Do not get me wrong I am a big rudy fan but, when u start the 2nd half w/ three short players that can not score ( at least two of them) , and a rookie center your basically throwing the game. In the first half you fell behind for lack of offense, so u compensated by reducing size and ruining what defense and rebounding you had by starting moochie?! when you are down by nine you are loosing anyway so why not go w/ more offensicve minded players and try to catch up rather than playing w/ three guards? And size is the most important talent in basketball, why keep making the team smaller? Why not instead of keep going in w/ this stupid three small guard on the floor at the same time idea, that has never worked<, not try to go the opposite for once, next time go w/ a real big line up, at least u won't give up so many offensive rebouds and easy layups? I know u were told that hawkins is a good defensive player and nachbar is not, but u are playing Zone anyway which is designed to cover for the shortcomings of weak one-on-one defenders, why not have him in the game so at least someone can shoot the open jumper? I thought u went with the hot players. MT has 7 points in 9 mins in the first half, instead of starting him in the 2nd u go small. Which other coach in the NBA starts the game w/ only one forward against a big team? Unless u had Majic in his prime at point that will never work. I hope u were watching the garbage time as I was cause I saw some real talent and good offense that apparently exists in this team but the fans won't get to see it, w/ nachbar, mo t, Edie, and maddox, they played pretier Bball than the starters do, I much rather watch a loosing team playing good Bball than an average team playing Stupid ball. Hopefully that last 5 minutes will spark a light in your head that some of the talent u have in that bench are head and shoulders above your startes, so play them If I am the owner I will be pissed to pay $80 mil to a powerforward to have an undrafted guard start in his place. I've said my two words. now I am calmer, /.......
Not only does he start a small lineup in the 2nd half but he compounds it by having Yao in the high post. He's got Divac and Clark with 3 fouls and Webber with at least 2 and instead of dropping it down low to get one or more of these guys in serious foul trouble and out of the game he's got Yao in the F#@@#@# high post so the few times he does touch the ball its at the top of the key. We probably didn't have much of a chance to win this game anyway with Rice out but then we compound it with the WORST case of coaching you can possibly imagine. Why oh why oh why when your best outside shooters are out do you not try to go to a strenght and get the ball down low. And please don't tell me he was overmatched because in the 1st quarter when we did attempt to get it to Yao he had half their team in foul trouble. I believe he had all his 8 points in the first 6-7 minutes of the game and then RUDY completely abandons the play. It also would have been nice when KennyT obviously didn't have it to have played MoT to start the second half. Rudyball definitely equaled stupidball last night.
ACL 1, You make some great points. RT's rotations and matchups defy logic sometime I know, I should give him a mulligan because we were without two starters and ending a long road trip, but Sac was incredibly short handed and showed us what it is to be a TEAM. They literally toyed with us. We just look like a confused collection of talented players To date: whole < sum of the parts. Somehow I expected more. Dallas Rocket
Rudy insistance on playing this 3G lineup really blows everybody's mind. Why would you play your weakest link to other's strenth. The Forwards cold shooting had alot to do with the limited PT they got, which is direct result of playing too much 3G minutes! I would like to see Rudy to experenment perhaps a big 3F lineup, with Boki at the 2 position. Yeah, why not throw in Yao-Kato twin-Tower into the game... It can't be any worse than what we are getting from our SF and PF now.
I don't disagree that the 3G lineup is weak... ... but ... I think the Forwards limited PT has a lot to do with their cold shooting. KT/EG are the culprits here. KT needs to stop shooting period (and start passing), and Griffin needs to post up more... with Griffin in there sitting around the perimeter, he's like a less athletic taller guard on offense. I still think Taylor is playing well within the flow of the offense; wish he'd get more PT. Oh, and one more comment... it seems like Hawkins is the guy who's most often dumping the ball into the low post to Yao, and then cutting toward the basket. At least once a game for the past week or so, Yao's making a behind-the-back bounce pass to Hawkins for an attempted lay-up. These are brilliant passes. Hawkins, however, fails to finish on about half. Why isn't Francis doing this? Why is Hawkins/Yao playing the two-man game? Why not Francis/Yao? I have little doubt that Stevie, if he receives the ball 1 feet from the basket with a second head-start, will finish the play 9 out of 10 times.
HP and Co. should speak up now because I cannot see one strategy of Rudy's that is working. A prime example which HP was touting all summer long. HP wanted nothing of Cato. Rudy has this obsession of playing EG at the center spot. Failed. Cato has since proven that his height and presence in the paint is way better than that of EG. Instead of letting/helping EG master the PF spot, he is further confusing the boy having him play a position that he is not suited for. Who in the their right mind would work Eg into a center rotation when you have Ming and CAto? Eh? Gawd damn! Rudy needs to let these guys go. The team has no tempo. Walking up on all possessions. Free them up for your own good. Now everybody is asking why Ming is not getting the ball. Why? How did you get caught not giving Ming the ball, Rudy? What is your master plan. I said earlier that you do not have the luxury of fooling around and playing games.
That's one of the things I can't stand... Small-ball!!! I mean, normally you do small-ball because it adds quickness and match-up problems. But, we take a double-penalty: Our small-ball produces very little points, AND we give up too many points!
