Prediction : Lakers will have better year than the Rockets

Staying with Rudy T has been debated countless times.

Larry Smith was terrible. Keeping him as coach was not an option.

As for Doug Collins, Hubie Brown, and Del Harris, I'd only take Hubie Brown- and that's only with the benefit of hindsight. You can't say you predicted he'd do the job he has in Memphis. Many people were surprised by that. Talk about a guy with a reputation for being a disciplinarian.. And he was NOT available (unless by "available" you mean "coaching another team to a 28-46 record").

The only real alternatives to keeping Rudy T at the time (as far as I can remember) were:

1. Hiring JVG
2. Hiring Dunleavy
3. Hiring Larry Brown (He may have had an agreement with the Pistons)
4. Hiring Carlisle (He wasn't going anywhere but Indiana)

So really it could be argued that it was between Rudy, JVG, and Dunleavy.

Like I said, JVG vs Rudy has been gone over ad nauseam, but if you want to debate JVG vs Dunleavy, I'll take JVG.

 

I thought Hubie was taken well before the decision for JVG came up.

Hubie was known as a true fundamentalist and it would have been great to have him. Confidence comes after learning and frankly the players on this team did not show it, rather playing at a level to pad their stats. Rudy allowed this to happen. So when JVG replaced him, I was all for it. A bit overdue.

I still respect Rudy for maintaining a positive relationship with his players, but that doesn't always translate to a successful season.

IMO

I can't say that I'll be rooting for RudyT this year. I have too much vested hatred towwards the Lakers. That's just the way it is.

 

People have been quick to judge JVG before allowing him the chance to assemble "his" team. I feel after this year we'll have a better idea about who he is as a coach than we did when he was working with Rudy's players.

 

I love Rudy and hate to see him in LA.

I dislike JVG and don't really care much about him being here.

That said... The rockets will have a much better year this year than the Lakers based on roster talent more than coaching ability.

 

and Drexler had such a great tenure as UH coach...

 

Ask which one? God or the Devil? This is a ridiculous thread to start, much less in CF.net

 

Likablity
Rudy > JVG

Coaching ability
JVG > Rudy

I'll take the former, thank you.

Also, I think Rudy will have a very hard time. Rudy is more of player's coach who lets his stars do their thing w/o a lot of direction from the coaches. That's great if you have a self-directed, self-correcting, team-focused, Hakeem Olajuwon.

He already has sayed all the platitudes (could be best player ever stuff) further filling Kobe's head. When Kobe is out of control, unfocused or self-absorbed to the detriment to his teammates, how exactly is Rudy going to proactively intervene now with the "I am the greatest player in my own mind" guy?.

Sorry, I like Rudy, but think this job is over his head, maybe over anyone's head, save perhaps Larry Brown.

And I much prefer JVG in teaching Yao, Tmac and the rest how to play team ball and giving the kick in pants when needed.

 

edc where are thou?

Please place your prediction here.

 

did you mean the latter? I agree with the rest of your post.

 

I'd like to see that "laundry list". how many HOF players are on it?

How many HOF players are on it that managed to earn a reputation for being lazy (preparation wise) and totally unprepared in just one season as a coach in college? No coach with those habits would survive half a season in the NBA. There's a lot of people who think the reason great players don't make great coaches is that the game came too easily for them, so they can't teach it. Conversely, the guys that had to scrap and work and fight every step to make it in the NBA (or maybe even just as a college player) tend to make better coaches.

But if you REALLY think Drexler would have made a better coach for the Rockets than JVG (or even Dunleavy), then there's really nothing left to discuss here.

 

Head-to-head, Lakers and Rockets split. Van Gundy cannot make adjustments, and has had trouble coaching against the West. There is no issue of the better coach. One guy is a champion, one isn't. One guy has the LOB trophy, one doesn't. One guy has Olympic medals, one doesn't.

Season records are close. My sheer guess is Rockets slightly (1-2 games) better, but overall a battle between these two for sixth.

I am quite willing to admit I could be pleasantly surprised, and everything could fall into place, with the Rockets battling against the Spurs for the fourth spot, but I don't expect it.

What I expect is for the Rockets to underachieve. I expect some personality clashes between T-Mac and JVG, possibly ones that make last year's Superbowl fiasco look like a lovely tea party.

 

Well, there's the Lakers. And I guess the Spurs. Plus, aside from Mo Taylor (and one season of Yao), there are no Rudy T. players really left on this Rockets team.

 

Are you serious about this??? I went to UH, and Drexler, outside of recruiting ability from his "name," was a HORRIBLE coach. He was not dedicated to anything even remotely related to coaching. And by the way, Kiki is running things in Denver, he just brought on Clyde b/c they are old buddies from Portland.

 

so which is it? After Hakeem left, the rockets franchise became a terrible laughingstock? Or after Hakeem left, the Rockets rebuilt in record time? These are pretty much mutually exclusive.

not to mention the fact that I would not have considered the Rockets rebuilt when Rudy left. (nor last year either).

 

1) The Oilers leaving had NOTHING to do with Warren Moon leaving. We drafted Steve McNair to replace him, and Moon did not do much after he left.

2) McMullen screwed this one up, everyone knows the story.

3) Hakeem was offered a contract and decided to leave on his own and, oh yea, retired in a year anyway.

4) We'll see. But hardly can be classified as a Houston "legend" on par with the others on this list.

5) Hope we keep Biggio for next year, I think his contract would only pay him like 4 million or so anyway.

 

I am a JVG fan, I think the man can coach basketball. Who cares if not all of his players are his best friends? You want guys like SF pulling that Superbowl crap and getting away with it? I'm glad we have a guy like Van Gundy that will keep guys in check.

Having said that, I still wish we could have gotten Larry Brown or Paul Silas, but JVG is far from a bad consolation prize.

 

Are you kidding? Rudy T was a lifetime Rocket, one of only 5 retired numbers (others = Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, Hakeem, and Drexler). He coached the Rockets to the city of Houston's first and second (and only) major sports championships. He is easily on par with all the others, maybe below Dream.