Rocketbooster and dreamshake99 pointed out in another thread that Hamilton and Bullard started tonight despite being two of the slowest guys in the NBA. I'd like to raise this question: Does this lineup vindicate the Rudy bashers? Is it true that Rudy is fixated on the post-up offense regardless of the talent on his squad? Even those of us who love and defend Rudy ought to ask ourselves what sort of evidence would convince us he can no longer coach the Rockets. And it seems to me that the best experiment to test that theory would be this: Take away Rudy's talented, veteran post-up men (Olajuwon and Barkley) and see whether (A) Rudy adjusts his offensive scheme to his personnel, playing more guards and using more motion and penetration, or (B) Rudy adjusts his personnel to his offensive scheme, leaving superior players on the bench because they don't fit the dump-it-in offense and putting inferior players on the court because they do. Hamilton can't move but can stand, catch the ball, turn, and shoot. Bullard can't penetrate with the ball or slash without it but can stand outside, catch passes, and shoot 3's. I missed the first quarter of the game, so I don't know whether this is how the starting lineup played tonight. Also, I can see an obvious alternative rationale for starting Hamilton: He can match up with Sabonis. But I can just as easily see it the other way around: Sabonis shoots well enough to take Hamilton away from the hoop, where Hamilton is useless and indeed a liability. Say it ain't so, Rudy. Those of you who saw the game on TV: Please tell me you saw more motion and ball movement and less posting up tonight. Or at least come up with theories as as to why this lineup made sense for other reasons. Because otherwise I'm beginning to wonder whether the coach with the underestimated heart has an overestimated brain.
They start but who finishes? Cato always finishes instead of Hamilton and Bullard only finishes when they need shooting, lots of it and real quick. The staring line-up did change while I was out of town but it is my understanding it was to put life into the lifeless Rockets. I guess Cato was just going through the motions. Walt is out for the obvious reason. Anyways the have not been playing a post-up offense lately but the penetrating and dishing back to the three point line still get Air Bullard his open looks.
I was at the game, AND let me say that Bullard and Hamilton SHOULD NOT START! God I dont understand. First Bullard.. He can only shoot 3's. Nothing else. He got blocked alot when trying to fake or something. Hamilton, I dont know how he made the NBA. He really sucks. He is the laziest player i have seen in my LIFE. Hamilton just sucks. They posted him up in the first and man he traveled and got the ball stolen from him. He made like 2 shots but he sucks. He couldnt catch a pass or do anything. I dont know what rudy is doing. Ohh yeah.. At the 4th quarter, When Drew came in and Francis went out. Francis was reallly mad that he was taken out of the game. He went and sat down with a mad look on his face. Carlos Rogers also was pissed of for not playing. He was angry that Kenny was playing and he couldnt. He was really mad at rudy.
is the boxscore right? it says that hamilton played 7 minutes and bullard 17... whereas cato played 22 minutes w/ 7 rebounds and 3 blocks... that's pretty damn good for 22 minutes... still, its up to cato to develop some consistency... for those who will later slam rudy... 'give him a friggin bone'... you're the same people that would have slammed him had cato had the same bs night he's had 5 out of the last 7 games, and demanded that he should have played tbone more... this isn't rocket science, and rudy doesn't know the future, it's just up to him to react as the game goes... as far as bullard goes... are you kidding me? against the blazers? pfffftttt... that plan rudy, has no defense i would say the same thing as above, basically hinting that the starting lineup doesn't really matter, but 17 minutes? whatever...
Rudy wanted Bull to start so that when Steve drives, Bull's man cannot leave him to go pick up Steve. Hence, there is one less defender on the court for Steve to get by. At least that's what Calvin and Bill were saying. Cato likes coming off the bench and is playing better while coming off the bench. I still do not agree with Rudy's logic for starting Bullard. It's like he gets a +2 on offense, but a -3 on defense. So, in the end, he's a -1. Francis3, If Francis and Carlos were pissed about not playing... man that would suck. I don't want Francis to be unhappy. Especially considering that Drew didn't do too much on the floor today. Now, if Drew were putting up good numbers as he sometimes does, then there is a reason to sub him in, but today, was bad judgement by Rudy, especially if Steve wanted to play. Thomas didn't do too well either, so I would've liked to see Carlos on the floor in the 4th. peace out
Yeah I was a little upset seeing Francis unhappy but then rudy went and said something to him and he felt better. But Carlos wasnt happy at all.
I personally did not see much posting up tonight. And I thought Hamilton did pretty well against Sabonis considering he is pretty much a rookie. Sabonis is such a good shooter though even if guarded. He's about the first guy I've seen that looked a little bigger than THAm. I'm not sure why he started Bull but Hamilton was obvious a match up for Sabonis. After going to the game tonight, I have more respect for veteran NBA players and Bullard definitely belongs in the NBA and is a veteran. And he has played well recently. But Bullard on who - Pippen? Hmmm, you got me on that one. Actually, I mostly saw a lot of dribbling and not enough passing. By design? I don't know. There were a few really nice plays that looked planned like Stevie drawing the defense to him and passing into the paint for an easy two. Once it was right after a time out and looked like they actually executed a play. It is not Rudy trying to stick to the old post it up, kick it out routine. I am sure of that. What we do have is another question altogether. Talented players that are taking too long to gel and keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over. I think there were 3 shot clock violations by the Rockets tonight, at least one in the 4th. There is just no excuse for that - young or not. That shows a lack of poise. Rudy is a very good coach. We have talented players. Yes, we are young and inexperienced but I'm not buying into that completely. We have to play smarter and with more confidence. People can bash Rudy all they want. Actually, some of the substitutions frustrate me too (like tonight) but you only have to look at what he did with that National Team or whatever they were that was mostly CBA type players. He knows how to mold a team and use the talent he has. He knows how to motivate. The players have to take some responsibility too. We can't fire the whole team. I wouldn't even want to. I would like Calvin Murphy for an assistant coach though cus we also need someone that is a little feisty. I'm rambling.
P.S. Hamilton, Rogers, Bullard, Anderson, Francis started for the Rockets. I think Sabonis, Wallace, Pippen, Smith, Stoudamire started for the Trail Blazers. What baffled me about the whole game is a lot of the second quarter was played by the subs of both teams??? And Carlos Rogers was having a great game and provided lots of energy but was not even played in the 4th quarter! Were we even playing this game to win or was there an agreement between coaches to have a scrimmage? I hate to say anything negative about Rudy cus of all the unreasonable Rudy bashers but I was very disappointed cus I thought we should have extra motivation to try and win this game.
HAMILTON NEEDS TO BE CUT! damn he sucks... but, to defend rudy. rudy kept thomas as a project. he wasn't really supposed to get any minutes, playing behind Dream, Cato, and Mass. who would've known that two of those three, including Barkley, would all be out at the same time? and Hamilton starts over Cato because Cato says he prefers coming off the bench. the Ham starts, but Cato gets the minutes and finishes! Bullard starts because no one seems to like the Wizard except for me. Bull and Wiz are the only two true Small Forwards on the team, you pick your poison. and about the game tonight. Francis was benched (in the 4th) right after he ran a fast break wrong. He had Mobley wide open for a three, instead he did a fake pass to himself, which did nothing, so he ended up passing it back to Mobley, but he was no longer open... so the Rockets got a bad shot out of it. also, it was a good idea to bench him because he was already playing for a while, so he rested Steve so he can be strong for the end of the 4th. Rogers was benched because the Portland defense was giving him the outside shot, but he would look lost out there and try to pass it. so rudy put in kenny, someone with a better j, even though he missed his open shots! i think rudy is doing a good job with this team. besides losing basically our whole front court, our best players, and true veterans, we are still being a competitive team. we end up losing all of the games, but they're playing alot better than i thought they would.
Siv... Your point is true that it should mean more to finish than to start games. But I interject. With that starting lineup which played the bulk of the 1st quarter got the Blazers out to a 14-4 lead. A span that saw Pippen get 6 points, 6 assists, and 3 boards. Sabonis in that span had like 11 points. Once Rudy finally subbed Sabonis was negated and Pippen didn't get anything till his 2 3's at the end of the game. Why put yourself in that kind of hole??? The Rox had to struggle to get back in it, which they did, but it was too much to ask to overcome such a lead, playing such a fine overall team as the Blazers. Will...Astute, well thought out post. Kudos to you.
I agree with you D_T. Thanks for the extra insight on the substitutions since I couldn't see the game. My big complaint against Rudy is, you should have your best players on the court in the 4th. If they are messing up or not playing the way you want ... call a time out. I know time outs can be valuable late in the game. But this is a learning season. Call a time out. Talk to them. If that doesn't work, yell at them on the court what you told them in the time out (or talk to them during FTs). If that doesn't work, sub. Sitting them down after a bad play or 2 is not helping them. They may not see what you see. And since the game continues, the coach doesn't have time to explain it to them. This team needs to develop the "keepers". If Drew, Mobley, Bull, Kenny are out on the court in the 4th, that means Francis, Anderson, Carlos are on the bench. Carlos (or Anderson) is a keeper over Bull. Francis is a keeper over Drew. Cato is a keeper over Hamilton. Play and develop these guys as much as you can. Let the crumbs fall to the others.
Rudy is rather limited in his options at center right now. It's either Hamilton or Cato, and Cato seems to prefer coming off the bench. However, it quickly became obvious that Hamilton couldn't guard Sabonis. The returns of Olajuwon and Massenburg will be welcomed. The post up game wasn't used much at all, but that should change with the return of Dream. And in my opinion, this isn't a bad thing. The Rockets desperately need an inside scoring threat. We're very weak at SF, and it goes to show you Rudy's lack of confidence in Williams that he'd rather play Bullard and Grey. Anderson at SF and Mobley at SG might have made more sense here. I'm not as down on Rudy as others, but I'll agree with those who've question his decision not to play Rogers in the 4th. Carlos was very active and having a good game. Kenny Thomas showed some hustle, but would someone please tell him to stop putting up 3 pointers?! Seems to me he'd be better suited trying to get position for a rebound rather than hanging out around the 3 point line. One last point. Did anyone consider that Portland are just a better team? I would have been more surprised if the Rockets had won last night. They created all sorts of matchup problems for the Rockets, regardless of who was in the game.
I don't think Rudy is inherently opposed to running, or to playing a lineup featuring players who are more valuable in the transition game. I think that last night, he figured that Houston's only chance was to try to slow the game down. Rudy might.... might... have wanted to avoid an up-and-down game with the Blazers. ------------------ Nothing but NET-- http://www.clutchcity.NET Don't Fight the Future
There were no postups run last night. When your choice for starting small forward is between Bullard and Walt Williams, why not go with the guy who's actually hitting his shots? Bullard isn't any worse of a defender than Walt is. Bullard only played 6 minutes tops in the first quarter before Mobley came in for him.
Agreed, we are hurting at the SF position. But why not put Carlos in at that position? I'd rather have his game than Bull's or Walt's. I see Carlos as a tall SF. I think he could play the PF position if he bulked up, but for now, he should play the SF position. Let Bull and Walt fight for the crumbs.
The point Im making is that you put your 5 best players in, when you want to win. Id love to see. Cato Rogers Anderson Mobley Francis These 5 represent the future of the Rox. Unquestionably. Why cant Francis get more than 34 mins a game, no matter how well he is playing. Bullard is not the best shooting foward on the Rox. (What is he 6 for 30 if its not a set 3 point shot?) He does have the best set 3 point shot on the team, but with the Rox players, Bullard is useless out there. Why not let Carlos, who's been playing very, very well lately finish a damn game. Who cares that Cato prefers to come off the bench, the man signed a 42 million dollar contract to be the starting center for the team in the future, make him earn it now that Hak, Bark, and TMass are out. This Rox team is capable, with the right guiding, of still making the playoffs. every game I watch, I tell myself, this isns a bottom feeder team. They can make some noise. Now put some emphasis on reducing turovers, hitting free throws, proper defensive rotations, let Steve dominate a few games (just let him play) and let your 5 young, core players, learn out there and play. Look at what the Magic are doing, with what is much, much less talent than even an injury riddled Rox team. Heck, I even believe this Rox team as of now is even more (if not as much) talented than the Sonics.
I just worry about Rogers's fire will be hurt knowing that Rudy still prefers Bullard to him even he is having a better game.
So far what I'm learning from this thread, from those of you who actually saw the game (and didn't just hear it, as I did), is that Rudy is NOT stuck on the post-up offense, that he IS incorporating motion and using his more agile players, and that he's playing them more minutes and at the end of the game, if not at the beginning. What surprises me is the silence of the anti-Rudy faction. What do you folks have to say in response? Is the Rudy-is-a-dinosaur critique dead?
>>>Is the Rudy-is-a-dinosaur critique dead? I wouldn't compare Rudy to a dinosaur. Rudy is more like..ummm a Coelacanth. A prehistoric fish thought to be extinct for a few million years until they caught one off the coast of Madagascar. ....Coelacanth
Will, I've been to 10 games and watched 5 more. I'd probably be crawling up the walls listening to this new team on the radio. You're right. Rudy is not posting up much anymore. For another thread I'd like to discuss in more detail what he is doing, rather than repeat what's in the newspapers, but for now, allow me to make one point pertinent to the choice of starters. Eight minutes into the game Mobley and Cato always replace Bullard and Hamilton. That line-up is also the one that gets the majority of the 3rd q minutes. This is a very fast, very good line-up, and draws the most double-teams. Some will say, that line-up should start, but I disagree on two points: The line-up is getting many minutes together, and is beating the competition by not only playing well together, but by exploiting mismatches during the other teams' substitutions. This isn't as much about Rudy's tastes for a starting unit, and it is Rudy's penchant for wanting high-energy units off the bench to get immediate results. Right now I believe that starting Bullard and Hamilton allows Cato and Mobley to continue working on blowing by players who are either carrying 8 minutes of tired legs or are coming off the bench. That unit is beginning to gel now and when Dream and TMass come back, Bullard and Hamilton will not be necessary. I believe he wants that line-up to play these games in the same time slots they will play when Dream and TMass come back. I always think Rudy is trying to set-up situations where Cato and Mobley can most easily get untracted...following the theory to get your streaky shooters early success. I don't mean Cato is a shooter, but Mobley and Cato are a package...when Mobley makes that jumper, it attracks double-teams and helps Cato lose his man underneath. Cato needs the guards to hit their shots, before he can get the alley-oops, et al. I have no problems with Rudy's substitution pattern during the first 3 quarters anymore. He's proven to me he can exploit his runners. The 4th quarter is a different problem...for another thread, too. Usually, I'm too excited by then and too focused on watching our 4th q D and looking for openings in the opposing teams D to analyze player substitutions in the 4th. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited December 22, 1999).]
