I do think there's a difference between the two coaches. JVG just didn't have the offensive mind of Adelman. I doubt that JVG could have run as good an offense as this year's Rockets without a playmaker like McGrady. JVG is probably tougher on whiny players than Adelman is. But JVG let TMac loose because he needed TMac to run his offense. Adelman doesn't need TMac to run his offense.
Yes, Yao will have to show that he can still play. I'm guessing that it will be about 10 minutes into the first practice when they see that he can still post up people and still shoot the ball. Sure, he will change the offense for Yao. He'll do that because it will give us an even better chance to win. We'll still run and Yao can trigger the break. We'll still scramble on defense, but now we'll have the anchor on the back line to shut down the lane and protect the rim. We'll still have ball movement, but now instead of taking jumpers when things break down, we throw it into the most dominant post up player in the NBA. Are you really worried about Yao losing his hops? He probably depends less on athleticism than any player in the league.
You underestimate Adelman. If his theory and system are proved to be successful this season, he won't be willing to change it for any player including Yao. He would let Yao play 10 -15 minutes, but he wouldn't say that he is afraid of Yao hurting his system and chemistry. Instead, he would say he is protecting Yao. Do you think a team will make game plan around a player who only play 10-15 minutes?! Of course, I don't think Yao and his agents would trust Adelman and the rockets completely and let them to control everything. If Yao's recovery is going well, he will play for china in 2010 world championship, and to prove he is still a dominant player.
it wasn't simply: tmac can't play at his old level, so i can't play him. other factors were the primary reasons: tmac are not in our plans, drama of last year... i wish the team would have done this before the season even started b/c they all knew tracy wasn't in our plans. just tell him to stay in chicago until we can get him a deal. it was pretty pointless if the team never intended to fully incorporate him b/c we all know tracy wants to play this year. all this unnecessary drama could have been avoided if this resolution was done earlier.
After reading the interview a third time, it seems like Rick just felt that Tracy was an old dog, and you can't teach an old dog new tricks. More or less, Rick just gave up on coaching Tracy. So rather than pushing Tracy into learning a more "team oriented" playing style, he threw him out there for 7-8 minutes to do whatever he wanted. I think the only way Tracy was ever going to see more minutes was if came out of those 7-8 minutes looking like how he was 2 years ago. And we all know that wasn't about to happen.
our offense becomes stagnant when yao is in the game more often than not, but you want that b/c you want yao to hold the ball and evaluate the double team process and whether he should pass or attack. there's a reason our offense was terrible in the playoffs last year (we were the 2nd worst offensive team of all the playoffs team). what i'm worried is yao will be slower, and will require a much longer time before he feels comfortable on the court (the advice Z gave to yao directly). yao may be able to play, but he won't resume his old level until probably the year after. more importantly, yao plays EXCLUSIVELY in the post and we all know what that has done to his foot.
There may be some logic in what you say but the point I think your missing is that Tmac is a player whose game is predicated on having the ball in his hands and controlling play. Unless he regains his explosion he is going to have to change his game to play in this league otherwise he turns into a Marbury or Iverson. Yao on the other hand because of his size, the position he plays and demeanor will most likely do his best to play the rockets new style with a twist. The twist is Adelman will tweak the offense to include him in one form or fashion but that doesn't mean he's bending the rules of the new offense he'll just incorporate Yao's game into it, like he does with every other player on the team but the key is what's best for the TEAM style. If you can't see Adelman's genius with this year's squad, you're missing how his offense goes to his players strenghts as in Portland, Sacramento, last years Rockets and this years. They all play/ed team ball but the twist was the different talent that was on the floor.
I gotta hand it to you t_mac1, you are a LOYAL Tracy fan. Save yourself some pain and give up the fight already. He is done in Houston.
I guess, at the beginning of this season, they didn't know the team would be this successful without Yao and Tmac. I remember JCF wrote a article and said that 'Tmac is not a X factor, he is THE X factor'. Adelman also said Yao and Tmac made his life much easier... But, now the team is playing well without them. Things are changing! In fact, at the beginning of the seaon, Adelman often said that the players' task this year was developing their potential, and we would be a great team when Yao come back next year. However, do you hear Adelman say it recently?! I don't think Adelman is willing to change the system for Yao next season.
He's one of the more level-headed fans if you read his posts. There aren't many of them that will speak to both good and bad sides of McGrady.
I agree, but u know what my next question is, what happens next yr. There is no doubt that when yao isnt in the game actively offennsively, hes not in the game defensively either. I applaud coach for showing tracy how far he has to go and if anyone follows microfracture surgery,it takes awhile. I also think and have said before this team is in a bad position in a sense. Maybe transition is a better choice of words. Tracy doesnt fit with style,shane doesnt fit with this style,and yao doesnt fit with this style. Now i do belive coaches will adjust for impactful players, but if u follow coaches dna, they really dont. Thats why west traded nve to open time up for fisher and shaw/harper combo. Thats also why adelman fazed corliss out in favor of peja. Rarely do coaches change their stripes similar to players change. Ive said it before and i will say it again and take the heat, the rockets should trade tracy,shane,and yao. 3 good players who basically dont fit. I think chase will help phaze out battier/ariza, and tracy is gone basically, but next year when yao comes back is going to be a problem.
i know adelman's genius completely. i was a big fan of his kings' teams. i just wished we could have avoided this entire ridiculous drama b/c we could have. the team knew mcgrady wasn't in their plans, and everyone knew it would take tracy more than just 7-8 minutes or a month to fully evaluate whether he can regain anywhere to his old form or not. adelman/morey and tmac/his agents should have sat down at the beginning and hammer out a plan they all could agree on and they would have agreed with this plan anyways and this entire ridiculous drama could have been avoided. i just wish a trade can happen soon so this entire thing can be resolved. the longer it drags out, more drama will occur. personally, i wish tmac success at whatever destination he'll go to. and i fully trust morey will get the best pieces in return as our team goes forward.
I think it all depends on just how Adelman feels about Yao, compared to how he feels about his other favorite players on the team by that time. Again, remember it was just a year ago that Adelman believed that a one-legged, physically unfit Tracy was still this team's best option for winning games. He says now that he had Yao and Ron as a security blanket, but I don't forget stuff easily -- right from the beginning of the season he wanted Tracy playing because he felt they couldn't win without him. That's how this whole situation started. Of course, T-Mac with his characteristic moodiness screwed things up from there. I chuckle at those who just assume that Yao will be a loyal dog and sit quietly if he gets handled the same way Tracy has been handled this season. I think you guys stereotype Yao too much. The difference in such a potential scenario would not be a function of Yao's vaunted personality, it would be a function of power and leverage. Unlike McGrady, Yao IS the franchise. If Yao says he's ready to play ball and Rick says he's not and limits him to 7 minute cameos like this, I guarantee you Rick won't survive till the end of the season. Whether or not the team adjusts to play around Yao is not going to be Rick's decision to make. Unless, of course, somehow Yao never recovers and simply returns to become the second incarnation of Rasho...
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but Carroll Dawson is no longer around to make dumba$$ trades for MeMac...
Also, what they DIDN'T say was that they weren't going to be a party to MeMac's BS as he tries to find himself another big payday.
Next season , a real war will start! Not only regarding the playing style between Yao and Adelman, but a contract year for Yao. The rockets will probably lowball him, but Yao will want to prove himself.
I wouldn't rush to make any such declarations. We might see Yao return to form, Adelman simply retooling the team to play around Yao as he should, and Yao signing an extension before 2010 even rolls to a close. At least that's how I (and I would think most Rockets fans) hope things play out. They will certainly negotiate contract terms, but you know that Yao is far more interested in winning a championship than earning money at this point so I don't think that will be a difficult negotiation. Yao already makes tons of money from endorsements and business enterprises here and in China (including the Sharks). The only sticking point I see is Rick's willingness to be flexible. It seems to me that he can get rather intransigent when he thinks he has something good going...and I just hope that whatever success this team enjoys this season doesn't end up being a double-edged sword in the future.
