Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is "shocked" and "heartbroken" to see Hakeem Olajuwon rip the coach and organization over the way his departure was handled.
Olajuwon, who left the Rockets after 17 seasons to sign with the Raptors in the offseason, told the Houston Chronicle that the Rockets did not really want to keep him and that their pursuit was only for public relations. He accused them of "disloyalty" and ``ignorance" and named Tomjanovich and owner Leslie Alexander.
"I'm surprised, shocked in a way," Tomjanovich said Thursday. ``I'm disappointed and hurt.''
Tomjanovich said he became more involved in the free-agent recruiting of Olajuwon than he ever has been so that Olajuwon would understand how much Tomjanovich wanted him to return. He said in their last conversation Olajuwon told him there were no hard feelings and that he was only leaving to improve his chances of winning another NBA title.