HOUSTON -- Rick Adelman is out as coach of the Houston Rockets.

The team announced that the Rockets and Adelman "have mutually agreed to part ways." Adelman's contract expires on June 30.

General manager Daryl Morey said in a statement Monday night that the decision came after "numerous discussions and careful consideration."

The Houston Rockets announced that the team and Adelman "have mutually agreed to part ways." David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images

"It has been a privilege and an honor to work with and learn from Rick during these past four years," Morey said. "He is a Hall of Fame coach who earned the respect and admiration of our entire organization during his time here. These situations are always difficult, but we would like to personally thank Rick and his staff for their efforts the past four seasons and we wish them the best in their future pursuits."

The 64-year-old Adelman went 193-135 in four seasons with the Rockets. The .588 winning percentage was the highest among the 11 full-time coaches the franchise has had. Adelman led the Rockets to their only playoff series victory since 1997. His career record is 945-616 and ranks eighth in all-time wins.

"I have enjoyed my time in Houston over these past four seasons," Adelman said in a statement. "We accomplished quite a bit, despite overcoming numerous obstacles during the past few years.

"I especially enjoyed coaching this group of players the past two seasons," he said. "Despite difficult circumstances, they never gave in and they never quit. It was a joy coming in every day and working with such a group of dedicated players and coaches. I wish them all the best."

Some Rockets players were surprised and disappointed by the move.

"I think we lost one of the greatest coaches of all time," Kevin Martin, who also played for Adelman at Sacramento, told the Houston Chronicle. "We took a step backwards. It's like losing a great player. You see what happens. But for now, we took a step backwards."

Kyle Lowry said the firing was upsetting, according to the Chronicle.

"He's one of the best coaches I've ever had personally and I'm sure my teammates feel the same way." Lowry said, according to the report. "He's a great motivator, a great players' coach. He understood the game and players and how to get through to us."

Adelman accepted the Houston job in 2007 and envisioned building a championship contender around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. By the end of Adelman's first season, both All-Stars had injuries that would require surgery.

With Yao healthy and McGrady still hurting, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals in 2008-09, snapping a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.

Yao broke his left foot in the playoffs and underwent surgery that would keep him out the entire 2009-10 season. The Rockets went 42-40 without him and missed the postseason after winning at least 50 games in each of the previous three years.

The Rockets traded McGrady to New York in February 2010, and Yao played only five games in 2010-11 before he was sidelined again, this time with a stress fracture in his left ankle.