I can't get a good idea which direction that organization is going in ... at one point after beating the Rockets, they were 3 behind us in the loss column. Now, they seem to be slipping. They have to decide what they're doing with KG I guess... will be interesting to see the playing time of Mike James under Wittman.
I am not a JVG hater, but I would be happy if he were fired. Not because I hate him, but because I dont think he is any good. Point in case: I dont hate Moochie Norris, on the contrary; he is an easy guy to root for, but he isnt any good. JVG: 1. Doesnt develop new talent (he would send V-span to dallas, or SA, and he would be in the All-star game) 2. He has no grasp on sub. patterns. 3. He doesnt know how to use a Time-out (he will call a time out during one of our runs and break OUR rythem) Oh well, my point is, how can this guy get fired and JVG can still be employed? It makes no sense to me either.
They are certainly not shy about making moves, but those were confusing moves. IMO, Kevin McKale is reposible for the Twolve's downfall. Foyle is too good of a player to be left on the bench right now. Not sure what Minny is going to do. Mike James is defintely not a long term solution, but he has 4 year contract with them. I dont think James is going to be happy playing Foyle's backup, basically his career role thus far. Minny would be wise if they trade James to us for Bonzi and Sura's expring contracts IMO.
This has KG's fingerprints all over it. He made some disparaging remarks about at their offense a few weeks ago that were aimed directly at Casey. This coaching change is the last gasp at trying to salvage the season. Wittman will play the hot hand between Foye and MJ and just try to "win now".
The Rockets are going to be in a dog-fight for the 4th, 5th, and 6th playoff spots with the Lakers, Utah and Denver. Ending up 6th puts them in a position to play San Antonio- their best shot at getting out of the first round among the top three. I've got the feeling the Suns will eventually separate themselves from the Mavericks for best record in the West; so if- God forbid- the Rockets find themselves staring at #7 or #8, they need to avoid Phoenix like the plague. Hopefully Casey's firing will unsettle that team enough to distance them as a threat with that consideration in mind. On a side-note: Maybe I missed a mention of him, but I'm surprised nobody's brought up Troy Hudson as a possible back-up solution at point guard for the Rockets. He's buried on the bench with Minnesota, and is a 36-40% three point shooter throughout his career. His offensive game turned a little selfish after receiving his last contract- which is still salary cap friendly; but with his injury and subsequent benching, you'd think he would be sufficiently humbled. It's probably not a move most teams would tinker with their roster in order to pull off, but if the Rockets are serious about shoring up their situation at the point, he's a decent bet.
per Tacoma Park Legend: 'On a side-note: Maybe I missed a mention of him, but I'm surprised nobody's brought up Troy Hudson as a possible back-up solution at point guard for the Rockets. He's buried on the bench with Minnesota, and is a 36-40% three point shooter throughout his career. His offensive game turned a little selfish after receiving his last contract- which is still salary cap friendly; but with his injury and subsequent benching, you'd think he would be sufficiently humbled. It's probably not a move most teams would tinker with their roster in order to pull off, but if the Rockets are serious about shoring up their situation at the point, he's a decent bet." Good observation. I thought Troy Hudson was a nice player- I have not seen him play in some time. I think he could help us.
The Timberwolves wouldn't be successful with Red Aeurbach's animated corpse coaching them, because KG is simply incapable of carrying a team by himself. That's the only knock on Garnett. He needs a perfect supporting cast, which is a point guard that can penetrate and create easy baskets for him (Cassell) and a hard nosed wing player that can defend the perimeter and also get to the basket (Sprewell). The problem is that there isn't one team that has both of those pieces and is willing to trade them to Minnesota, so they would have to get them from two separate teams.
LOL I don't think know anything about their new coach, but Casey was terrible on offense. He was a decent defensive coach, but his schemes were not complicated. It was: "KG, go wreck havoc!". So what if Casey had them playing decent (arguably great) defense...they were a mediocre team whose record was dictated solely by schedule. They were underachieving on offense, but that's also KG's fault. KG's jumpshot is great, but it doesn't make teammates better because the opponents just don't double KG up high. It's pointless. Mike James only gets offense off of broken plays and early offense. Foye is turnover prone but can attack the rim. Blount can hit a jumper but that's it. By the way, I've specifically mentioned Troy Hudson in the Garm as a possible trade acquisition. I don't think he's great, but he's on the list of final 4 players the Rockets could get, along with Atkins, Lue, and Ridnour(plausible pipe dream). It's just funny that I've called for Casey's firing for over a year now and it finally happens when the team is actually decent in the critics' eyes. JVG would be a good coach for that team imo. Their talent is just as good, probably a little better than the Rockets right now (no Yao of course), but they're just mediocre and inconsistent. KG is always efficient, but Mike James, Foye, Davis, and Blount, and Hassell never put it all together on the same nights. I'd be interested if they go totally offensive with the Foye James backcourt and Davis at SF.
