Rick Adelman is sucking as a Rockets coach. The proof is not only in the record, but everything else that is going on with the team. If he doesn't change his philosophy and results soon, you won't have to put up with me talking bad about him on here, he will be gone! What do you have against Calvin Murphy as being a coach for the Rockets? Please don't go to his personal life, it has nothing to do with his abilities to coach this team. And don't get so petty as to talk about you don't like the color of his suits; again, nothing to do with his ability to coach this team. I suspect, like many of you here, that you don't like that his is an over confident man that likes to express himself as such. I don't have a problem with that since he backed it up when he played. He is a Hall of Famer that leads the Rockets still in many categories.
I agree that Miller would work well. Just a little concerned that people would play off of him which would crowd the paint more, but I guess if he acts as a starter of plays like Rafer has recently instead of a finisher like Battier/Luther do then he could work. But then again, what coudl we give up to get him. I know that Philly would want expiring contracts, but I am not sure we have enough to get him. Here's where I agree, but don't. We are not a championship team so the traits that Battier would bring would never come to fruition as this team is not going to win a championship as it is currently built. So as long as we hoard pieces like Battier on the team, that would be great for a championship team, we will not be a championship team. He is the only player we have of any real trade value that could bring us someone that would bring what championship teams also need. And that is a little bit of offense. But I do agree that Magette is a black hole who tends to get injured. I just think now that we are at the point if we have any hope for a TMAC/Yao championship team we need to get a third scorer and Battier is the easiest player to replace with someone who can. So we may have to sacrifice something good for something not as good, but provides more of what we need.
You know Battier wasn't this bad offensively in Memphis. This year he stinks...but even at that, the Rockets have to keep him because that's the nature of playing the NBA - all the consistently competitive teams have a defensive stopper against the 2s and 3s. The Pistons and Spurs have Prince & Bowen. Even if Battier can't absolutely shut a guy down(and no defender will ever be able to completely shut down the Kobe's & Melo's), he can force players to take jump shots or play into double teams rather than going to the rim. How many times have you seen a SG/SF just blow by Battier(unless he was trying to get them to play into a double team)? That's defensive success against some of the more talented offensive players in this league. I mean Battier guards everyone from Carmelo, to Marion, to Dirk, Lebron, Kobe, Manu, Wade, Pierce, etc. Without Battier, Yao picks up an extra couple of fouls a game as a help side defender(since we have a midget PF who can't alter shots) and Tmac picks up more fouls/fatigue guarding the guys Battier normally would. I prefer to look at Battier as a better version of Bruce Bowen. I agree there are serious problems with this team, but Battier is not the guy to be focusing on. He is too valuable as a defensive presence to lose because of his inability to create a shot offensively. Bowen can only hit the three and Battier is similar in that respect. If the Spurs can live with that, I don't see why we can't because as far as I'm concerned, Battier is at least as good a defensive player as Bowen and he is better at getting the hustle stats and is a better free throw shooter(when he actually gets fouled).
Well the bottom line is that if he's giving you nothing offensively in what his role is supposed to be, that almost completely negates what he does on the defensive end. He can't dribble, and if he's not knocking down the 3, he's an offensive liability.
I keep reading post after post after post about Battier's "great" defense. Then, I watch average NBA players drive past him with relative ease. Battier's primary defense is knowledge...he's a thinking player. But "great"? Not even close. Great defenders use their brains AND their athleticism. Then we get the blurb (in another thread) from the advance scout stating Battier's defense is worth "an additional 2-3 possessions per game". 2 or 3 possessions is what...2 or 3 points if your shooting 50%. Sorry, for 2 or 3 points I'd prefer a better transition player and someone who can take his man off the dribble. 2 or 3 possessions may have significance to JVG...and maybe Popovic who has the luxury of Duncan and the transition capability of Parker & Manu...but most of the rest of the NBA is trying to direct the ball at the basket at a higher rate than 75 times per game.
I agree hayes and battier are better defenders, but playing against quick shooting teams like boston or gs, we won't gain a lot by their defense. On the other hand, we need to out rebound them, especially on offense end. We also have to score a lot, because those teams would get 100 points no matter what. Any1 knows any team held the suns below 90 once in the play off? Did the spurse do that?
He costs us a lottery pick so we should expect more of what he provides. I now a lot of people on this forum supported the trade and now we are seeing the results of a bad trade.
There is something truly and significantly ironic about your statement. The Rockets IMO were still a playoff team with Swift and Rudy Gay. They probably would have gotten Nachbar type minutes under VG. Both are doing well individyally under Ivaronni who's probably more a coaching match to Adelman than JVG.
Chuck shut down Chris Bosh in our win over the Raptors, WTF are you talking about? And Battier is an excellent defender, especially with disrupting the opponent's offense. Sheesh, some of you Chuck and Battier haters really don't understand defensive strategy in basketball. Think about why Popovich starts Bruce Bowen over Ginoblli ... there is a reason for that. Good thing the lot of you fans aren't NBA coaches because you would be fired in two weeks.
Finally, somebody that understands the concept of having a defensive stopper on a team. That's why Phoenix will never beat the Spurs - they don't have a Bruce Bowen in their lineup, even with the top offense in the league.
First of all, MICHAEL FINLEY starts in place of Ginoblli, NOT Bowen. So get your references right before you continue to make a fool of yourself with the little knowledge that you have. Second, Bowen is a MUCH better defender and three point shooter than Battier is, ever was, or ever will be! Check your stats and the rest of the world's opinion on that. And third, speaking of firing coaches, try to start with a real one first. GET RICK 15-17 ADELMAN THE HECK OUT OF HERE NOW! (along with your sorry post. )
2 or 3 points per game, over an 82 game season, is significant. That's worth on average around 4 or 5 more wins when you have a player who almost always plays a full schedule. You're focused on man defense and turning defensive stops into transition buckets. But I think if you look at the full picture of Battier's defensive contributions, he's an elite defender. Right now, would you give the majority of the minutes to Bonzi instead of Shane? He fits your qualifications of being a better transition player who can take people off the dribble. In the last 4 games without McGrady, he's averaged 22.2 pts, 9.2 reb, and 3.8 asts per 40 minutes played. Hey, that's Rudy Gay type production, right?
I guess that's why Team USA, whose staff collectively obviously knows less than you, cut Bruce Bowen and kept Battier. Rick Adelman 2007-2008 15-17 Rick Adelman career 752-481 (.610) Get a clue.
One of the problems is that the one player who has the potential to be a good defender isn't as athletic as advertised. Rudy Gay has hops, but he's slower than he looked in college and his lateral footspeed is just plain bad for an NBA small forward. At UConn, he was a really good man-to-man defender, and I thought that would translate more than anything. Unfortunately, he really can't keep up with NBA-level perimeter players. Right now, I think Rudy Gay's best chance in the NBA is to put on 25 pounds and try to re-invent himself as a PF. Swift is a lost cause.
I wonder how we would be doing right now if Morey approved that trade to the Blazers of Battier for Travis Outlaw and Jarret Jack.
Maybe they thought Bowen was a dirty player! Or maybe you talked to them and they told you why? Im all for Rick Adelman succeeding in Houston for us as the Rockets coach. I was excited that he was hired and coming. I wasn't a JVG fan. But I am judging him on his decision making this year, not his previous record. You seem to forget that those number's won't get us a win this year. They are history! Here's a clue, we are not only 15-17, but with the exception of a few games, we have looked like a 5-15 team!
Totally agree. No one gets more exposed in the playoffs than Battier, Yao included. Love the effort, but he's just not good.
