I don't really enjoy watching the Rockets lose either but the Rudy bashing stinks. He's the same coach that led us to two NBA championships. I know you all will say it was the players but Rudy is the guy that brought those players together. It's not all his fault that all the starters are injured in one way or another this year. It's called having a bad year. We all have them and why shouldn't he. When we start winning again, you guys will jump on the Rudy wagon. I know there aren't many positives this year but I can name a few: OSCAR TORRES has played well most of the time EDDIE GRIFFIN when given the opportunity has shown flashes of the player he will become. I think after this year Rudy will re-evaluate this team and rid himself of Walt Williams, Dan Langhi, and other useless space. Anyway, please cut Rudy some slack!
Rudy's coaching ability has gotten worst and worst since the championship years. Too many people on this board are living in the past. What worked for the championship teams is quit obviously not working now. Sometimes I really feel that Rudy has no clue out there. I'm not saying he's totally inept, but he's close. It's just so frustrating looking at the games sometimes and Rudy makes a dumbass substitution, or he lets a struggling player stay in too long. I just don't know where to begin in listing the bad coaching decisions he has made over recent years that have cost the Rockets dearly. Yes the Rockets have a bunch of injurys now, especially with their best player being hurt, but this team really has no direction, and that has a lot to do with the coach. If the Rockets don't show some type of improvment and a better system than that stupid iso sh*t, Rudy shouldn't be the coach going into the new arena.
Rudy is bad, because he coaches one-dimensional. In the championship years, everything went inside-out. Now everything is ISO plays. He will continue to be bad, until someone like Francis comes back and wins the games for him. Hakeem (& Horry, Cassell, Smith) did it in our glory years, and its obvious that until the Franchise comes back we will continue to play bad. If Mo & Glen were back in action, we would still be losing. If Rudy was a good coach, he would tell Kenny Thomas & Eddie Griffin to stop shooting the 3!!! and settle for easier shots!!!! If he was a good coach, he would look at 3-point FG%, to determine who should be sitting at the 3 point line to shoot. If he was a good coach he would stop being passive to Cuttino and tell him that he is bettter at taking the ball to the basket (or spot-up shooting), then throwing up lopsided prayers!!.........and please pass the ball, for the easy shot. If he was a good coach, he would tell Moochie that he will be fined $5K everytime he dribbles in circles until he runs out the shot clock. COACHES DO THINGS TO MAKE THE TEAM BETTER, but Rudy solely relies on players like Hakeem/Francis to win the games.
The bashing is a product of the typical "what have you done for me lately" attitude that a lot of "fans" have. Heck, to see what kind of job Rudy's doing, you don't have to look at the championships, the better example is last freaking year. 45-37 in the West with that team is a pretty darn significant accomplishment. In fact, it's all because of that over-achieving season that the coach is largely responsible for, that people are so upset now. If Rudy hadn't of gotten that kind of record out of that team, people's expectations wouldn't be so freaking high, and they wouldn't be calling for his head. Yet here we are, a third of a year later, and apparently it means nothing to some people. Suddenly it's what have you done for me lately, just like the Hakeem situation.
With you there, Freak. Why don't any of these dolts recognize what Rudy is beginning to get a bunch of rookies competitive, just like the over-achieving US team?
I agree that the Rockets had a pretty good season last year, but I don't agree that Rudy was largely responsible for it. I think a guy named Francis played most of last year and had a heck of a year. That same guy, Francis, has missed most of this year and you see the results. The Rockets won in spite of the coaching last year mainly because of Francis. I believe that Francis is just that good. That being said, without his Franchise player to cover his ass right now, the Rockets look like sh*t . I'm sorry, but many of you people are giving Rudy way too much credit. Like I said, this team has no direction right now. None. Cuttino is allowed to jack up shots from everywhere, Moochie is dribbling the clock out, Griffin is taking 30 footers, I mean it's a joke. The augument that Rudy is a great coach has no validity. Yes he has two championships, but he can thank Hakeem for that. Rudy needs to be gone if this team can't get it together.
Rudy is bashed because he is the easiest scapegoat to blame this horrible season on. Fans need someone to blame, in order to make sense of this miserable, painful, and incredibly boring sesaon. I think Rudy has some serious problems as a coach, but I am no longer calling for his head. Rudy is only partly to blame for this embarassing disaster.
What coach would do well in this situation? I don't think now is a good time to tell if a coach is good or not. Rudy has no talent to work with right now. But we are on a road to a very high draft pick which could help us significantly. I'm not saying he is good or bad, I'm just saying that most coaches would be losing with this current team.
After Rudys first championship the league implemented the illegal defense rule to try and slow him down. Eventually, Rudy exploited that to the max with iso's. Now, the league says enough of that and has allowed the utilization of a zone. Theres defintiely a trend developing here. Give Rudy a healthy squad and a certain amount of time and you can bet your ass there'll be another summer of rule changes in no time.
Frustration. It is only natural that people would look to blame someone for this disaster of a season. Rudy is the same coach he was last year, that coached an undermanned team nearly to the playoffs. The only thing that changed was the injuries.
