The Houston Rockets recently fired head coach Jeff Van Gundy after another very good regular season and a 1st-round playoff exit. These kind of seasons are the cornerstone of Van Gundy’s entire career. He works hard and prepares well, his teams work hard and compete…but he’s never taken a team to the NBA title. He’s also a boring-looking fellow with a boring name and little apparent personality other than his “coaching fire”. The owner of the Houston Rockets decided that he and his fans deserve more and fired Van Gundy with one year left a guaranteed contract.

So who do they replace Van Gundy with? Rick Adelman. Throughout his previous coaching stops in Portland, Golden State and Sacramento, Adelman has led teams to very good regular seasons and playoff runs that stopped short of the championship. He works hard, his teams are well-prepared, and are almost always competitive. He’s also a boring-looking guy with a boring name and little apparent personality other than his “coaching fire”.

Kissin’ cousins?

Former Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van talks with m...Jeff Van Gundy

Rick Adelman, pictured in 2006, with the best winning percentage of any coach who has never won a National Basketball Association title, will try to end the drought with the Houston Rockets. Rick Adelman

The definition of insanity is doing the identical thing as before, and expecting different results. By that definition, Rockets’ owner Leslie Alexander is insane…as are many of us. Let’s say you know that your poker game is too tight to consistently win tournaments. You know you want to change. Do you get a coach who plays the exact same way that you do? Hell, no. You get someone who is successful in the exact opposite style you have, from whom you can learn a new thought process and approach to the game. The old and the new will blend into a hybrid that hopefully brings success.

Why is it that sports owners…successful, billionaire businessmen, one and all, can’t figure this out?