston. After years of mediocrity in a tough Western Conference, the Rockets and Adelman will part ways. As reported by the Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV, the team won't renew his contract.

Even though I said that the Rockets were mediocre, Adelman wasn't a bad coach. He was just dealt a bad hand. I actually like the Rockets and am disappointed that they weren't able to move on to greater heights. At one point they had Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest. A formidable big three if anyone besides Artest was healthy. I like Adelman as a coach. He has just had some bad timing except when he coached at Golden State and no one hasn't put it together there. When he was in Portland there was Michael Jordan's Bulls. In Sacramento the Lakers stood in their way. In Houston there were too many ahead of them in a loaded Western Conference.

Adelman can only wonder what might have been. He inherited a team with Yao and McGrady, but they never seemed to stay healthy.

“I look at the team today,” Adelman said in late February. “In 3 1/2 years since I came here, we have only two guys left, Luis and Chuck. That’s not a lot of stability. I came to coach Yao and Tracy and ended up with Luis and Chuck.


I know Adelman meant no disrespect to Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola, but if McGrady and Yao stay healthy and they surround them with players like Hayes and Scola and add a Kevin Martin maybe they become long term contenders.

Adelman doesn't look at his time in Houston with regret and there are no ill feelings toward the Rockets. He also has the desire to coach again. I don't doubt he'll land another job.

“I don’t think I’ve lost the desire to coach; I think I still can do it,” Adelman said. “This team has been a lot of fun. It’s been tough during the season. I tell people that, when you go through it, it’s not so easy. But when you work with a group of guys who just won’t quit, and play above and beyond what people expect them to do, that’s a lot of fun when you look back on it.”









   

Bart Scott Let's Loose On Patriots And Ravens

It's the NFL offseason, there's a lockout and league news never stops. Whether it's criminal activity, players being involved in different activities, or just interviewing with the media, it's all NFL all the time and I like it. Except for the labor strife.

New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott had a few things to to say in an interview with Metro New York.  He complimented his coach Rex Ryan and backed up what Ryan said about guaranteeing a Super Bowl win. He also had some not so kind things to say about the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

“The Ravens don’t operate like the Ravens anymore. [Head coach John] Harbaugh changed everything. The Ravens aren’t that loose anymore,” Scott said. “We laugh, we joke, but then we go out there and put in a defensive system. We have our fun, and then on the field, we know what to do. If you study for the test, there’s nothing to be nervous about, right? If you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s when you can’t have fun. We know what we’re doing, but on the field, we back it up, too.”


Then he started in on Wes Welker and the Patriots. Remember when Welker mocked Ryan about the foot fetish ordeal? Scott hasn't forgotten it. He's keeping the rivalry stoked by adding more fuel to the fire.


“That’s doesn’t sound right, that kind of talk. That’s when you know they’re buying into us, when they start sounding like we talk,” Scott said. “Wes Welker start trying to be us, sounding like we do. That’s how you know they want to be us.”

I tell you the Jets are good for football. Not everyone likes their brash, cocky attitude, but they've backed it up. Mostly in the playoffs, where they've won every game on the road. Call me out if that's not true. If they can catch a little bit of luck the Lombardi Trophy will end up in New York. Besides, someone has to be the bad guy, right? 









 

Quote Of The Week: Greg Cote

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald on watching a tennis match between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, complete with grunting.

"I have a hard time watching any sport that sounds like childbirth."

Drunk E-mailing

The New Zealand football national youth coach of found himself in a bit of hot water recently. The offense: sending an explicit picture of himself to the mother of a prospective player.

Coach Steve Cain resigned for what he called "personal reasons". But it came out about the explicit e-mail and it seems like he resigned for personal conduct reasons.

Cain told the Sunday News that “in a moment of madness” after “a few beers” he had sent a picture to a woman which partially showed his genitals. He said the woman, the mother of a youth team prospect, had been sending him explicit e-mails and had “pestered” him to respond.


The worse part was the kid didn't even earn a spot on the team, then she told New Zealand Football about his e-mail. That was kind of underhanded. But he didn't have to do it either.

NZF chairman Frank van Hattum says that Cain might be considered for another coaching job but I think it's best for all parties to move on.

Roddy White Rips Alex Smith

A player from another team doesn't rip an organization's personnel decisions. They keep to themselves (not literally) and often wonder about management making their team better.

So why did Atlanta Falcons wideout Roddy White take it upon himself to rip San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. I guess that's something we'll never know. White decided that he should be involved in the discussion of keeping Alex Smith around. White sounded off on the defacto athlete website, Twitter.

Why is the 49ers wasting their time with alex smith they need to move on better yet try to get luck next year would be good for them

There's more where that came from.

2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance
Those are thoughts you keep to yourself or to teammates.

When someone responded to him on twitter saying that Smith will outplay Matt Ryan next season and called White an "ignorant prick", White responded with  "lol son your praying for a miracle."

After all that he apologized for his remarks and trouble he caused.

Ok 49ers fans I’m sorry I take tht back alex smith is a great players and the 49ers should sign him to a 5 year deal btw I don’t have anything against alex smith wht so ever he is a great guy


Sounds like that apology was forced. Maybe someone in the Falcons organization made him do it and told him to keep his mouth shut. The problem in all this is that it's pretty much true.







 

Oswalt Hurts Back Running The Bases

One of the Philadelphia Phillies "Four Aces" has folded.

Roy Oswalt had to leave tonight's game against the Florida Marlins after six innings with a lower back strain. Oswalt was hurt running to first after he laid down a bunt in the bottom of the sixth. He stayed in and ran the bases but left the game after attempting some warm up pitches.

This could affect the Phillies if Oswalt has to miss any significant amount of time. I don't think he'll miss anything beyond his next start, but with sports injuries you never know.

Rangers' Lewis Goes On Paternity Leave

You don't hear of too many men going on paternity leave but Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis bucked that trend.

Lewis took advantage of the new MLB paternity leave rule. A player can be on there for 24 to 72 hours. His wife Jenny gave birth to daughter Elizabeth Grace on Wednesday in Bakersfield, Calif.

Pitching coach Mike Maddux sounds like he's been waiting for this day to come.

"I don't know why we didn't have it before. I've longed for the day we would," Maddux said. "We have the bereavement list and to some, this is for something that's even more sacred."


Lewis is expected to rejoin the team and take his turn in the rotation Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.