Bill Russell? Nate McMillan? Danny Ainge? Bill Cartwright? Lawrence Frank had just graduated from college when he took over.
TP was a far superior player to Super Mario. That aside, Porter has been terrific. But -- what % of head coaches succeed right off? I am confident that the numbers favor long time assistants and retreads. MJ couldn't get it right in DC, and he's MJ. Karl bombed in Cleveland (IIRC), then was great in Seattle, and a bust in Milwaukee. Stotts never made it. Nate has been one foot out the door -- and is now an overnight success. Mo Cheeks' national anthem probably saved his job. There is no magic formula. Or Magic formula for Doc. I wish Mario well, but what would one expect of him as a head coach? What would his philosophy on coaching be from the lead seat? If JVG doesn't go full term with the Rox what would his replacement be like? An assistant from this staff? PJax? Del Harris, he of the Chinese national team experience? I predicted JVG in March of '02 (with a little help), but I have no clue on 'today's thinking'. Does anyone?
If I was GM I would've hired John Lucas to coach the rockets, hired Moses Malone to work with the big men, Mario Elie and a few other guys to fill out the coaching staff. I'd keep that rockets connection going.
You hit a good point, there's some lack of fan connection to this team because of the lack of Rockets fraternity involved. I hope Mario does well in coaching. Some fans may not like his jump shot, but he played with such heart. Watch Clutch City and Double Clutch and you can hear his emotion. Rockets need to get emotional!
I like the John Lucas Idea. He had success with the only quality team has coached (San Antonio). I am excusing his stints w/ Philadelphia and Cleveland as they were pretty crappy teams already.
that would help alot with rocket pride and i think the players would be a lil more focused.to me thats a great idea.
Man, I was thinking the same thing after seeing him interviewed on the Late Late Show (or whatever they call that thing now) last night. He's smart, articulate and seems to really want to teach the team game to this generation. Coming from the showtime Lakers, maybe he could get some players to listen to him since those Lakers were both team-oriented and exciting. I still can't see why he hasn't gotten a shot somewhere. I'd love to see him come in as an assistant to help coach Yao and to help with the offense.
well... considering the Bucks traded away Ray Allen for a 3 month rental of Payton I would not look to any business decisions that franchise does as for Mario being a better player than Porter... well, Zeke was a better player that Pat Reilly, but you don't see anyone suggesting that was a better coach than and if you did try to make that argument, there is one GM in the league that would respectfully disagree and one more, just for you tinman Thomas: Hey Larry, old buddy, you're not still upset about that "only considered great because you're white" comment ... right..? Bird: Let me just say that I hope your resume is fresher than that that tie!
Thats a very good fit for a coach. The Rockets had a chance to bring him on as an asst but chose Ewing instead.
Is Kareem still hitting the bong? Perhaps he is more suited for Portland. Just Kidding. I like Kareem. You gotta wonder why no one has given him a chance. Maybe he doesn't want to play second fiddle and insists on starting at the top.
Everyone asks that question and suggests someone else. How about we realize that Yao is Yao? I mean, you can coach him and help him along, but ultimately, he's not an in-your-face, go for the contact kinda guy. He's comfortable shooting over guys, taking the fades and the short hooks. That's not pure Ewing coaching. If anything, I'm thinking Ewing has helped him take it to the middle and helped him with reboudning some (cause yes, he has improved)
Im not saying Isiah was some great coach, he got his chance and he went to Indiana where he played college ball. Mario coming home to Houston would be great. Story book, like Rudy. Like the 94 Rockets, story book. From CBA, to NBA champion, to NBA coach of the town that gave him hiis 1st championship.
Kareem is doing some coaching, but -- he burned lots of bridges during his playing career, and earlier in his retirement. At 57, Abdul-Jabbar is trying hard to get back in.
