The Houston Rockets finished this season with a 43-39 record and their second consecutive trip to the NBA Draft Lottery. Coach Rick Adelman's contract is up, and given the Rockets' failure to make the playoffs in the last two seasons, there is some speculation the team will not elect to bring the 20-year coaching veteran, who turns 65 this summer, back next year.
↵↵But Adelman can at least count on his players' support. According to Jonathan Feigen, the Rockets themselves are asking team management "one by one [...] to keep Rick Adelman."
↵↵It's not hard to understand why, as Adelman's beautiful, pass-happy offense--eight Rockets averaged at least two assists per game this season, including big men Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola--affords his players a chance to shine on that end. Despite having Yao Ming for just five games, Adelman's crew--which features no All-Stars--finished with the league's fourth-best offense in terms of efficiency, or point scored per possession. Further, Adelman kept his team together and overachieving; it would have been easy for some players to give up in Houston's situation, but the crew stayed motivated.
↵↵We'll have a better idea about Adelman's future with the club as the offseason progressess; after all, the season only ended one day ago. But it's nonetheless encouraging to see his players have his back.