WOW, things are happening so quickly and faster than expected. If the trend continues don't be shocked if Larry Brown is named Rocket's coach TOMORROW! I'm getting excited about next year.
I don't think Dunleavy is too nice. He's not a hard ass but he's not too nice either. He's the right kind of blend of Rudy and Brown. Dunleavy won't come out and publicly embarass his players like but he'll bench someone for being stupid unlike Rudy.
Unfortunatley, I think Les will pass on Brown and choose Van Gundy because Les may fall in love with the fact that Van Gundy is a real short guy just like him.
The Rockets may want to let this stretch out a bit and enjoy the attention. Also waiting a week would put more space between Rudy's out and Brown's in.
SLA, This is Les Alexanders first real hire and his first opportuinity to choose from many different canidates. All Im saying is when Les sees Van Gundy and notices they both have a similar short stature, les may feel a special understanding between the two. Lets hope Mike Fratello stays away cause Les may really bond with that munchkin.
lol.....that's funny. Well I guess Let's Hope! Anyways....how tall is Larry Brown? And please do not interview Avery Johnson.
Wouldn't it be funny if Brown comes in and molds this young team into a championship caliber team then retires/leaves allowing Rudy to come back healthy, refreshed and leads our then veteran team to another championship or 2 or 3? That would be sweet!!
Nobody's certain whether Rudy's departure was mutual. Prior to his "resignation," Rudy was all gung ho about heading to europe, scouting players, gettign geared up for next year. Totally upbeat. Then we get his resignation. Perhaps he did a 180 all by himself. I wasn't there. The circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that Les wanted to change coaches. Les was po'ed after the season, said he wanted to evaluate everything. Les is on record as believing the players are talented enough to win big. If it aint the players, it's the coaching. In the press conference, CD made a reference (quoted better by other posters, the language escapes me) that indicated that this was Les' doing. Calvin Murphy says that one of the original Rox "have been removed." If in fact we get Brown, which appears likely, then it's all too happy a coincidence. After all, are we really to believe that the owner of a multimillion dollar franchise would not have a plan to implement the change he wants? Do we really think that Les is prepared to NOT make a splash before we start play in the new arena (and in new uni's for that matter). Philly thinks Brown is a great coach. However, after a time, players tune out coaches. You need a new coach. It occurs in every business. Firm change managing partners and CEO's to take the team in a new direction. Many firms have policies that set out maximum terms for leadership, so that things do not get stale. In any case, Brown built a great team around AI. The sum of Philly was far greater than its parts. His ability is not just to create another Philly. What he created in Philly was based on an astute observation of the strengths of the team, and he crafted a concept. Better yet, he got everyone to buy into the system and PLAY THEIR ROLE. This is a critical weakness on our team. Nobody knows his role. You want Mobley to shoot less? I do. Who better to get him to accept a lesser offensive role than Brown? Rudy (bless his championship soul) couldn't get through Cuttino's thick head. Brown also took a weak cast of characters from Clipperland and pushed them into the playoffs, and took the Rox to a game 5 in the first round. Brown is a teacher. If he leaves in 3-4 years, after teaching our players. Fine by me. We can then bring Rudy back or some other coach, and win a ring.
Okay...just got in, and got the news. Needless to say I am ecstatic. One huge point...someone said that they heard that the clause prohibiting him from coaching elsewhere has been voided. If so, this is absolutely huge, for two reasons...One, obviously, it means he can coach for another team, like say the Rockets. But equally important is the fact that if this clause was wavied, it is a clear indication that he wants to coach elsewhere...else why void the clause? Can anyone confirm that the clause has in fact been voided?
Rileydog, Totally agree with you. Les is a bussiness man. He's not going to fire Rudy if he doesn't have anybody in the pocket.
Actually, it's "Hot TIME, summer in the city," but whatever. Freak: Honestly, I think you are going on a little too much about this one. I've tried to explain my take on the Rudy thing and, IMO, it was Rudy's call but his decision was very likely based on the difficulties inherent in the job that lie ahead. It is my OPINION that Les made it known exactly what his expectations were of the offseason and season ahead and they were stringent. Rudy is still facing continued recovery from bladder cancer and, like all serious illnesses, it is exasserbated by stress. I personally think Rudy was evaluating his life and career and came to the conclusion that the level of stress he would have to face due to the pressure to win on top of the normal rigors of the season and desire he has to win would just be too much for him right now. That isn't Les forcing him out but it is Les laying down the law. I don't see that as a negative on either side of the fence, just an unfortunate situation that arose out of four straight seasons missing the playoffs and a serious illness for Rudy T. As for Brown, it is RARE for a coach to leave a job graciously at the end of his contract. The vast majority of coaches are fired or leave with time remaining on their contracts. In Brown's case, he felt like he couldn't go any further in this situation and most outsiders agreed with him as did Sixer management. Sometimes, people and teams just need a change. As much as I love Rudy both as a coach and a person, I also thought the Rockets needed a fresh perspective on things and a new approach. Things had just grown stale over time and expectations were beginning to overshadow performance. There is no crime in leaving in the midst of a contract. As the saying goes, coaches are hired to be fired. Eventually, everyone's time runs out for every team. That is just the nature of the business.
Link to audio and transcript of press conference: http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/brown_quotes_030526.html
