I feel like the only type of coaches that can save this team are of the caliber of Pop. The reason being is we have a head superstar who isn't used to being held accountable. So a mediocre coach who hasn't been tested and doesn't command respect instantly is just going to fall in the trap of justifying Harden's bad habits. Most of these desired selections, Harden is going to walk over.
And I can't see any of those hypothetical strong-willed coaches also being OK with the miserly owner or the dictates of the general manager. Could you imagine George Karl or Rick Adelman putting up with this? As I said before the season, either extend MDA to three years, and commit to his vision, or can him and find some new hotness, but don't do this lame duck, performance-based compensation garbage with a 69 year old coach with MDA's experience. The Rockets are suffering---again!---because ownership doesn't want to do what is required to build a championship program.
i'm finally on board with firing MDA. but the problem is i don't see who we would get that would be better.
We don't have the pieces, so why fire the coach? We need an acquisition to fill the void on the roster. Obviously an effective big so we're not always stuck with small ball.
this is why I said over the summer we shouldn't go into this season with a lame duck coach. anyway here we are. tilman isn't gonna pay to keep MDA next year. MDA knows it. he's been half-assing it all season. MDA also knows tilman is too cheap to fire him midseason because then he'd have to pay 2 coaches this year. next summer MDA won't be resigned, but he won't be fired this season either. don't get your hopes up for another big name coach. tilman will hire some unknown, whoever will ask for the cheapest contract. right now I'd go after these coaches in the following order: 1) Ty Lue - championship with the Cavs, known for game management (something we haven't seen in a while). currently an assistant for doc who was his former mentor. 2) Mike Longobardi - assistant to JVG in HOU. went to BOS with thibs and won a championship, when Thibs left, doc made him the defensive coordinator. went to PHX and was the defensive coordinator to Hornacek and the suns won 48 games (up from 25 the year before). went to CLE and was the defensive coordinator to Lue on their championship team. currently being wasted as an assistant in WAS. 3) Adrian Griffin - former rocket. great defensive player and assisted great defensive coaches his whole career (Skiles, Thibs, Vogel) and was the top assistant / defensive coordinator to nurse in TOR during their title run. 4) Becky Hammon - long time pop assistant. pop says she's great and that's good enough for me. he's got a history of producing great coaches. also, the media would love us again, which means popularity and ratings boosts, which leads to money, and maybe the nba would even start rigging playoff game for us to win for a change. 5) Ime Udoka - long time pop assistant. now lead assistant under former pop mentee bret brown. again, pop coaching tree is good enough for me.
I've said Scottie Brooks since June. If MDA has to go then players like Gary Clark, hartenstein, clemmone must hit road to the vipers!
but we were told harden had more help this season and this team was going to be better than it ever was
That article and Harden's quote says it all. Firing MDA won't matter. But it will take a new coach coming in for fans to finally get it. MDA has no choice but to run this "system". The next coach won't have a choice either unless everyone from the GM down to Harden are replaced. We are locked into this style of play.
Mike DAntoni requires 3pt shooting from all 5 positions. The talent level after Westbrook and Harden is really bad. Undrafted G Leaguers and Lottery Busts, 2nd Rounders make up this roster. Clint Capela just doesn't fit in this system, he is a stat stuffer, can't play in the 4th qtr. More than likely Clint gets traded in the offseason, if Clint gets traded this trade deadline, it would shock the players the rest of the year, chemistry might get worse. My dream player to add is PF Aaron Gordon, someone Draymond Green and Aaron can match muscle and skill, scoring, toughness, shooting 3s at Center in the 4th qtr.
I don't understand how people don't see/realize this...but i guess being a fanboy of this or that part is more important.
