Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander is profiled by Jonathan Feigen of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE, who wrote since Alexander bought the team in '93, the Rockets are among the NBA's "most stable, financially successful franchises, and no owner had things go so well so rapidly." Under Alexander, the Rockets have "won just one playoff series in 16 years but have had only three losing seasons." Alexander when he bought the team "was viewed as an outsider ... and admits he remains something of a mystery." Most seasons, he "attends 15 to 20 home games, though there have been years he was courtside for many more, and another handful on the road, but he is far more involved in the Rockets' decision-making than his reputation." Alexander deals "most directly and most often" with CEO Tad Brown, GM Daryl Morey and Senior VP/Basketball Operations & Athletic Trainer Keith Jones, "sometimes multiple times a day." Alexander "asks many questions about the process and thinking of every decision, rarely voices his opinion and then offers his conclusion." Morey said, "He does what owners should do; he asks the right questions and doesn't presume to have the answer. He expects us to either have or get the answer. It leads to a good decision-making process." Morey's style, "heavily influenced by the use of analytics, fits Alexander's demands for a thorough process." Alexander had "little interest in discussing legacy but takes particular pride in his influence in NBA operations." He was "closely involved in two sets of collective bargaining negotiations but previously had refused to share his positions." Alexander "claims ownership of several rules, including the maximum contracts based on a percentage of the salary cap, the veteran's exceptions to allow teams to sign veterans with the league contributing a portion of the salary and the 'one-and-done' rule" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/10).
