Thought I would post this in case some of yall missed it.... there are new videos with all four of the new assistant coaches on rockets.com http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/oneonone_with_jb_bickersta_2011_07_27.html http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/oneonone_with_kelvin_sampson_2011_07_27.html http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/oneonone_with_chris_finch_2011_07_27.html http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/oneonone_with_brett_gunning_2011_07_27.html some interesting tidbits in there enjoy!
When Adelman and JVG were first hired, did the Rockets look for the assistants or did the head coaches recommend certain people they wanted on their staff? Now that I'm actually seeing/learning about our new assistants, I find they are very distinct characters, with supremely different backgrounds. It hit me that assembling a coaching team who are all new (minus Gunning) is a pretty risky process. Typically when HR hires there is already a resident mentality/idea on which they build, but in this case the mentality is also new/unknown, so matching staff to that is obviously a difficult task. It explains very well the reason for such a long process with such a wide net of candidates. Hope these hires work out and show some good development over the first year
They both pretty much brought their staff with them from previous coaching stints. 3 of JVG's assistants coached with him in NY and Patrick Ewing played for him. Adelman's coaching staff was the same as it was when he was with the Kings. It will be interesting to see the new guys on the block work together because the going will be tough at times. They'll need to resolve differences and truly believe in what they ultimately decide on implementing on the offensive and defensive end to be successful.
It wouldn't surprise me if Morey took a page from corporate management and did personality profiling on all the candidates to see what kind of chemistry they could build and how each person would do in their role. In fact, I expect that Kevin McHale was hired precisely because he fit what they were looking for in terms of an ideal leader. This staff should develop chemistry even better than previous head coaching staffs, which only had the binds of a relationship with the HC to hold them together.
Rumor has it that this new approach to hiring assistants was a big reason why Adelman left. This isn't unheard of in sports. Mack Brown just did a similar thing when he overhauled the Texas football coaching staff. It's a "team of rivals" approach. The main purpose is to encourage innovation and fight groupthink. Groupthink is very common in sports where coaches have assistants that follow them everywhere. Offensive and defensive systems are like religions to these guys.
i was interested to see that none of them wanted to be typecast into a specific role or specialty, even though we all know why they were brought in (sampson/defense, finch/offense, etc...). i mean, even gunning wouldn't admit to being the development guy on the staff. this to me says that they are all interested in learning and getting better. i think for years we've had a dominant head coach with a bunch of yes men around him. now we will have a bunch of guys who think they know whats best, but are equally willing to listen and learn. one of my favorite parts of these video's was sampson revealing that he likes to power walk and has started doing so with finch. for these guys to get along and learn from each other in a recreational setting is fantastic for them and the success of the team.
Gunning's job title changed from "developmental coach" to "assistant coach." He's moved up in life. Greg Buckner was hired to do Gunning's former b**** job now.
oh i get that, but development is obviously his specialty. i meant it as a compliment to the staff that they aren't viewing their roles as being compartmentalized, but rather amorphous. they admit they all have different strengths, but they are looking forward to learning from each other. that's a great thing.
great thread, thank you for posting. i like kelvin sampson. i was curious about finch... this was my first time really seeing him. meh... for his interview. gunning and jb seemed cool. overall it seems like these guys will compliment each other.
Of all the things that determine a team's championship-worthiness, assistant coaching has got to be at or near the top of the list.
