I'm not sure how much you can really blame Larry Smith for the Rockets recent poor play. I'm guessing that stupid turnovers and lazy defense are not what he had up on the blackboard before the game. But one thing that has definitely been lost in the last few games is any chance for Smith to land a head coaching job. Rudy has lobbied for him in the past, and with the push to add more minority coaches in the NBA he might have gotten a shot before long. But when you get a chance like this one, and the team promptly sputters, I doubt he'll ever be seriously considered for a permanent head coaching spot. And frankly I feel kinda bad for the guy, because most of what has killed the Rockets recently has been poor and uninspired play, not bad coaching. Can you imagine if the future of your career depended upon guys likey Steve, Cuttino, Moochie, and Posey actually executing and making the correct decisions on the court? It must be killing that guy. No wonder he screams so much.
In LS defense, he is still using the system RT put into place. It's always going to be tough for a coach to use another coach's system, even if they were an assistant on the team. Still, the has hurt his stock, no question about it, and that's tough for LS, because he's been put into a very bad situation. Raven
I agree... He may not do everything right, but its up to the players...the Team is suppose to respond...
uh, what system is that? Rudy is quite predictable with his substitutions. LS on the other hand is your everyday roulette wheel.
No way no how. I would be surprised if Cha didn't hire someone with ties to North Carolina (the state).
Exactly, Rudy has had a hard time getting the team to do what he wants also. He has said it on his radio a few times that he can only tell the team what to do.
Smith does a lot of things different than Rudy T. 1. Smith does not seem to place the same importance on closing out quarters and halves with the same importance as Rudy T did. Smith routinely useses the last two minutes of the quarter or half to rest his stars and particularly Yao Ming. Rudy T usually waited until the quarter was over or if there was just a few seconds left he might pull someone out early. However, Rudy seemed to place a lot of importance on closing out quarters strong. 2. Rotations and substitution patterns have altered drastically. What happened to the group that was starting to be so successful closing out games before Rudy's last game? The Steve, Cat, Rice, MoT and Yao Ming combo have been all but a distant memory since Smith took over. 3. And what happened to Rudy T's desire to tighten up the rotation heading into the play-offs? It appeared that he had done just that but since Smith took over we are now back to playing many more people once again looking for a combination that works well together for extended periods of time. 4. I guess since Rudy T is no longer calling the shots it is not important to get Yao Ming 30+ touches a game. Can anyone claim that Yao Ming is getting at least 30 touches a game since Rudy T went out. 5. Rudy spent a lot of time talking about tracking the success of the team with certain players and certain combinations of players on the floor. That is one reason that I thought Moochie's minutes had been cut back so much this year. Now that Smith is in control Moochie is a regular cog in the rotation again chewing up large chunks of playing time and making tons of mistakes both mental and execution. I can only assume that Smith does not keep track of how the team does with different players on the court as Rudy T did. The plays and players may be the same but much has indeed changed since Larry Smith took over for Rudy T.
With whatever hand that Larry Smith has been dealt, I believe LS has been dealt out of a head coaching possibility for years. Whether that is right or justifyable or not it is the likely truth. So, assuming Rudy does not return due to health or mental rest or owner's decision, who opens the new arena era?
But isn't it part of a head coach's reponsibility to motivate and inspire his player under any circumstance? to me, this should be equally important if not more than X and O's which I can't see he can do well either.
when a team isn't responding, the coach isn't leading. if players don't follow the coach or resent, detest him, the coach isn't much of a leader. i guarantee the rockets would not be playing like this under Larry brown. LB can flat out lead and coach.
I agree, too bad for him, he will not be a headcoach on any NBA team with his current performance. It is very bad that the anoucer from the opposite team point out the flaw in your coaching on the TV.
Part of our problem is Larry Smith - period. He has shown us bouts of clueslessness and lack of smarts & understanding. I don't to start counting them but all what we have learnt so far from this experiencing is that we don't have capable assistants. San Antone has PJ Callisimo+, Dallas has Del Harris+, Sac Town has the great Aphorist etc. Having these people does not guarantee you success but as a major market team we deserve to have great minds on the bench - the best money can buy because God knows Rudy needs it bad (even though he never admits to it). Contrary to what someone else said earlier in this thread, Larry Smith's biggest and most telling short-coming is that he could not follow a freaking simple blue print - that alone should get him fired. I mean how hard can it be to follow a blue print? Only mugus (r****ds) try to "reinvent the ship" with 16 games to the end of an 82 game season.
why pity him? he took over a team on a five game winning streak, on its way to the playoffs. anyone should be so lucky. he had a chance to show he could coach, he failed. feel sorry for me, i have never even gotten that chance.
