OK, there's a lot of words there, but not much being said. Are you asking, who, among available, experienced NBA coaches, other than Adelman and JVG, would have been a better fit for the Rockets? Rick Carlisle, by far.
Carlisle is VG Part II so I guess I see the reason for the preference. Back in Nov 2006, I predicted nearly to the game what would happen to the 06-07 Rockets. The basis of my opinion is/was too much emphasis on one end of the court. Embedded in that was the VG preference for the slow, less athletic but predictably consistent player. We'd have the same thing with Carlisle only worse since his offense can't even get a mobile JO good looks at the basket. It's not merely a coincidence that IND was a playoff team at the time they traded with GS and wound up in the Lottery. (But IIRC they have no picks as they traded them). GS on the otherhand got the athletes who could get their own shots. Something it appears neither VG nor Carlisle find important. Van Gundy and Carlisle are on opposite ends of the spectrum from D'Antoni and Nellie. Adelman is an excellent mid-point choice.
sorry but the regular season doesn't mean **** of you are consistently winning 50+ games a year and don't leave the 1st round. I would rather win 55 games instead of 60 if that meant i could advance in the playoffs. Look at the win differential between us and dallas. 67-52. 15 game difference. didn't mean jack. Adelman has the potential to take us where we want to go. JVG never could.
Trades also play a factor and sometimes it's not the coaches fault that the personel does not match the coach. In 2004, they lost their franchise player, Chris Webber. They lost their identity. If you don't think players determine how good a team is then yes, you are blind to the forest due to the trees.
Which is why I expect the coaching change to be a lateral move if anything without a major addition or two to the roster.
Ok, so we have a season of 60+ wins followed by a couple more of 55+ wins and then a gradual decline. Ummmmmmm, where do I sign up? DD
so now you only want regular season success? i thought it was all about advancing? dont answer right away. looks like you need time to figure out what you really want.
He's probably a fan of strong regular seasons and advancing past the first round of the playoffs every once in a while. Something that Adelman may be able to do... As Gater pointed out, of all the coaches available to choose from, it's hard to find a better choice than Adelman. Larry Brown is the only one with the more accomplished resume, and for any number of reasons, I can understand why management might shy away from him. There are other experienced coaches - Carlisle, Fratello, Silas and less experienced coaches - Elie, Ivaronni, Brooks, other asst. coaches. Let's assume the Rockets thougth process went like this: 1. We have a veteran team, let's get a veteran coach. Eliminate all new guys, most assistants, etc. No Brian Shaw, Mario Elie, Scotty Brooks, Chuck Person, Calvin Murhpy (?), etc. You may not agree with this approach, but I'd assume one could at least agree there is some logic behind it. It's not just drawing names out of a hat. 2. Let's narrow down our lists of coaches based on style. Is there anyone better at JVG ball than JVG? At least anyone that's available? Rick Carlisle perhaps? Maybe, but doubtful. Plus JVG style didn't work. Take Carlisle, Fratello off the list. Can the current Rockets squad play like a Phoenix or GS? No. Take Ivaronni off the list. You may disagree, but again, logical. 3. Sort by resume. Paul Silas? Pass. PJ Carlisimo? Pass. Look at the group that's left over. That leaves pretty much Rick Adelman and Del Harris, imo. And if talked to Rick Adelman, are on teh same page as him, like what he can bring, etc., than it seems like a smart choice to go ahead and hire him, even without talking to Del.
like having a lead with 5 minutes to go in game 7, on your home court? i agree. that was a great position to be in.
i agree. the options are/were limited, especially if you want an "upgrade". only larry brown and adelman even resemble an upgrade (and adelman is more of a push, imo). I rule larry out b/c he's a flake. Adelman really is the only legit guy that can come in and people around the league wont laugh at the rockets. but again, my opinion (and a fairly reasonable i might add), adelman isnt necessarily an upgrade and he doesnt make this team better just by him being named head coach. Overall depth and talent on this team is what is keeping it back. I think you minimize your variables and at the very least you KNEW that jvg could get this team to a top 5 record in the west, even with marginal-to-poor role players and significant injuries.
That was a team without enough talent. It's a cliche, but a team can only go as far as its weakest link. Van Gundy was not the weakest link this year, it was talent. However, there are basically only 2 ways to improve upon talent (aside from flat out winning a trade, or drafting exceptionally well) -- either take on salary, or take on nutjobs. Van Gundy, for better or for worse, had a "no knucklehead" policy. Many of us thought, and the Rockets brass apparently did as well, that the Rockets had just enough talent that they didn't need to do that. As the playoffs progressed, that turns out to be wrong. Adelman's got an outstanding track record in terms of working with stars with egos -- Bonzi and Artest worked out for him, Sprewell was a superstar for him, even a guy like CWebb went from headcase to superstar in Sacramento. He was also successful with Rod Strickland in Portland. Since Les isn't really willing to expand the pocketbook significantly to add overpaid but talented players, the Rockets best bet to upgrade talent is to take on talented headcases. While I personally think Van Gundy is a better coach than Adelman, Adelman seems more able of dealing with flawed but talented players.
