@J.R. I'm glad this hire has gave you some cause to be optimistic. I don't like unhappy, pessimistic @J.R.
Because he is. He was forced to play basketball growing up with his pops being in the NBA. Played weak... coaches weak... is weak. Smart guy though.
I would say that NYC is clean considering how big it is. The isle of Manhattan has 73K per square mile! Although, to your point, walking around Manhattan after 11 pm can get quite nasty, especially when the bars and restaurants put all their garbage out on the sidewalk for pickup. Also, homelessness issue is real, although this seems to be a problem in every major city now. Its terrible in Atlanta, DC, LA and SF. Houston and Chicago less so.
give some credit for intuition of women, no need to break it into details by juggling bball buzzwords - simply let your wife follow Momster's twitter account.
“He exudes a confidence and a comfort in his own skin where people just gravitate to him,” Popovich told ESPN in 2015, two years after Udoka began coaching for him. “He’s a fundamentally sound teacher because he’s comfortable with himself, he knows the material and players read it. Often times, I’ll say, ‘Ime, can you go talk to so-and-so? Go talk to Patty Mills, go talk to Timmy (Duncan,) go talk to Kawhi (Leonard).’ And he’ll do it better than I would do it — and I’m not blowing smoke.” The details of the offense he will run or the schemes his defense will use were worth consideration, though they will be determined in large measures by how the roster is reshaped and the young talent already in place continues to develop. But the Rockets wanted the forceful, direct communication style Udoka brings. That was why they moved so quickly in the days following their meetings with him last week. But at the start of the process, the Rockets had heard raves about Udoka’s leadership. At the end, they knew that they wanted to hire him, choosing to reach agreement on the deal rather than continue with the customary NBA coaching search process of exhaustive interviews. The Rockets wanted someone to instill — to demand — a level of accountability, discipline and professionalism. That’s what turned around the Celtics after a disappointing, underachieving 41-41 season and a rocky start to Udoka’s tenure. It was also what made the infractions that cost him the job so shocking and disappointing to the team he led. Yet, that also pointed to his ability to push his players, to “coach hard” as the style is often described, and still build relationships that leads many to want those demands. That is so much a part of Udoka’s coaching talent that Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who had played under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Brad Stevens in Boston and now Joe Mazzulla with the Celtics called Udoka his “favorite” coach. “Whatever happened, happened and that doesn’t have anything to do with me, but I can’t take away the relationship me and him have and the impact that he had on me in that one season,” Tatum said during the All-Star weekend. “I love Coach K. I love Brad. I love Joe. I love all those guys but just a different kind of a relationship I had with Ime. Probably like my most favorite coach I’ve had and that’s not a knock on anybody.” Udoka will find a roster of young players far more receptive to Popovichian tough love than is perhaps their reputation. Stephen Silas worked to bolster confidence of young players splashing around and often sinking in the deep end. And that was needed on a team with almost no veterans and with frequent long losing streaks. Udoka will not be so forgiving. But the idea that young Rockets players will have a difficult adjustment to that is ridiculous, and not just because that after so much losing, they want the help. These are guys who had John Lucas shouting himself hoarse in their direction since they became NBA players. Udoka’s style is different. He will be more Hemingway than Joyce, more direct and clear than stream of consciousness. The message will be delivered and received. Rockets players are as ready to hear it. Udoka’s tenure in Boston was so short that it could be dangerous to assume too much about how his schemes might apply to the Rockets. He typically kept two big men on the floor at all times. He switched like crazy, as much as the versions of the Rockets with James Harden, P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon. He also had a team built for that, from Defensive Player of Year Marcus Smart to the extraordinarily active Robert Williams, with size and savvy in between. None of that described the Rockets. He will, however, prioritize defense. He will also eventually add to his own story, now overshadowed by his stunning departure from Boston and why he was available to the Rockets in the first place. Udoka’s style is his own. He brought it to San Antonio. But beyond impressing his coaching mentor, it made him the Rockets’ choice and the fit for what they believe they need most. “He’s really a gifted communicator,” Popovich said when Udoka became the Celtics coach. “With him, less is more. He’s not a talker. He’s a communicator. More than anything, he’s genuine. You know exactly what you’re getting. “I couldn’t be more thrilled. The guy is a stalwart. People overemphasize O’s-and-X’s in the league. All the coaches know their O’s-and-X’s. It’s basketball. It’s not analytical geometry or something like that. That stuff’s not tough. But to understand how to get the most out of people, to develop relationships with players, to make people accountable, to make them want to play for you are really the keys. He’s got all of that.”
After 3 years of pain and suffering, this is the best hire possible. Atkinson is extremely overrated Nurse would have been fine, but he has Van Fleet, Siakam, Annouby and Barnes and still failed to make the playoffs Cassell is just never gonna be a coach, my opinion, unless Doc gets fired in Philly Udoka is a no nonsense basketball coach who will put the kids on notice, shape up or ship out Great hire, now let's get that 1st pick
After 3 years of pain and suffering, this is the best hire possible. Atkinson is extremely overrated Nurse would have been fine, but he has Van Fleet, Siakam, Annouby and Barnes and still failed to make the playoffs Cassell is just never gonna be a coach, my opinion, unless Doc gets fired in Philly Udoka is a no nonsense basketball coach who will put the kids on notice, shape up or ship out Great hire, now let's get that 1st pick
Are you one of those people who defend obvious offenders no matter what? Funny that it's up to you to decide what is true and what is made up. If "Boston overreacted", the league wouldn't have intervened when the Nets already had a deal with him on the table. We know for a fact that he used concerning language towards the staffer before this "consensual affair", as you call it. So how likely is the consent? To me, it sure looks like he took advantage of his role as a superior. If it was "just" that, he'd still be in Boston. "He learned his lesson" is the same kind of attitude that led to the situation we saw in Dallas a couple of years ago. Introduction press conference should be interesting. Hope Houston media will hold him accountable.
this doesnt define a city. houston has these areas (east downtown, main street downtown, west gray area of midtown). there can be pedestrian improvements in other areas (montrose, wash ave, almeda third ward, heights) but that's relatively easy. a walkable nightlife area doesnt make a city. there are walkable cities all over the world that are terrible places to live. people like Ime or an NBA player level ain't doing that walking nightlife thing anyways, so something like that doesn't matter to them. you and so many others sell Houston way short. it is an attractive destination for many people. shouldn't be too surprising why Ime would come here aside from how loaded the team is talent wise.
