Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander to Take on More Active Role in Offseason

The Houston Rockets have the dubious honor of being the 73-9 Golden State Warriors' first-round opponents in the Western Conference playoffs, and their owner, Leslie Alexander, is already looking toward the offseason.

Speaking with ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins on Friday, Alexander expressed his desire to be more present in team happenings: "I think I will change a little bit. More scrutiny and what they’re doing. I was thinking about doing it anyway, but after this season, definitely.”

It's been a tough season for the Rockets, who went from 56-win Western Conference finalists to 41-win No. 8 seeds this year.

Alexander made it clear at the beginning of the season that he didn't have a lot of patience for subpar play when he fired head coach Kevin McHale after a 4-7 start. 

Under interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the team hasn't fared much better, going 37-34.

There was also some drama in the locker room surrounding Houston's star, James Harden, who reportedly "pushed management" to fire McHale and trade center Dwight Howard, according to CBS Sports' Ken Berger.

"We definitely thought we would have a much better team,” Alexander told Watkins. “We didn’t play well for the first half and we let a lot of games go by and also James (Harden) won a lot of games. It takes its toll on somebody.”

Harden led the team with 29.0 points per game this year, but with a defense that allowed 106.4 points per contest, there were plenty of nights when his output wasn't enough.

If Alexander wants to take on a more active role in the offseason, his first order of business will be to ensure the team's chemistry is flawless heading into next season.

Once everyone in the locker room is happy, especially Houston's star, the Rockets can look to improve on their .500 season next year.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.