Assistant Coach Adelman isn't the right man for the job. I said from the beginning that he is content to be an Xs and Os guy and not a coach. I thought he proved me wrong last season during the 22 game win streak but I guess not. This team needs a leader and there isn't anyone capable of doing it on the roster so the burden falls on the coach. Say what you want about JVG but he was this team's leader but more than that he understood his most important responsibility was the human element. He formed a real professional and personal relationship with Tmac and Yao and it showed in McGrady's game. Adelman acts like he has no contact with his players. I'm tired of him shrugging his shoulders and repeating "I don't know" when asked about his players. You don't know, Rick? Then Les needs to get someone who is willing to get his hands dirty and get these guys going.
If you don't have a leader on the floor, then this team is not going to win anything, ever. JVG nor Adelman can suit up, so unless someone takes the bull by the horns and gets on his teamates....I am looking at you Yao.......or Ron....then this team is doomed as a chemistry experiment. I just wanted to again thank JVG for costing us Brandon Roy....a true leader and competitor......thanks. DD
it's not for trying, I have stated it several times already, people don't care if we 'lose with dignity', they just care about 'heart' and 'balls' which Ron has a ton of, no doubt, but we still keep racking up brain fart losses, full of heart. but really Ron was just as responsible, if not more, than Tracy last night.
I think you're best players have to be the most competitive even if they're the lead by example types. I think Artest is the most skillful,competitive player the rox have, but he's new to the team and still trying to feel his way. Yao and Tracy are competitve, but I don't think they want it as much as breathing. Scola plays hard, but he's limited. Battier plays hard, but sux right now. Rafer is Rafer. That's why I think you have to have some wreckless guys on your team. That's why I wish Brooks would start and he work Wafer back in rotation. I like Barry and he has his stroke back, but this team needs guys that will attack the rim and create some havoc. I don't think Adelman is doing his best coaching job either.
100% agreed, and it is why I wanted VSpan to get some run a couple of years ago to see if he could develop, a guy who can get by his man and relentlessly attack the basket. But for some reason, people think that what you do your rookie year in a new country defines your whole career as a basketball player. VSpan could have developed into just the type of wreckless bull in a china shop attack the rim player this team needs. IMO. Maybe Brooks can do that now....but we need someone to grab the other players by the short hairs and swing em around. DD
Not true. JVG had this team prepared every game. We lacked in talent, but we were able to win most games. Hence a 55 win season (or whatever it was) with a severely lacking team. The key players on that team were T-Mac and Yao. They still are on our team. But you can see a very different team out there now. A team with more talent, playing way more uninspired.
No matter what anybody else thinks of Spanoulis, one thing is for sure: he is a fierce competitor. Anybody who has seen him play knows this. Right now, most of the starters on this team lack heart. We could use a player like Spanoulis. He would be a massive upgrade over Alston. I'd be happy with Spanoulis and Brooks as a PG duo.
v-span, whether with the rockets or not, had his chance to continue his NBA career but quit. there is no denying that. If he really wanted to give it a hard shot @ the NBA, you dont give up after one season, no matter how bad the season was or how bad JVG allegedly treated him. So he used one year, to see how good he can be in the NBA. How great of a career or player he is outside of the NBA is irrelevant to rocket fans.
It's ironic how DD's knight in shining armor is arguably the greatest quitter to ever wear a Rockets uniform. (Well ... it's between him and Pippen, actually).
But under JVG, we have seen some of the worst offenses, worst 4th quarter collapses , many many lifeless games from TMAC and Yao, and two horrible choke jobs in playoffs. Win most games in regular season does not prove anything. JVG might have done his job, but the results did not favorite JVG. Besides, JVG brought here Rafer who have become a disaster for Rockets and Yao-TMAC. JVG was fired because he was bad.
Like I said...that's overachieving. We played so well (or racked up so many wins) in the regular season that people had these huge expectations for us in the playoffs (me included). Well, we really weren't that good of a team. And it showed when the competition stepped it up. JVG had his faults, yes, but I don't think he's a bad coach. Getting a team to the playoffs 2/3 (1 miss was entirely due to injuries) and winning 50+ games in a season does not constitute a bad coach. It's only "bad" if you have championship aspirations. You know what was "bad", thinking that T-Mac and Yao could lead this team to the Finals. Not by themselves. BTW our offense is pretty terrible under Adelman.
I said in the offseason that Morey did good by getting Artest, but he didn't finish the job. He didn't add a 4/5 that can play mobile 4/5 types or inside nor did they add a 4 stretcher. They didn't move Rafer when its is and was clear you can't win a ring with him. They did find a gem in Wafer, but they offset that with a slow,unatheletic Barry. Like last year I said this team isn't a contender whether they're healthy or not, they have too many limited, 1 dimensional non basketball playing guys, playing major minutes. They also have some of the same personalities that doesn't work either. They don't have a player or coach that will call out Yao or Tracy. They don't have guys other than Artest that wants it as much as anything in the world. They don't have enough skilled wreckless guys that force the other guys to do the same. The glory years, we had that. Maxwell, Elie, and Dream were examples of that. Dream wanted to win more than anything. Maxwell was the crazy s.o.b. , but even jordan said he was one of the most competittve players he ever played against. Elie was the world globetrotter who would growl at everyone, but could play. Hell, Mario Elie made the spurs a tough team. There's probably 1 guy, Artest, that meets the 94-95 criteria. They need to make a move, but as we've seen, Morey is slow at making moves. He's calculating and crunching numbers, but the naked eye can see this team is missing a couple of pieces and I'm not talking about Deke either.
give morey a break. his hands were still tied from the cd era since he took over the reign anyway. he's done a tremendous job for the most part. i have reasons to expect him to do more for the time to come.
I have been thinking this same thoughts. A few other things along that same line of thinking... 1. What is our "go to" play that we run when we NEED points? 2. How can a team go one night where they move the ball around effortlessly and look like a well oiled machine and then the next night show up and look like they picked people out of the crowd at random and suited them up to play? 3. Where did our interior defense go? I have never seen so many freakin' layups given up in my life. Last night T-Mac gave one up where he could have fouled the guy and at least made him earn it from the line; but no he just stopped short and let the guy lay it in... 4. Who is our team leader? I know the website says that T-Mac is the "captain" but, c'mon lets be honest with ourselves; is he really the captain? Someone needs to step up on this team and assume the leadership role.
Everything i see contribute to the laziness on the court. From Tmac to home crowd not cheering as loud....to coaching not discipline enough...to the make-up the players on the team. We have probably the most lay-up bunches in the NBA.
Where did you get this info? JVG is a better coach than RA for this team, but we have to face the truth neither JVG, RA, or John Wooden can win a championship with the scrubs JVG had around TMac and Yao and the injuries... and RA is finding out what injuries make us- pretty inconsistent. We don't have the personnel for RA's offense so we don't run it. We don't have the defensive intensity we had under JVG. I predicted that this team would rebuild before it wins another title. If TMac was healthy and playing very well, Yao stayed healthy all season and if Artest gets healthy we would have a fighters chance this season. But this team is not going to win a championship without a very good McGrady. As far as effort... they all look lethargic because they don't have a healthy TMac to carry the load and they are getting very inconsistent play from Yao and Artest. Rafer is about what he has been since day 1, same with Battier, Hayes and Landry. DD you are right about this, if your stars aren't driving the intensity you are not a championship team. Question is how is RA going to turn it around, it is on him. JVG is dead and buried.
You'll have to excuse DD's fetish for bashing the "dead" JVG. It's borderline necrophilia and he just can't let it go.
I am not bashing him at all, just mad that he played starters against Denver in a meaningless game and because of it we lost the ability to draft Brandon Roy who was the target of the organization. DD
No, the team was tanking at the end of the season, and they were going to draft Brandon Roy, but JVG played his regulars trying to win against Denver in a meaningless game, while a loss there would have given the Rockets the opportunity to draft Roy. It was a typical game in which Ryan Bowen should have been shooting 30 gimes, but JVG played to win, to the detriment of the team's future. DD
