There are easily coachable players. Then there is Elvin Hayes. It may sound harsh, but NBA insiders have long suggested as much.
One of the clearest voices highlighting this was Del Harris.
The Hall of Famer coached — or at least tried to coach — Hayes from 1981 to 1983 with the Houston Rockets. Judging by Harris’s own account, what complicated their working dynamic was Hayes’ behavior.
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It was not always negative, but it’s safe to say that this unpredictability could push Harris close to his frustration limit.
Talent meets turmoil
Hayes‘ career reads like a tale of two worlds.
On the court, he was a generational talent. Nicknamed “The Big E,” he was one of the 1970s’ most dominant scorers, shot blockers and rebounders. His career averages — 21.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game — statistically place him alongside elite forward/center tweeners such as Tim Duncan and Moses Malone.
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Blessed with remarkable longevity — Hayes played 16 seasons, remaining effective well into his mid-30s — he became a 12-time All-Star, earned six All-NBA selections and won a 1978 championship with the Washington Wizards.
Yet talent alone could not mask the challenges Hayes brought to any locker room. Those who crossed the path of the “E-Train” often seemed to be overrun by his immense intensity and mercurial temperament. Harris could attest to that and so could Hayes’ former Wizards teammate Wes Unseld.
“There were times when I wanted to strangle Elvin or break his back. Those thoughts definitely crossed my mind,” admitted Unseld, per the Washington Post, explaining that the only way to deal with Hayes was to accept him as he is.
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Managing the vitriolic Hayes
Shortly before Hayes was likely to play his last ever game against his former team, the Wizards, Harris didn’t hold back. He began by highlighting the duality of his player.
“I’ve found Elvin basically to be two people. He can absolutely exhaust your resources in trying to find a way to respond to him. On the other hand, he can be just totally cooperative and eager to do the things that need to be done,” Harris explained.
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The head coach added that this duality could shift from day to day, a reflection of Hayes living straight out of his emotions, not his mind, making his actions unpredictable at best.
Then-Rockets GM Ray Patterson added further context on just how vitriolic he could be.
He recalled that hours after an emotional outburst, Hayes could arrive smiling and greet you like nothing had happened, sincere yet totally oblivious of the havoc he had caused.
Patterson concluded that if you were to ever make a poll of coaches and players asking who the toughest guy in the world to deal with was, the universally cited answer would be Hayes.
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Given these remarks from Houston’s leadership, it was no surprise that Hayes had been moved to the bench. With the ninth game following that decision approaching, it was reportedly the first time in his Hall of Fame career that he had found himself in such a dire position.
Whether this move was long overdue due to Hayes’ alleged antics or not justified because of his on-court prowess is certainly a question worth pondering.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.