When Jeff Van Gundy was made Rockets coach, there was little doubt his assistants with the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau, Steve Clifford and Andy Greer would join him. But during the NBA coaching searches last spring, something bothered Van Gundy that remained under his skin when he put together his staff.

"I couldn't understand why more people weren't talking about (Thibodeau) as a head coach," Van Gundy said.

Thibodeau, Clifford, Greer and former Knicks star Patrick Ewing are the Rockets assistants. But to help prevent what he considered an oversight the next time teams go looking for a new head coach, Van Gundy sought to raise Thibodeau's profile, naming him assistant head coach.

"He's not a self-promoter," Van Gundy said of Thibodeau. "He's not always telling you how good he is. This is my way of rewarding his long service and dedication and ... to enlighten those that do the hiring for a head coaching job that this guy truly would be a great NBA head coach."

The office Jeff Van Gundy chose for himself is hardly a broom closet. And the one he turned down is not the dark-paneled, leather-chaired, opulent palace of corporate CEOs or college football coaches.

But in one of his tours of the Rockets' new arena, Van Gundy checked out the offices that lead from the oversized locker room to the steam room, sauna and whirlpools and made a switch. Rather than accept the larger quarters he had been assigned, he took the smaller room down the hall.

"I thought it would work better that way," Van Gundy said. "It's not much different. An office is an office. It doesn't really matter, as long as it works well."

Image is irrelevant. He got the job. Everything else, he said, is about what works.

Now, Van Gundy said, "It's about winning."

Van Gundy had long since embraced the reality that office size will no more measure success than the label on a suit or shine on a car. He would rather not describe the changes he has made or even the fingerprints he has left around the Rockets' organization.

He is so unpretentious, he seems to consider it pretentious to even admit how unpretentious he is.

Melvin Hunt was not in a position to be picky. He needed the job. It didn't have to be, but the job seemed perfect.

Rudy Tomjanovich had stepped down as Rockets coach, and it would be weeks before Jeff Van Gundy would be hired.

Hunt had no idea where his career was headed when Baylor, his alma mater, offered a job as an assistant coach.

Hunt had a young family to support and a career to nourish. Patrick Dennehy was a relatively unknown, talented college basketball player alive and well at Baylor. There was little to even hint at the scandal and disgrace to come.

Hunt accepted the congratulations of his friends and looked forward to becoming a college coach. He was not dipping his toes; he was ready to dive into waters that he could not have known would become a college basketball cesspool.

"I was really excited," Hunt said in June, days after he had turned down the "perfect job."

"But my wife and I prayed about it and something just didn't seem right. I don't know what it is. But I'm going to stay with the Rockets and trust that it is the right thing. Something just isn't right."

Weeks later, Dennehy would be declared missing. In the weeks that followed, Dennehy would be found dead. His former teammate Carlton Dotson would be arrested and charged with murder. The ensuing investigation would uncover widespread rules violations. Head coach Dave Bliss and athletic director Tom Stanton would resign.

The Rockets let the clock run out on their option to keep small forward James Posey on Friday, choosing to let him jump to the Grizzlies rather than match Memphis' four-year, $24 million offer.

No announcements were made. But the Rockets allowed Friday's 5 p.m. deadline to pass without matching the offer sheet.

The Rockets signed small forward Adrian Griffin on Thursday and guard/small forward Eric Piatkowski less than a week after Posey, a restricted free agent, signed his offer sheet.

Posey, 26, averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 58 games with the Rockets last season, hitting 43.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

The addition of Griffin and Piatkowski to forwards Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar left little incentive for the Rockets to retain Posey at that price, particularly with the Rockets' payroll next season expected to trigger a luxury tax.

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said he considered Griffin and Piatkowski valuable additions to the Rockets' roster, rather than replacements for Posey, but said he was happy with the changes.

The deal was done, the contract signed. It was too late to haggle when Adrian Griffin found out just how much the Rockets thought of him.

Griffin had signed Thursday to help fill the Rockets' expected opening at small forward and was sitting in the passenger seat of Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson's Jeep when Dawson described the qualities that led him to Griffin.

"He's a very versatile player," Dawson said. "He plays the two and three (shooting guard and small forward). He's very solid. Low turnovers. Does everything well. He'll make everyone better. He's one of those players coaches love to have. He's good in the locker room, good on the court, good off the court. A quality person."

Asked if Griffin was blushing, Dawson joked, "He thinks I'm talking about someone else."

But by then, Dawson had signed Griffin, a free agent after two seasons with the Mavericks, to a two-year contract worth, according to sources with knowledge of the deal, roughly $1.5 million, the minimum for a player heading into his fifth NBA season.

In addition to Dawson's long list, Griffin could help make James Posey expendable.

Facing today's 5 p.m. deadline to match the offer to keep Posey, the Rockets' starting small forward last season, or lose him to the Memphis Grizzlies, Griffin could serve as a similarly defensive-minded small forward who can also work in at shooting guard.

Dawson said he would not announce a decision on matching the four-year, $24 million offer sheet until today. But the Rockets signed shooting guard/small forward Eric Piatkowski less than a week after Posey, a restricted free agent, signed his offer sheet. The addition of Griffin to Piatkowski, and forwards Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar would seem to make it even more likely the Rockets will let Posey go, especially at that price, with the Rockets' payroll next season expected to trigger a luxury tax.

Facing Friday's deadline to match the offer to keep James Posey or lose him to the Grizzlies, the Rockets reached a deal today with another defensive-minded small forward, free agent Adrian Griffin, sources familiar with the talks said.

Griffin, a veteran of four NBA seasons out of Seton Hall, averaged 4.4 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting for the Mavericks last season. Known more as a strong defender at small forward and guard, Griffin started 48 games for the Mavericks last season.

The addition of Griffin to Eric Piatkowski, Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar would seem to make Posey expendable, especially at that price with the Rockets' payroll next season expected to trigger a luxury tax.