This is exactly what frustrated me about Rudy. The part above where you say, "allowed his players to figure it out..." really means that Rudy didn't know how to do it himself. This is why Rudy, when seeing someone with the slight sign of "talent" he would let them lose: Moochie. Rudy would see Moochie do things that Rudy couldn't do and say, "Wow! Those are nice moves! You remind me of Calvin! Could you do those same moves during a game?" That's why Rudy always did best with naturally gifted veterans. Rather than raw rookies. Rudy would just let them "do their thing" while Rudy took a seat on the bench and watched, like a fan. No real understanding why they were "great" and no discipline (because veterans didn't really need a lot of it).
you guys are really looking at things the wrong way IMO. these guys are men, not hs or college boys whose coach is ancient in comparison. how many adults here would run laps if somebody told them to? whose boss gets in their face and confronts them at their desk? this is a job, a great one that I would kill to have, but a job none the less. rudy approached the players like men, not like the 8th grade b-team where the coaches can intimidate to get their point accross. maybe i am wrong, but i think that players like and respect rudy b/c he treats them like men not like kids at 2 a days.
I'm with Sydmill on this. I used to manage a fair number of people in a past job. You can tell them exactlly what to do, and if reasonable, for the most part they will do it. It works and the job gets done. Better than that, it gets done the way you like it to get done. The problem is that those employees do not last. And the reason is because their job is not rewarding. You will lose your most talented employees by micro managing them. You want good employees who will run through walls for you and watch your back for you? Tell them what the goals of the position are, let them design their own solutions, no more than aid them if their plan is inappropriate or incomplete, then remove the roadblocks. It works. When they start raising the bar on your expectations it is a pure joy. Now I know I had no millionaires in my employement, no long term contracts, no press coverage, etc. But treat men like men. I believe thta is the reason some franchises have ongoing success while others have ongoing turmoil. One treats their players, managers, secretaries and vp's as they would like to be treated. Those people are in a good enviornment, stay, create stability (part of a good enviornment) and cause others to join them. A lot of turnover and nobody wants to stay. Look at the Clippers. I had an inkling that Van Gundy would sign with us when I read an article of plusses and minuses for Houston and Washington positions. Washington offered more money, more responsibility, partial ownership and a more familure geography. But the last line was something to the effect of "Rudy T was coach of the Rockets for the last 8 years. In that time the Wizards have had five caoches" Which job would you take?
You're missing the point. Getting in the players' face and making them put their individual goals and ego aside for the good of the team is EXACTLY what a coach is supposed to do. You can treat them like men all you want, if those men don't play as a team you're the one who is going to get fired.
Maybe if Rudy had micromanaged and not trusted the players so much he wouldn't have been fired. There's a reason the Rockets got labeled as an unorganized and undisciplined. You can trust a veteran team because they have been there before, there is no way you can trust a young team that's never experienced success before to suddenly know how to win big games.
This team needs discipline. It was way too lenient with Rudy. Now, that's not to say that we need to go to the other end of the spectrum and hire a "micro-manager." That would be just as bad. Van Gundy demands a lot of his players, and he gets that point across without "getting in your face." But he does get angry if your not playing to your potential. So, he can be firm if need be. Rudy would never be firm. He was too nice. He was a vertan's coach. Not a mentor of the game for a young team. He babied the babies. Would that method ever teach young players how to be strong, and diciplined? I think not.
I don't want to see Steve break up a break . . just to look over at Van Gundy to see what to run If the micro management get their . .. Rocket River
If that happened once, JVG would take Francis aside and say, "Don't look at me, finish the play! After the play, then we'll talk if it was the best decision or not." That's mentorship, with firmness.
Based on the respect and luv that JVG gets from his former players, I trust that he will respect his players, but deliver tuff luv to this young team. Discipline, I hope, will be appreciated, especially since the Rox looked so clueless so often this past season. When lost, confused or down, discipline and structure provides a great foundation for young players.
If you were in management you should know there are employees that are self-starters. They perform best when left alone. On the other extreme, there are others who need guidance and hand holding to get the job done! There are people in between too. In people, one size does not fit all. A good manager does whatever best for the circumstance. You treat man like man and boy like boy.
Exactly. I mean, what amazed me about Rice Rice saying that was that he was considered to be on bad terms with Van Gundy when he played for him. If this is a guy who was on bad terms with Van Gundy, what do you think guys who were on good terms with him would say? Think about that. Seriously. I mean, just because he's got a reputation for discipline doesn't mean he's an evil, unfeeling machine. I don't think we could have got a better guy for this job.
