Rick Adelman, the current coach of the Rockets who worked with Kevin Duckworth in Portland, reflected on the death of the center on Wednesday morning, according to Portland Tribune.

"It?s a sad day for anyone who knew Kevin, just because of the type of person he was," said Adelman. "When someone that genuine, with such an honest personality, leaves us so early, it?s a tragedy."

Adelman believes that Duckworth was an underrated player.

"I don?t think people realize how good he was," Adelman said. "He was a perfect fit for our team. Any success you have as a coach is directly related to the players, and (by 1988), Kevin, Terry (Porter) and Jerome (Kersey) just exploded from being serviceable to very good players in the NBA."

The coach claims that he'll miss Duckworth the person more than anything else.

"He was so likeable," the coach said. "You say that about people, but it was really true with him. Nobody disliked Duck. He was very sensitive, but he would do anything for you. People loved the guy."