Ever since the first pre-season was over after the Rockets replaced Van Gundy with RA, I started to be concerned that the team would be going to mediocre. I screamed my opinion and people kind of laughed at me. Sadly and surely, I have been seeing this happening. It has been up and down, up and down. However, each time it went down, it went down deeper. On this forum, people always talk about signing this or signing that big shot. Guess what, even if we got what wanted in the summer, we would be still a mediocre team. I think the problem lies with the coach, namely Rick Adelman, and ultimately the owner Alexander. After all, it is his decision to let an excellent coach in Van Gundy to go, and replaced him with an above-average coach in Adelman. In deed I agree with everyone’s saying: RA is much better coaching offensive, and VG is much better coaching defensive scheme. However, the major difference I saw in VG’s team, was the disciplinary approach, and fighting spirit. I saw this spirit only in some elite coaches like Pat Riley, Popovich, and Jerry Sloan etc. This fighting spirit was with Rockets even long after VG left, and RA rode on it for those up times. Sadly there is not much left now. In the past two games, not only the defense, but also demeanors from Rockets players, was terrible. On one play, Kyle Lowery got fouled and did not get the call, he STOPPED. He stood in the front court, watching the 5-on-4 and Jazz had a layup! Whom is to blame this kind of team spirit? I hate this style of coaching: sneaky and take-it-easy, and it is called player’s coach. Anyway, I am going to go to sleep, until this team has a complete change: a change in the coach. I will come back and check our chance. With Rick Adelman, we will stay mediocre for long, long, long time. Do not expect us to be at top of the league. Do not expect us to be bottom part either, which make it more hopeless. We would be stuck at somewhere around 16-17th pick year-in, and year out. With RA gone, we still have uncertainties. We should thank our owner Alexander for all we have now. He wants offense, he wants the fast tempo style. Now he got it. But this Rockets team has no hope, for a long, long time!
Totally agree. We are always the dark horse at best year after year. Jvg is a championship team coach, rick is a good coach, but not enough to lead a team all the way. Also we need a better team with a superstar or at least someone who is actually clutch.not kevin martin, he is a good score and that is it. He cannot even get a shot off with that shooting form when other teams play solid defense in the final position. With that said, if we can somehow make a trade before the deadline, and make the playoffs, it will be another first round exit. Even with a guy like melo! We just don't have a center or a goto guy to go against other teams. I hate tanking but I don't see this team going to contend anytime soon, and I hope I'm wrong.
i knew after adelman taking over the defense will eventually non exist i wanted tom thibodeau to take over oh well
i think jvg said is best during the orlando game, losing 2 superstar players at once means you're screwed and for a very long time, very few teams recover quickly from losing their stars in tandem, the 90's lakers (the lakers!) languished in mediocrity to patheticness for several years), the bulls for a decade, the celtics for 2! And this franchise is nothing in terms of history/appeal to any of those (especially the lakers and celtics)
I had this talk with a co-worker. He just said that coaches dont have as much power as we, the forum fans, think. That there is more politics involved from the higher up. dont know if it or how much of it is true, but it makes you think. (in other words, RA has to play who DA and LA wants played)
You are completely wrong. Morey wanted to build an extremely good team by surrounding T-Mac and Yao with excellent supporting cast - we needed PG with excellent range, that can move away from the ball and live away from the ball? He brought Brooks - we needed PF that can be effective in low post, offensive rebounding and could stretch the floor for Yao? He brought Scola Rockets should look like a team with T-Mac handling the ball and creating the offence, controlling the flow and setup every play, Yao dominates the paint and everyone else can slap in the opponents face, when they are trying to double-team one of our main guys, with a long shooting of Brooks and Shane or beast modes by Scola, like in series against Portland. Battier should guard best perimeter player in the enemies squad and we should rely on our two superstars. It's not a Rick or Morey fault, that we lost both of them due to their bad injuries If team lost their superstars, they are eventually in the bottom, but Rick provides his system to be just a 0.500 before Morey could make a trade for superstar and we could just spurt from mediocre team to a contending one without a tanking season.
Using his Kings system was not a plan. It's just a way out from being awful team without true star players before Morey could add one of those
Van Gundy had Yao and T-mac. Adelman has Hayes and Martin. When Adelman had Yao for a full season and Artest, he went further than JVG did with T-Mac and Yao in 05. Between the 2 coaches, JVG had the worst season with a 34-48 record.
The interesting thing is, the philosophy and mindset of JVG actually lingered for a good season AFTER he left. http://www.basketball-reference.com...stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=opp_pts_per_g Ok, hopefully the above link works, but notice, JVG got fired in after 06-07, and Adelman got hired since 2007 season onwards, but our Opponents PPG was still far below 95 per game, at 92 and 94.4 points in 07-08 and 08-09 respectively. But then our lost season last year started, and we decided to pick up the pace instead of maintaining defensive focus, and unfortuantely our team seems to have gotten away from the lock down mentality of the JVG years to a offensive mindset of Adelman (not surprising if you consider most of the players from JVG days are gone).
Our lost season started last year, when we didn't have Mutombo and Artest left. Ariza was an overrated defender. Adelman should have talked Morey out of it.
Rudy T, Please come back! We need the Heart of a Champion Coach to return!! Rudy, Rudy, Rudy! The only Houston Coach to bring home the bacon!
Don't speak too soon. This season ain't over yet. To feel better, Rockets fans can just cheer for every loss we get this month--new streak record about to be set. RA asked for and got Brad Miller. He asked for and got Kevin Martin. This is his team. He likes AB so we still plan to have AB as starter. But 90's style offense won't cut it in today's NBA. Opponents defend the cuts by positioning shot-blocking bigs near the rim. Then you have to rely on perimeter shooting which do not always fall. Ish and TWill with their ability to break down their defender's defense is the gold standard of offense these days. Then there's the defense ... never mind the defense. We rely on one-on-one defensive skills of Shane, Chuck, Courtney. Our coaches don't seem to know how to teach defense or defensive schemes as our poor PnR defense shows.
the kings system is designed around a dominant pf, something we don't have but yeah its pretty much being used to stop us from being as bad as the other teams with a similar talent level.
During the offseason this summer, RA met for dinner with Brad to discuss signing with the Rockets instead of another team. http://www.click2houston.com/rockets/24115309/detail.html Kevin is reputedly "perfect" for RA's offensive system since he knows how to move without the ball. http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2010/02/with_my_favorite_martin_on_boa.html When he was first traded here, RA said: "There are many things we can do to utilize his skill set." I couldn't find a link for that; I think it was on a Rockets.com video that I heard that.
Didn't he want Artest also, and that's why we traded Donte Greene for him? Artest bailed, because he wanted to play with Kobe and Yao was going to be out a whole season.
