I'm hoping its three. It appears alot of people here don't know about his Portland days. I guess its age, but people are always referring back to the Kings and their failures to make the NBA Finals. People, google the last time we made it pass the 1st round. Rick knows how to coach.. and yes he knows how and WHO it takes to make the finals. And yes team ball works. Every team that won the NBA finals had incredible chemistry and had different heroes every game. Not necessarily hitting game winners, but getting key rebounds, playing defense. So those who are dissing on Rick's "Team Ball". They don't know about Rick the Ruler's reign in Portland. http://www.nba.com/coachfile/rick_adelman/ Known around the league as a basketball teacher with an ability to mold a team’s style of play around the strengths of his players, Adelman’s coaching highlights include a pair of NBA Finals appearances (1990 and 1992 with Portland), four trips to the Western Conference Finals (1990-92 with Portland and 2002 with Sacramento) and four division titles (1990-91 and 1991-92 with Portland; 2001-02 and 2002-03 with Sacramento). Adelman has been runner-up for NBA Coach of the Year honors three times (1990-91 with Portland; 2000-01 and 2001-02 with Sacramento). He has also coached the West Team in the NBA All-Star Game on three separate occasions (1991 with Portland; 2001 and 2003 with Sacramento). Adelman has been named NBA Coach of the Month five times over his career.
no one says RA can't coach, but it might be a case if he is best coach for us. the truth is RA has never coached a center like yao who is offense force.
Also, the inmates can NEVER rule the asylum. Every great team had a tough coach and all his players followed his philosophy. And I know the newby Youtubers will pull Jordan examples. Look at Jordan under Doug Collins (in chicago) then look at him with Phil Jackson Who completely bought into the Triangle offense? that was Jordan. Now look at Kobe when he's completely bought in the triangle with his new cast of characters. Unless ALL of our players buy into Rick Adelman's offense, it won't work. Take Pat Riley for instance, his system changed from team to team, Showtime Lakers vs Thug Knicks to the Miami's Dwade attack mode offense
Rudy T and JVG both coached Hall of Fame centers in Ewing and Dream. and they coached Yao. The Rick Adelman can't coach big men thing is total BS.
The Heat played very much like the Knicks on the defensive end... and your offensive game plan is pretty simplified when you have a talent like Wade in this day and age (where you get breathed on and its a foul). In the end, however, JVG is more like Riley than Adelman ever will be. I second the motion that he's a good coach... just not for this current cast of characters. Hell, JVG went to the finals with even less talent than Adelman had in his Sacramento (where he never went to the finals) and Portland days. He'd fit in better on the Lakers, better on the Bulls, better on the Heat. With Yao, however, I'd rather have a coach like Riley who has had a quality low-post big man on EVERY one of his teams.
And Yao developed his game more under JVG/Tom T. than he ever will under Adelman. He's pretty much the same player offensively now that he was in 2005... with a little less agility. If you're pin-pointing Adelman's best years as a coach as a reason why he should coach this team, you should be able to respond to the fact that he didn't have to work a low-post center into his motion offense on any of those teams.
Only people who don't understand the game are complaining about Adelman's team ball approach. All championship teams win with team ball....ALL OF THEM.... It is not about superstars it is about the team, always has been......you get superstar players that are willing to let their role players take and make late shots and you get a harder team to prepare for. So many big shots are hit by role players on teams that have a chemistry and trust. Sure you need a go to guy, but that go to guy gets double teamed late and has to trust his teamates to take and make that shot. Big shot Bob Mario Elie Sam Cassell Kenny Smith Mad Max Steve Kerr John Paxson on and on and on are role players who made a difference because their superstar trusted them to take it. THAT is the definition of team ball...and Rick Adelman, Larry Brown, Greg Popovich, Phil Jackson & Rudy Tomjanovich all understood this....I don't know why people on this bulletin board are not savvy enough to get it. DD
The Rockets haven't been out of the first round in years. Adelman's the one slumming in this relationship. The last couple of games since T-Mac sat have been excellent examples of what happens when the Rockets play Adelman's offense.
[thread derail] then why are you always bagging on ONE PLAYER never making it passed the first round? [/thread derail]
The Nuggets and the Lakers are not scrubs. They're legitimate. They may have scored a ton of points against the Rockets but they're easily among the best offenses in the league.
T-Mac gets out there and the ball movement dies. He doesn't play well in Adelman's offense and a lot of people, myself included, think the team plays better without him.
Caveat to this....when Tmac is playing within the system the team plays the best. However it is a lot to ask of a player who has done the same thing all his career and been very successful at it to make a big change. Kobe took years to understand that the Lakers are better within a team system. Hopefully, Tmac will have the same epiphany.....it also took Hakeem 10 years to figure it out. So, there is hope. DD
how did the lakers high-octane offense do v. the celtics last yr? if you saw the game today, we gave up a layup line b/t the 2nd and 3rd quarters. we play like that, we're not gonna go very far. like kobe said after they lost to the celtics, defense wins championship. he didn't even mention one word about offense. we have the talent to play offense and score (if we get practice time like we have and guys get healthy). but if guys get lazy and just like to score like some players did today, well, you saw what happened.
Team ball is good. I don't see problem with offense recently. More pass, less ISOs, better FG percentage overall. But defense is another story. Wish RA can emphasize that more. Or he can get a better defensive minded assistant to do that.
I don't understand why you guys always make this an issue.. <br> Obviously, they have to play as a team. It's 5 on 5 no matter which way you spin it. <br> That being said, every team who has won an NBA championship has at least one (preferably more) go to guy that will push them over the top. Let's go back a bit.. <br> Celtics of the 80's had Larry Bird Lakers of the 80's had Magic Johnson Bulls of the 90's had Michael Jordon Rockets of the 90's had Hakeem Spurs have Tim Duncan Lakers had Kobe and Shaq Celtics had Pierce <br> Tinman, let me ask you a question, and please answer this from a coach's perspective.. Let's say in the final 7 secods of a game, the 1995 Houston Rockets were down two points and they had the ball. Who would you want the ball to be in the hands of?? Hakeem and Drexler am I correct? <br> It's ridiculous to say that team ball should not be played, however it is equally ludicrous to say that a star player's shot attempts/role should be reduced to the level of a mere supporting cast member (which is what I feel some people are advocating..)
how did we play with him last yr when yao went out? do you know what our season high in assists is this year? 26. that happened 3 times. ALL WITH ME-MAC.
JVG relied heavily on Ward, LJ, and Houston to be pretty damn good role players to Ewing/Sprewell. He also turned Sura, Barry, Wesley, Jim Jackson, Mutombo, James and Juwon into pretty productive components when there wasn't much else available. I don't see why you think he didn't "understand" this as you fail to mention both him and Riley in your pantheon of "great" coaches.
