Who is/was the best Overall Coach in Rockets history?

Tom Nissalke and Del Harris
over
Kevin McHale and Don Chaney

 

Offended Silas didn't make the cut

 

If a coach hasn’t won a championship then how can he be compared to a coach that has? Likewise what if a coach gets a less talented team to win games and overachieve but never made the playoffs? Is this coach better than one who made the playoffs with a better roster? I don’t quite get this poll. If MDA or Adelman, Chaney etc have at least a ring then they would be in the conversation. I didn’t like how Rudy coached but he won 2 rings. He must have done something right. No one else won anything here.

 

milk hair underrated af. let's not forget breh led the charge on that 3-1 playoff comeback against flop city in the early 2000s or something.

 

AND he's leading in the poll....

FYI... He's also the owner of the most memorable quote in Rockets History!!
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Until someone wins a ring, it’s Rudy — no question. Regular season champs mean nothing.

I always loved JVG. Tough nosed defensive minded that made teams with inferior talent competitive. Some of my favorite years as a fan were those 2000s teams where we never had good benches and crippled by injuries, yet we had fighters and ultimate underdogs.

I loved Adelmans offense and wish he’d been here when we had more complete and healthy teams.

I never liked Dantoni. Offense only and didn’t seem to ever make adjustments.

Ime is like JVG but maybe better. I love teams that play and focus on defense. So he’s probably second in my book despite my love for JVG.

 

I mean it's Rudy T and it's not even particularly close. I would still say this even if the Rockets had lost in the WCFs in 94/95 rather than won titles. First he was able to reach Hakeem and let him be the best version of himself, which is pretty much the most important job for a coach. Secondly he implemented small-ball in the 1995 playoffs after losing Thorpe to the mid-season trade that basically saw Horry at the PF and Elie as a SF. Essentially putting all the interior defensive load on Hakeem for that 2nd championship run.

It's also for this reason I have MDA a clear 2nd. Made Harden the best version of himself and created a system that best worked for that team. That 2018 Rockets would've won a title in a normal year and a lot of that is on MDA.

 

Are you serious? We’re really asking this?

 

can't vote. Sengun not on the list.

 

Patrick Fertitta

 

Rudy T, but we have had some good ones, Rick Adelman, Bill Fitch, Jeff Van Gundy
to name a couple.

DD

 

It will always be Rudy T until another coach brings us >1 championship

 

The only one to bring rigs to Houston, Rudy.

 

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.

 

All those nicknames, and Milk Hair left out when it shoulda been the first one listed

We can criticize McHale, but he has the 2nd best coaching win % in Rockets history (behind MDA). No dropoff after Adelman with the Samuel Dalembert Courtney Lee crew, even before he was gifted with Harden. McHale did throw Harden under the bus after his firing, that's a bad look by McHale. But at least he had the guts to not bend to Harden

 

Rudy until someone else wins a ring. Udoka for most hated coach in Rockets history.

 

The most memorable quote is actually, "They aren't doing what their supposed to"

 

Until someone else wins a ring - there's only 1 guy in the conversation...
it still kills me that Rudy had to take a job with the Lakers...
like Olajuwon playing for Toronto...