If you look at last year, a lot of it was mostly cos Harden going into beserker mode. He's not so effective this year, maybe cos the other teams have a plan. But he'll come good again and then the team will win again. When? That's the big dollar question.
The last time the players lost faith in the coaching staff, Steve Patterson fired Don Chaney. There's too many egos on this team and you need someone who doesn't take crap from any one of his players. I also believe losing Josh Smith was huge, not only on the basketball side, he was the dude who brought chemistry between Dwight and Harden.
He had no other choice, who else could he have hired at that time BamBam? Les will be able to hire a veteran coach during the off season.
*****, seeing Bickerstaff partying late night with the team is making me have flashbacks to my Army days. I was in a similar position to Bickerstaff, in the sense that I was suddenly asked to lead people that I had just hung out with a few days before. It is not an easy adjustment to make. Bickerstaff has to decide if he wants to be the homie or the leader these guys need. Momentary lapses, like this party, do happen in the beginning. Hopefully he understands that when he was named head coach, his expectations changed.
Jay I've been saying this every since Morey traded Patterson and Morris. I remember Mchale was pissed off because Morey didn't talj that deal over with him.
I knew Bickerstaff being at the party was going to turn into a Thing. Are you guys upset at Les attending as well? Not being contentious, genuinely curious.
This team just sucks. It's going to be a long, mediocre season. I can't believe the mentality this team has, they just don't care, they're the laziest team I've ever seen. After having the season they had last season they are the most unmotivated team I've seen. You got so close last year and that's it, you're satisfied. Smh. I don't get it. Especially Harden. Why does it look like he doesn't care? At all??
I don't necessarily mind him attending, but there is a point in any party when a leader has to leave. That's how I was brought up as a leader anyway...
agreed. 100%. jbb may be capable at bball stuff, but he's a rookie at hc and he's too young. that's the last thing this current group needs.
I guess the good news is JB isn't in a position to say this - since the players we have on our roster aren't going to help us win games for the most part. We have a fair few who are more than happy to throw games though. That second bolded part - amen. A-ToThe*****ing-Men I shudder to think what Lowry would do not only on this team, but TO this team. We're looking around for the perfect role player. Jesus Christ you can't get better than Lowry when you've got a back court running mate of James Harden. For the ridiculous amount of good Daryl Morey has done - that decision ranks up there as one of his worst - and his most costly.
No. What I'm pissed at is seeing the head coach of a multi-million dollar franchise dancing with his teammates like a 20 year old frat boy. It's ridiculous. Maybe after winning a championship would you see a coach doing that. But in the midst of a season with huge expectations that to this point has been a total failure? No. Keep the separation between yourself and the players, make them respect you, and don't let them see you as just "one of the guys."
I think people are making it a thing because of how he was dancing with the guys, not just because he was there. It just doesn't fit the bill of how a "normal" coach usually acts around their players. It'd be fine if we were getting it done on the court, but this team is clearly underachieving. On the one hand, I haven't seen any elite coaches in the league do this kind of stuff during the regular season. On the other hand, I'm not necessarily opposed to that kind of thing so I don't really care. We just suck.
When you are bad/mediocre it is okay to court the elite player. However what happened is that you had a coach that clearly was not in a position to establish the culture of the organization and the GM delegated that to the coach but essentially neutered McHale. I get that the GM and coach need to be on the same general page (Adelman wasn't), the Rockets need a coach that will consider analytics for example. However we also need a coach that has the balls and power to at times put Morey in check and say "I need this guy" or "this doesn't work and stop thinking it will work" and Morey needs to be open minded enough to know when to take a step back. Morey needs to be heard and seen less and let the coach be the face of the franchise..... Maybe Morey just hasn't found that guy (I think he is in Dallas sadly), but this idea that almost any decent coach can 1. Coach X's & O's 2. Run a system the GM wants 3. Discipline the way Morey wants 4. Keep a low profile AND some how establish a culture in an organization without one requires a REALLY strong and elite coach.... Not just "a good leader" (McHale) or "good communicator" (Bickerstaff).
I don't know what Curry's endorsement deals are worth, but it obviously didn't affect his desire to win.
Bit of an overreaction but let's roll with it. Right now I see them falling somewhere in the 5th thru 7th playoff slots. Not bad but not good meaning that they would start the playoffs on the road. I see a team that has taken on the persona of it's two (so-called) star players - one that appears to believe that it can turn effort on and off at will but also one without a hard driving desire to win a title. As such, there will be some nights like tonight where they sort of go through the motions and play down to the level of an inferior opponent. With GS now at 23-0, one thing is brutally clear: the gulf between them and the Rockets is vast and is getting bigger everyday.
That's not always true. I was a Sergeant in the Marines and sometimes some of us enlisted Marines hung out with some of the staff NCO and Officers. The thing was, we knew how to separate business from pleasure. When at work we knew how to follow orders and not bring up what we did the night before. These players should be more professional than that amaru.
I know of one GOOD VETERAN NO NONSENSE coach that was available, BUT, MOARIES doesn't want to give away an inch of power! That plus McHale being paid obnoxious money by the Rockets to drink margaritas in Minnesota are the real reasons (IMHO) we have a 35yr old rookie coach! Le$$ is filthy rich for a reason!!! ....... ....... .......
Les? No Morey or Bickerstaff making an appearance and leaving? No Sticking around and hanging out with this particular group of guys and coach? Yes. I know why Bickerstaff did it, trying to get his guys to bond with him and teammates. However it is really playing with fire and not smart IMO... Not with this team already clearly having boundary issues.
No, that's fair. I can't decide how I feel about it, tbh. I was taken aback seeing him up there when the links were first posted, then relieved when I realized it was a private party w/ lots of Rockets brass in attendance and not just them out at a club or something. Idk, it's easy to draw a causal connection between recent events and poor play when you're losing. If we'd won tonight, I doubt this would be such a large issue. It is what it is, though.
