Rick Adelman Has Every Right To be Frustrated with Rockets Schedule

It appears as though the NBA decided during schedule setting to give the Houston Rockets a stocking of coal for Christmas this year.

Houston head coach Rick Adelman had a few words for the league office in terms of his team’s upcoming holiday schedule, voicing his frustration to the media earlier today.

“Every team should have a chance where they’re home a little bit,” Adelman told the Associated Press on Monday, Dec. 14. “We have no chance. This is the most ridiculous schedule I’ve ever seen.”

Personally, I believe Adelman has every right to be upset about the Rockets having to play four back-to-back games between now and Christmas week.

“It’s utterly ridiculous,” Adelman said. “But that’s the schedule we have; it’s just the way it is and we’re just going to have to respond to it.”

The Rockets get that chance to respond beginning Tuesday evening at Toyota Center when they host the Detroit Pistons, followed by a trip to Denver to face the Nuggets on Wednesday.

Their next back-to-back comes just two days later, when Houston hits the road for Dallas on Friday before returning home to face Oklahoma City on Saturday.

“We have a horrendous stretch here,” Adelman said. “I don’t know if the league really understands that they gave us four straight back-to-backs. It’s awful.”

Houston’s next duo of back-to-backs begins at Toyota Center on Tuesday, Dec. 22 against the LA Clippers and a road trip to face the Orlando Magic on Dec. 23, followed by road matchups against New Jersey on Dec. 26 and Cleveland on Dec. 27.

Regardless of Houston’s continual tough schedule over the coming weeks, the Rockets must prove they can handle this challenge as they aim to improve on their 13-10 record.

Adelman does a great job working with the players on his team in getting them to play to the best of their ability, and I have no doubt he’ll have the Rockets prepared for this end of the year stretch.

With born leaders such as Shane Battier leading those guys on the hardwood, look for Houston to bounce back in a big way when they host the Pistons tomorrow night at Toyota Center.

The Rockets are truly contenders; now it’s time to get out there and prove it to the rest of the league and the world…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]