MattMaloney - Please learn how to read and interpret someone's post before responding. The question about more championships was about the "Dream Era", not the present team. Having said that, I do think this team can compete for a title within the next 2-4 years. I don't think this team is ready for that big a step, but they undoubtedly are prepared for a playoff series or two. To repeat what I stated before, I think that if the Rockets had a better coach we could have won more than two rings, and I also believe that a better coach could put us back in the finals much sooner than Rudy can.
Rudy did help win those championships with Hakeem. Back then the ISO worked perfectly. Kick it down to Hakeem and punish them with the three. That was the only ISO that worked, and Rudy T's importance is that he recognized that by bringing in 3 point shooters to complement Hakeem's unstoppable inside game. It was Rudy's "Spacing" system that allowed the 93-95 Rockets to win back-to-back b'c it allowed Hakeem space to dominant inside or kill them with 3's if he was quadrupled. Now, of course, Hakeem was a major focal point and it wouldn't have happened without him, but Hakeem probably would not have won it in any other system. Now, today Yao is not that type of player. He doesn't back you in, and he's not strong enough. There's one standstill 3-pointer guy and that's Glen Rice, and he probably will still fit an ISO . Francis and Mobley, though, shouldn't play in an ISO, they're more oriented to a high scoring motion-offense like Dallas. It destroys their game and makes them look like "selfish ball-hogs", but that's not their fault, it's Rudy T's infatuation with the ISO, thinking that every player would succeed it. WRONG. Clyde Drexler and Pippen never should have played that ISO as well. Now that I think of it, I really don't blame Pippen for bolting to Portland. By the way, Drexler was actually a role player in those years as well. He was relegated to shooting 3's or using a post-up game. So right-now I'm w/ everybody when they say get rid of Rudy. His system was great in those championship years, but it won't work with the zone defense today and the talent the Rockets have.
Give him a full training camp and a preseason with this team intact and I sincerely believe they can be a 50+ game winner under Rudy. If not by then, round up the rope and the posse. Now is just too soon.
Sign me up for this petition. Rudy is not only doing a bad job this year but the last 3 years. He's not particularly smart. Kick him upstairs and get a younger coach.
I personally am not signing anything either way just yet. I give it until the end of next season. But, out of curiosity, does anyone know exactly how many people have put their names on this thing?
Really nice how you keep bringing this silly thread back up. By the way, I have 28939 emails that say Rudy should stay. Now to start my "Petition on Rudy!" thread, too. Maybe one day you'll have more people petitioning to get Rudy fired than responses you have in this thread.
Ya know, in all seriousness, I made a joke earlier in this thread about starting my own petition to support Rudy and I received almost 40 emails from people on here. How sad that Rockets R Us is doing all this grass roots campaigning and has only 47 supporters while I havent even tried and have over 40.
