The best from Chron.com this week.
Who saw this coming? On Monday — just days after the Rockets threw a party to welcome Chris Paul then showcased James Harden in a heartfelt press conference — owner Leslie Alexander put the team up for sale.
Alexander bought the Rockets in 1993 and has had a successful run with the franchise.
The timing is shocking as Alexander sat in the front row while Paul made his first appearance in Houston and the next day as Harden sung the praises of the owner, CEO Tad Brown and general manager Daryl Morey.
Brown, who made the surprising announcement Monday afternoon at the Toyota Center, said Alexander is committed to finding an owner who will keep the Rockets in Houston.
The search for one of the league’s hottest franchises starts now.
This is a great time to buy the team, which is set up for success with franchise face Harden, future Hall of Famer Paul, the league’s Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni and Morey, who is consistently one of the best general managers in all of sports. The Rockets are still in talks to acquire Carmelo Anthony, which would make them the league’s next super team. Fans are excited — about 6,000 of them showed up to welcome Paul to town last week. The team is in a great place and Alexander has everything to do with that. It’s a strange time to walk away, but a big opportunity for whoever steps forward with a lot of money to take on the Rockets. The Rockets have made plenty of headlines recently but this is by far the biggest. What a way to start the week. The Rockets are for sale? What happens next? Who will take on this team and what changes will come when they do? Things are about to get even more interesting. We all will certainly stay tuned.