If the plan before everyone trusted in was Yao coming back to full health? That was a bad plan. At least there is a direction that doesnt make Yao the primary player to build around. There wasnt a primary player when Yao was here for the last two seasons. People just thought of him as a primary player to build around. That means we are in the same spot as two years ago and we always have been. With at least the knowledge to move forward without hoping Yao is part of that plan as the primary focus now. That part of the plan is a huge move to me. In the right direction. At least a plan can get started now.
Finally a thread with some intelligent fans! I will agree, Adelman is a very respectable coach, but fans really need to wake up and realize we are FAR from anything. I'm sure the conversation between Morey and Adelman is all direction related and not personality conflicts. Adelman has pride and wants to tell Morey we can win, but maybe get 50+, but never the championship. Morey's job is to bring us a Championship. He's said it time and time again, when we hired RA 4 years ago, we had Yao and Mac that Championship foundation. Now we have role players and great team. Historically, that will not get you the rings. I'm not sure if RA is really ready to rebuild. Look at SAC after Webber and team got old, he was ousted. Again excellent thread
I think their plan changed once Yao went out, and that they were hoping to make one last run with the big fella, and once that happened, they reassessed the situation, and thought it would be best to start over, and that is where we are now. IMO, Rick did not want to start over, and DM did, it is DM's job to look at the longer picture, and Ricks job to look at trying to win every game, there was never going to be a consensus. A lot of the problem is that DM's stated plan of trading for a Superstar player, seems to me to be less likely than drafting one, which is where most of my criticism comes from and was why I started the thread earlier this year about whether trading for a superstar was actually an effective strategy, to me it seems a lot more risky. DM is on the clock though, make no mistake, he chose Rick as JVG's successor, and he got a bit of a free pass because of the injuries to Yao and TMac, he did a fine job getting rid of Tmac's contract, but he ate it on Yao's (probably due to the insurance money and Les' Chinese ventures outside of basketball), so my guess is this is his opportunity to do it HIS WAY. I do think he has a lot to learn about people managemnt, for while people in the biz understand they are assets, they don't want to constantly hear that from their GM, better to be gobsmacked like Perkins was by Ainge, IMO. Keep your eye on the long term goal, but keep your thoughts on the team a little closer to the vest. Anyway, the OP has a point, but I am surprised that he doesn't understand that others may not agree with the move. Fans don't or can't agree on everything. DD
Other than the unnecessary shots at Adelman's age and (lack of) championships, CXbby has pretty much nailed it. Maybe not as diplomatically as Clutch and a few others but subtlety and shades of gray don't fly in here. Many seem to think only in absolutes.
Awesome post, CXbby. I have no questions that all parties wanted the same thing... to win big. But, the way to get there was where the biggest differences came. More than any other team/organization, the Rockets consider themselves trailblazers in the league. It's clear Les wants to be at the forefront of where this league is headed. Between surprisingly hiring a "stat" guy as GM, to making new strides in handling and interacting with the D-League, they are trying to lead the new breed of the NBA. Adelman is "old school". He believes in earning time as a young player. He believes in giving the veterans and/or guys with tenure the playing time. He believes in coaching and handling a rotation from his extensive experience as a player and coach. Both have grand goals, just a difference in how to get there. Rick was not on board with continuing this trend and so they had to get a guy who is going to be completely on the same page. Rockets are not an organization that accepts mediocrity and willing to make bold, unpopular moves to get to the top of the mountain.
Agree, I was worried about Scola and KM, yes, exactly those 2 guys. In another related thread, I was asking whether those 2 guys are willing to wait 2 years for our "rebuilding". If we want to trade for a big star, I guess those 2 would be popular on the demanding list. But if we trade those 2 for a big one, we probably side-step, or make very limited improvement. I really hate to see 2005 again, when TMac and Yao had NOBODY beside them. Anyways, just hope whatever "the plan" is, it pans out, instead of empty talk.
Age is just a fact. Adelman is clearly set in his ways and his age and how long he has been doing this is the reason why. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact he is right, since his way works. In the end it was a difference in philosophy, not who's was right or wrong. We have to follow through on our own philosophy. As for the lack of championships, also a fact. That is not to say he isn't a "championship caliber" coach though, which is all that matters. Similarly, it is not to say Morey isn't a "championship caliber" GM just because he hasn't won one either.
Your examples of the disconnect are based on speculation. We don't know what happened during practice with TWill but I do know he played bad on several occasions. ..and running Lowry to the ground. WTH! Adelman has clearly stated he wants to win. That's all in the past now, I simply hope Morey has something up his sleeve because his 'stats analysis theory' hasn't been effective so far.
This is where we differ. Adelman is a championship coach. He got screwed in the Kings-Lakers series. They were clearly the best team in the league even without Peja. The problem is that we don't have a championship caliber roster so it's a moot point. It was best for both parties to move on.
a minor difference - Rick did not think it needed to start over. Rick trusted his current roster. with small tweaks, he could land a surprise for h-town.
I think Scola is on the way out. Not Martin. That might have been a big issue for Adelman. It's all speculation until we see what DM does this summer.
Bad thing about moving in the wrong direction is it takes you twice as long to get back where you were so you can go the other direction
Maybe you should re-read what I wrote since I have no problem with how he dealt with Twill. We do know what happened in real games though and Brooks and Budinger cost us plenty before, yet were not held to the same standard. And yes it is speculation. But with all the interviews coming out now, even when they want to keep the details private, it doesn't take a genius to read between the lines and put 2 and 2 together. Or maybe it does.
it's all up to what type a new coach is. i really doubt km will accelerate as he did under ra. look around the league, no one can implement ra system better than ra. km's departing is more possible than scola.
I said "that is NOT to say he isn't a championship caliber coach, which is all that matters." Which is to say he IS one. Double negatives.
Meh. You're a Rockets fan so you deserve to be here. It was just the spamming that was rubbing the people the wrong way. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I still don't get the outrage. I've been more concerned with our roster than our coaching situation just like Clutch stated in his article. He is in his prime and a scoring machine. Coaches coach and GM's manage. DM will only pull the trigger on a Martin deal if it definitely makes us better in the long run. Same thing goes with Scola. Scola is older and his D has gotten beyond atrocious so that's what makes me inclined to think that it's him first.
Probably, but at least we aren't stuck in no man's land. Our current talent of players are not going to improve into all-star caliber players. And to be honest I don't think we're even headed the wrong direction. Sure, we might start losing more games, but that also means we have a better chance of drafting a franchise player. Worst case scenario in my opinion, we end up in a similar route as the Thunder/Sonics. Suck for a couple of years, develop talent, lift off. Easier said than done of course, but if that's the direction we're headed if we can't retool/rebuild our team quick enough.
