I don't get it ... I just don't... Are they tanking for some reason? Why would the Rockets almost CHOOSE to lose? Playoffs on the line. Winnable games. They can't hit a shot. Even our best players shooting horrific. So bad, its almost like they've been instructed to lose, worse than when we "played for the future," positioning ourselves to get Ming. This isn't about coaching during the game. They get great looks, then clank their shots. Its not about leadership, they can't make a basket. Its not about playing as a team, its about hitting easy shots. Easy ones! Its not about playing with heart, they're playing hard, getting open, and missing simple shots. Has Larry crushed their spirits and confidence by being Mr. Mean? Does the team not want Larry to get the credit somehow? It can't be about getting a draft pick, since it goes to Memphis this year. There is no good reason I can think of to lose like this, almost like its on purpose. They are better than this. The only good thing that would result from losing, is that Ming might get more rest before next year ... and they wouldn't do it just for that. Doc, Oielpere, Clutch, anyone know what's going on behind the scenes? There has got to be something going on that we don't know about.
hmmmm... this has actually crossed my mind before. you know... about them tanking intentionally because they want changes in the coaching staff or something. it would be funny if no coaching change was made, but instead a few of the playes traded instead. i'm stupid though. don't listen to me. i'm big into conspiracies and stuff
ummmm... yeah. that's a really good idea. tank the season so we could see if another cuttino mobley-like player will slip to the second round. ummmm... no.
It wouldn't surprise me. It does appear that the team has quit on Larry Smith. Whether or not this indifference on the part of the players is also directed at Rudy T, I have no clue. But they've definitely tuned out Mr. Mean. And to an extent, who can blame them? They know damn well dude's a lame duck coach. If Rudy is healthy next year, Mean goes back to sitting on the bench and pretending to take notes during games. And if Rudy isn't up to coming back(or God willing gets canned by Les), a brand new coaching staff will be hired.
I think you're wrong to say we lost those games from lack of effort. They were hustling, they just weren't hitting. If you don't care to win, you don't hustle your butt off and then intentionally miss your shots, you just don't bother playing hard to begin with. The effort was there, the shooting was missing.
Who can blame them? Smith is not the one not making a basket to save his life. He hasn't helped, but he's not out there shooting the ball. The youth excuse is hard for my mind to wrap around at the moment. Right now, I blame the players. And I wonder what's really up. This collapse has surprised me. Playing hard and losing after a great effort, I can understand. What I've seen the last couple of games, with everything on the line, is difficult to get a grip on. JV, why can't they make a shot?
it's a leadership problem, Rudy was the glue for the team, now that he's inactive, no one is willing to step up to take that role, mr. mean is a good coach but not a great leader, you can tell by how he handles the huddles and the players, they don't look to him and everyone is trying to be the hero... i guess stevie and cuttino are not ready to lead a team... sigh
No the Rockets arent tanking. They just cant hit a shot. The hustle is there, the frustration is there (steve kicking the ball) if they were tanking they wouldnt do that. I wouldnt be surprised to see them give up now. I think we have seen the last Rockets victory this season. So I guess they will tank but for what?
Deckard, I didn't mean to imply that I'm ok with the Rockets players turning their backs on Larry Smith. I was just trying to understand the mindset of some of these guys and why they might be so inclined to treat Mr. Mean as if he were irrelevant. The bottom line is this. Even if the players hate Larry Smith and think he's a lousy coach(which he is), there's no excuse for mailing it in like this. They should have enough pride and professionalism to wanna make the playoffs for themselves, regardless of who their coach is.
hm.... lots of ppl here seems to think that we loss because of Francis not leading the team.... hell.... all our players are missing shots.... and what I heard from here is, OPEN shots...... how are we going to win in NBA without hitting the open shots?!!! tell me.... bring in Kidd and see whether he can get the teamates to hit those OPEN shots or not..... PG create, teamates knock down those shots....... true that Francis has the most shots..... but his teamates are not hitting their shots too..... it is just somehow funny how the whole team miss OPEN shots..... maybe something that we really don't know.....
Gotcha... but how they can treat anything as irrelevant at this point of the season is inexplicable. What's really up? Or is this as good as this team is and that just has to be dealt with. I don't know, we'll have the off season to ponder that. I really thought they were going to slip into the playoffs. Maybe, through some bizzare act of the basketball gods, they will... it's just hard to believe right now. I'm bummed. No, somewhere past bummed.
No, Francis feels guilty for forcing the Grizzlies to get rid of him. So he leads the team to tank so the Grizz can get a good pick. This is the way Francis compensates for his past sin. Seriously, I agree with someone (I think it's DCKid, or Sage) who said in the game thread that the Rockets are weak-minded. They just can't handle the pressure.
Why does this always happen? When a coach hits a milestone, his team follows up with a loosing streak. I happened to Sir Bobby Knight after his 800 win. Now it is Rudy. After winning his 400 (or is it 500?) against Orlando Magic last Sunday, "his" team has not lost 2 in a row. Must be a milestone curse.
I think it works both ways. Larry Smith has also quit on the team. His decisions make absolutely no sense at all.
As bizzare as it may sound, if the Rockets were tanking these games that would be good news. The bad news is that this was their first real test against strong Western teams in a playoff atmosphere, and they failed miserably. This isn't a playoff team. We can only hope next year's edition will be.
