The players are more accountable than the coach. If the team's not good enough, there's not much you can do besides give them time (the logical choice) or make trades. Players win championships in the NBA, not coaches. If there is ever a problem (which I don't think there is), I'm going to side with the guy who sweat blood for the organization for 30 years. Why do you side with the ones who haven't proven a thing? When do you say, "ok Francis, thanks for...er....for....well you just ain't good enough"? Does Francis get a free pass? By the way, I asked you a while back to provide historical examples of teams with similar makeups to the Rockets in terms of experience and talent that performed better. You didn't step up.
You can't fire players. Whether or not your philosophy is that the players are ultimately responsible, you can't get rid of them.
Tell that to Ralph Sampson, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Rodney McCray, Michael Dickerson, Vernon Maxwell, Otis Thorpe...
If the coach did ask the team to foul immediately, then it's really either T-Mo or Yao's assignment to foul Malone but like Yao said, he couldn't get to Malone quick enough to foul him. That is because he is not capable of that kind of speed. This is a veteran issue. Yao didn't go into the last 3 second dead set on fouling or he would of stuck to his man like glue. Since he was on Malone, is it his fault for not fouling? Or Malone's verteran smarts of getting away from Yao so he can't be fouled. If it's Yao's fault, that's a learning process for him. He "knew" he should have fouled but just couldn't get there. Next time, it will be better. And no you don't take out Yao in the last seconds. NEVER in a close game. Also note that the last play in OT was set for pass to T-Mo but he was covered. Question, where was Yao in that play????
You don't think the Rockets have the talent to make the playoffs? Does Rudy get a lifetime pass because of his history? Wake up. The cowboys fired Landry a legend. RC wasn't getting it done despite having the best winning %. Things change. There's no way the Jazz have as much talent as the Rockets. The Rockets had two starters on the all star team. And according to Rudy Mobley is one of the best players in the leauge. If the Rockets don't make the playoffs, it's time for a change.
I wonder why we don't use LONGER line ups in these situations. Like Yao Cato Griffin Posey Francis That's what you want in there. It's not like we were going to set up a play, and Posey, Griffin and Francis can finish a fastbreak. I was sickened when I read somewhere in the articles that Stockton "flew by" Francis or something like that. COME ON FRANCIS, it's time for some DEFENSE. Here's the good part: Stockton, averaging 28 minutes, played 34. Malone, averaging 36 minutes, played 45. Francis and Cuttino don't have a problem with stamina, but unfortunately Yao played FOURTY minutes. FORTUNATELY, we have Cato to back him up. Griffin 31 minutes, MoT 22 minutes, Cato 13 minutes, Moochie 18 minutes, Posey 17 minutes. Mobley will be looking for some big-time revenge, and T-Mo will be looking to make up for his blunder. Jazz will lose.
How many three point shots do you estimate Yao will block in his NBA career? My guess is nada..zip... Yao is a great intimidator around the basket but he lacks the quick leaping ability to black shots at the arc. This is why he doesn't win many jump balls.
Not to mention we need a real PG a real PF a real Coach We'll never make the playoffs with all these fake players.
No more than any other team they're fighting with to get in. Ummm....a 'pass' isn't being requested in this situation. The team is about where it should be. Did you just mention RC Slocum? Based on fan voting, not on merit. What is he supposed to say? That he's no good? Based on what?
honestly... honestly... i think rudy lied. i don't think he told his players to foul. are you telling me he told the entire team to foul, karl malone and harpring were right there and no one even []itried[/i] to foul??? no one from the bench was yelling to foul? and afterwards, yao says he didn't know "if he could have fouled"? please. i don't believe that. i think rudy realized he f*cked up and lied about something no one can definitively disprove.
in fact, even the announcers (hot rod hundley) were saying that they "bet rudy t won't have his players foul" right before the play took place. rudy lied.
Well if Hot Rod said it, that's good enough for me. If we have learned anything about Rudy over the last 30 years, it is that the man has no integrity.
No one can disprove?? How about his freakin' players?????? That is a ridiculous statement. He would have never said that to the media if it weren't true because it would get back to the players and bite him in the ass. Cut the guy a little slack just this once.
I've been critical at times of Rudy this season like everyone, but good LORD, you guys are just fishing now. He lied? Seriously, HE LIED TO THE MEDIA TO PROTECT HIMSELF???. That is maybe one of the singled most ridiculous things I've ever heard when it comes to cracking on the coach. Maybe God told him to lose. Maybe he's secretly a terrorist trying to bring down the United States one NBA franchise at a time. Maybe he and Karl Malone are secret lovers and he just cannot bear to see him hurt. Isn't it possible, just MAYBE, that Yao made a mistake? I mean, rookies NEVER EVER make mistakes in pressure situations. Good grief.
Actually, you could see in the shot and in the replays, Rudy was screaming at his players for having not fouled, making hugging motions while he yelled. I knew right away the plan was to foul and he was incensed that they didn't get it done. Btw, I think the fouling strategy was a bit dangerous there. If we had tackled Malone, he'd have flipped it up over his shoulder and, with the way the refs were calling the end of that game, they'd have whistled it an act of shooting. Then, what would we have prefered: Harpring shooting over Yao from a couple feet behind the 3-point line or Malone taking 3 shots from the foul-line?
do you really think his players will hit the media and say "yeah, rudy lied" or "rudy said not to foul in a situation where we should have"? win as a team, lose as a team. and if you have followed the rockets for very long, you'll know that we're like the freakin' mob. if you speak out against the "family" you will get whacked! just ask horry, maxwell, thorpe, etc.
HEY RUDY !!! HERE IS AN IDEA !!! Why not put in DEFENSIVE players on that last play, you know...like Cato, and Hawkins, and Posey, so that if they DO foul they are not hurting our chances in overtime. Rudy is starting to get on my nerves, he does VERY VERY little to help the team with his substitutions and lack of a decent offense. DD
Jeff: both yao and morris? i mean, neither one even made an ATTEMPT. neither one were even covering their might tightly. in fact, it looked like they were trying NOT to foul. i think rudy said: "guys. if you think you can foul him without him being in the act of shooting, go ahead. otherwise, don't". now, that sounds like good advice, except you're relying on young players to make decisions instead of being a leader and telling them what to do: "guys. if malone or (whoever was playing center) gets the inbound...foul him immediately. they are not going to shoot the three. otherwise, don't foul. just try to deny the ball and force them to take the 2." this isn't about a rookie making a mistake. you're trying to tell me that both players (yao and morris) completely forgot or ignored what rudy supposedly said...and i don't believe that. you do what the coach tells you to do. at least you make the effort to. both neither morris nor yao even made the effort. i just find that very, very hard to believe.
