When do you start to make changes??

Clutch, interesting about Rice. I've been wondering when he would become a hot commodity. Rice for Rahim?

Although is Rahim another pretty, but not tough, boy?

 

My 2 cents:

1) I'm not a Rudy hater, but he is clearly not the coach for the second youngest team in the NBA.

2) Cuttino Mobley (in spite of his best efforts and solid work ethic) is not a good on court fit with Yao and Steve. Cat needs too many touches to be effective offensively. This is more than a matter of changing his mentality - it is a matter of needing the ball alot to get a rhythm. Plus, IMO Cat is too short to become a defensive stopper at SG.

3) I don't advocate moving Francis to SG. What fraction you may gain on offensive you substantially lose when he has to guard the taller NBA SG's.

4) IMO, there is no way Cuttino goes and Rudy stays. A house cleaning starts with these two at the top of the list.

When to start asks Drewdog?

There are pluses and minuses both ways. A Rudy and/or Cuttino change now may send a wrong signal ("we've junked the season and are passing time until the next") to a team that lacks direction. Unless, and only unless that coaching change comes from outside the current Rockets management. In other words, promoting Boylan or Mr. Mean now wouldn't be a positive but a Van Gundy-type would.

The Rockets management (Les, CD) probably has way more patience than we as posters do. They interact with the coaching staff regulary if not daily. Unless the wheels really come off the wagon (we fade behind the Lakers, Suns and Warriors), I don't see a change until after the draft but before FA's can be signed.

Closing comment - Steve Francis wants to be a PG and he has a close friendship with Cuttino. IMO, trading Cuttino and moving SF to SG will not sit well. If Francis is not a traditional point guard why not get a point forward like a Pippen or an Odom (someone without their baggage if that player exists). I could live with a Posey, Hawkins or even TMo at SG with a Pippen type point forward. (Please don't get the idea I am promoting Pippen...I clearly said someone like Pippen as in with similar skills).

 

If a good opportunity presented itself before the trade deadline, then I wouldn't turn it down. But as it is I think we should wait until the end of the season before any drastic changes are made. And as much as I think Rudy might need to be replaced...I am of the opinion that it is MUCH easier to get equal return on trades than it is to fire a coach and find a good one to replace him. There is a reason that all the bad teams in the league seem to change coaches every other year (or every year, in some cases). Finding good coaches is a very hard thing to do.

 

Pardon me if I disagree.

Bzdelik has the Nuggets hustling every game. Rick Carlisle imposed has defensive will on the Pistons. He even got Stackhouse to share the ball. Musselman has gotten the Warriors to buy into his motion offense and they are playing very well. Hubie is going to turn the Grizz around and has even gained control of Jason Williams. Jim O'Brien started winning the game after Pitino was canned...

In the NBA as in real life you got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. The young Rox need discipline. To me that's a painfully obvious fact.

 

Clutch:- Its good to know that we are on the same page. Its just great to know the leadership has this open thinking! What ever happened to the Fan Advisory Council? Did they ever get a chance to express the Fans real feelings?

 

We need to wait and let this team develop some chemistry and familiarity. This was put together this year. I think by next year this time, if we're playing like this next year around this time...THEN we should start thinking about possible changes...

 

Gater,

You got that right. We're young, undisciplined and our ultimate leader, Yao, won't emerge as the real leader for a few years. I love Rudy but he's not the right man for the job. He's obviously not getting through to them - how much more proof do we need?

Plenty of coaches out there, both in college ranks and pros, who would fit: Donnie Nelson, Van Gundy, & Bob Huggins to name just a few.

D R

 

After the season is over. We need to let this situation play itself out so we can more clearly see what needs to be done. Right now, we know that a) Yao needs the darn ball, b) Steve needs to "get it," and c) we need one more player, maybe a power foward or a true point guard.

As the season goes on, we will learn more. If we make changes now, there will be the swirl of controversy and the team will be too hard to analyze.

 

rudy has tinkered with the starting lineup since the start of the season. the rockets traded kenny thomas for posey. obviously, those changes weren't enough to push the team to the next level. if the team falls out of the playoff, the team management should think about the team future, the direction the team is going. should they ship mobley and cato for brand and marko jaric? send moT to jenny craig or miami heat? moochie to cba? posey to bruce bowen's camp? griffn back seton hall?

 

The problem could be solved very quickly if the Point Guard involved everyone in the Game PLAN. That is if there was a Game Plan of course. James Posey, Ed Griffin and Yao Ming etc.would benifit from a pass first Point Guard.

 

You're right about that. It's time to stop blaming the convenient scapegoat (Cuttino Mobley) and look at our "superstar" who controls the ball most of the time and shoots most of the time, yet still doesn't "get it".

 

I don't think we need any trades. Panic trade will hurt more than help (Sorry I can't agree with that "we need to win now" attitude). I firmly believe that our team will improve as Yao improves and we will be where we want to be when Yao becomes the leader of this team. And I think Rudy deserves to have a developed Yao before judging him.

 

True, there has been a handful of good coaches found this season. The Warriors in particular did a good job. But tell me, how many coaches did the Grizzlies, the Warriors or even the Nuggets have to go through before they found these coaches that, at least for the moment, seem like the answer? The Rockets aren't that far off from being a playoff team. I would really hate to see that fall by the wayside because the players are continually having to adjust to new coaches that may or may not have some idea of how to control and teach them.

The team is vastly improved this season. At least in that regard, Rudy has shown me that he is fully capable of getting these players to learn new ways of doing things. Are they capable of more? Of course they are, but I think the odds that we will find the coach that helps them reach their full potential is pretty slim. I have yet to see a coach suggested yet who I think would do a better job than Rudy (outside of maybe Larry Brown...and it would really surprise me if we got him).

 

The problem I see is I don't think Yao will develop under Rudy. He's just not being utilized adaquetly under Rudy's offensive system, or lack there of. A lot of that falls on the players executing and passing the ball to Yao. when they don't execute and pass, most of the time Rudy doesn't do anything but stand there on the sidelines looking like a total idiot. Yao cannot progress in such an inconsistent environment.

 

I posted these comments in another thread, but they seem appropriate to this one. Just an oversight and not an attempt to pad my prodigious number of posts.

...."If the Rockets do not make the play-offs, we would have every right to expect that season's end will bring some kind of re-tooling. Players who have not adapted to the intended offensive and defensive schemes, or have not shown an ability to perform under pressure, may find their roles or addresses changed. The stakes are higher now and players must meet the challenge

Testing by fire seems to be the approach that the team's coaching staff and management has chosen. Perhaps with so many young players that is the prudent approach.

As much as we all wish the Rockets would blossom over-night, we must allow for the probability that the construction of this team, like that of their new arena, is not yet complete."....

As for a coaching change, that is Alexander's prerogative, but would seem a drastic step this year. Perhaps those campaigning for Rudy's scalp will find more support if the next season is also a disappointment.

 

You really think Rudy didn't do anything? I bet he's as frustrated as us. And believe me Yao is a better player than he's in China. He's improving and developing under Rudy.

 

James Thomas would be a perfect fit for the Rockets. Too bad he's got another year left with the Horns. He makes Mo Taylor and Eddie Griffin look like total wusses.

Back to the topic. For now, I just don't see any trades happening. We just dealt for the small forward we've all wanted for years, and he hasn't made a damn bit of difference. I think management is taking a "wait and see" approach to this season. The thinking is that we're not going to win a title anyways, so let's give this team a full year.

However, like Clutch said, all bets are off during the summer. And you can be damn sure that Glen Rice's stock will skyrocket. I don't know if Rudy T has the balls to deal Cuttino, whom he considers to be like a son.

 

A-Train, that one's for you. If Glen Rice can come to practice and play garbage minutes, he will be worth gold in the summer.

Personally, I think the ROckets should trade. it's not like we'd lose any consistency.