The Houston Rockets ruined the NBA

Tom Tolbert - the next Bill Walton...

 

A very good article.

It even gave the Rockets past( championship years) and present some good props.

 

Great article. I have to agree with most of what he said, especially on how PAINFUL it is to watch some teams in the NBA now and how many pros out there don't understand the concept of team ball.

 

I remember when Tom Tolbert said this.

HOWEVER, didn't they move the 3- point line in a few feet for a couple of years? This would have a bigger influence on how teams played than the Rockets championships.

 

Good article. Really reflects many of the same things we have been saying here in the Rockets BBS. At least now we know we aren't the only fans that feel this way about their teams.

 

AND

This pretty much sums up the past couple of years.

 

I also remember Tom Tolbert making this comment. That's the only game I was able to record and we lost by one point.

 

He has a point.

Rudy had a unique situation, and he exploited it.

Good for him.

DaDakota

 

that 93-94 Rockets team played great TOGETHER. what is Rudy T supposed to do with "top 3" centers all time in olajuwon and 4-5 exceptional 3 pt shooters around the perimeter. I can't argue with RudyT and his offense.

In fact, I think that the 93-94 team who swept the Magic could probably beat the untouchable Bulls of the 90's. They had MJ offcourse, but Pippen... man he's not that great. Definitely not top 50 of all time imo.

 

Now teams play defense. Something coaches were begging to see over three decades. Maybe that's the difference. Basketball players are just as good today as ever. They just have to contend with tougher defense. How many high flying hippies did you see blocking shots in the 70's? Everything changed. The Speed. Everything.

 

there is a lot of truth here...the detroit pistons showed the nba the value of playing real defense...not just having one defensive specialist...but having every player on the team sell out for defense.

 

I agree with Tolbert and with PhiSlammaJamma. There is no way we can look back to the old days and compare to now. Yes there needs to be more teaching. Yes basketball players need to stay in college a little longer.

The real problem is the American dollar.

This is the reason the league went to allowing zones. Learn how to play basketball and you will beat all of the zones.

Rudy says zones will kill the league
No Rudy it will kill your one dimensional players

 

I'm sure you meant 94-95 team that swept the Magic.

Anyway, back to the 93-94 team who beat the Knicks in 7. What does he mean we didn't play a team game? How the hell can you win with Hakeem Olajuwon and "4 other guys" unless there's great teamwork out there? Our team defense (a hard concept for Tolbert to grab with man-on-man defense I suppose) was terrific, and our team offense was of championship form as well. Sure it all went through the center with Olajuwon, but we had excellent ball movement after drawing the double/triple team to find the open man. It was always pretty much a chess match to see who they'd throw down on the double team, who we'd kick it out to, how they'd adjust, and whether we could find the open man for an open shot. Either that or Olajuwon would put it in the basket.

Very poor assessment of our championship teams in my opinion.

 

I think Michael Jordan ruined basketball. He made all American kids aspire to the high flying acrobatic dunks and made the whole basketball world revolve around one single player.

 

You might have something there.

Easy becareful what you say about MJ. Stern may have someone checking you out real soon. You could be taken the "Long Sleep"

 

Ok, since I'm already marked by Stern , it won't hurt more by saying something further. I think Stern ruined basketball by focusing too much on marketing individual athletes rather than the beauty of the game itself. It might have made the NBA more popular. It also made the game uglier and more boring. He might have created a whole generation of basketball players who don't know how to play team ball.

BTW, Stern might ruin the popularity of the league he built up in the past by allowing the game to be tucked away on cable TV. ABC will air what, about 10 regular season games? That's pathetic. That makes the NBA become the middle-upper middle class entertainment. What about the poor kids who have no access to cable, let alone game tickets? All they can see are those individualistic highlight clips.