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Sunday, November 30, 1997

Tomjanovich still smiling after all the controversy

By MICHAEL A. LUTZ / AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- That little scuffle among the Houston Rockets' super stars that was so widely publicized last month hardly raised an eyebrow for coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

"That wasn't even a stiff wind," Tomjanovich laughed. After all the controversy Tomjanovich has experienced in his five-plus seasons as Rockets coach, it's a tribute to his nature that he's still smiling.

And thriving.

Here's Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler feuding openly in the Rockets lockerroom after a loss to Portland on Nov. 7 and Tomjanovich didn't change expressions.

Olajuwon suggested that Tomjanovich's play calling left something to be desired since Olajuwon wasn't involved in the game plan over the final minutes. Barkley took the final shot and missed.

Tomjanovich didn't throw a chair or scream about his players. He simply walked into the locker room and addressed the subject head on just as he does with all the emergencies that inevitably befall an NBA head coach.

It was a normal drive to work for Tomjanovich and it's a quality that's made him popular among his players and given him the edge in dealing with tense moments.

How did Tomjanovich react behind closed doors after the incident?

"You talk things out and treat them like men," Tomjanovich said. "I don't go into a situation and lay down the law. I give my reasons and I ask for input. It's not always arbitrary."

But Tomjanovich seems to weather rigors of coaching better than many hyperventilating coaches. He seems to come out ahead with each new crisis with the Rockets. And, he gets the respect of his players for his soft-but-firm control of the team.

"He does everything in a professional way and he never tries to embarrass his players," Drexler said.

There have been many more crises that Tomjanovich would rank ahead of his feuding super stars. Like his first season on the job when he didn't know if he'd be have Olajuwon to coach.

Olajuwon was in a name-calling dispute with former owner Charlie Thomas, threatening to take his services elsewhere.

"Now that was a problem," Tomjanovich said. "I was hoping to have a chance to work with one of the top players in NBA history and here he was fighting with the owner."

In fact, Tomjanovich ranks that ugly little piece of Rockets history among his most unpleasant memories. Olajuwon and Thomas eventually made up on a long flight to Tokyo for an exhibition game.

"I can't tell you how happy I was that they got together on that flight," Tomjanovich said.

Tomjanovich is beginning his 28th year in the Rockets organization, first as a player, then a scout and assistant coach prior to stepping in as interim coach on May 20, 1992, when the Rockets fired Don Chaney.

He was the coach of the Western Conference All-Stars last season and he'll coach the Dream Team in the 1998 World Championships in Greece.

Before that assignment, Tomjanovich has an even more intriguing task than keeping his super stars happy -- he's got to keep them healthy.

First, Barkley went down with a groin injury and now Olajuwon will be out until after the All-Star break while recovering from knee surgery.

The Rockets played 40 games without all three stars last season. They were 32-8 with the trio in the game and 25-17 when one or more was out. They still made the playoffs and Tomjanovich expects them to contend again.

"You just go to work every day and work with what you have, what else can you do anyway?" Tomjanovich said. "You try to make a negative into a positive."