I'll just throw some names out there...y'all add or discuss. No particular order below. John Lucas Kareem Abdul Jabbar Ralph Sampson Calvin Murphy Donnie Nelson Jeff Van Gundy Willis Wilson Gene Keady add, subtract, enjoy
Calvin Murphy without a doubt! It's time for the Rockets to move Air Bull into the Pocket Rocket's place beside Bill Worrell and move Murphy into the role of assistant coach. Murph is more than genial but won't take any guff -- he has that warrior's soul. In addition, his Rocket roots are as deep as Rudy's. He has the credibility of performance -- his number hangs from the rafters alongside Rudy's. There is a trust and bond between Rudy and Calvin -- heck, they were roommates way back when -- so Rudy wouldn't mind sharing the glory again. And, most of all, Murph knows each of the players -- both strengths and weaknesses -- and can explain where they should be on the court and why.
Yeah, Airbull would be a nice fit next to Bill and is very coherent and elequent. He knows the game and can get his point accross quickly. Plus he is funny. Just the idea of ol' Murph losing it on the sidelines when the Rockets make a bonehead is enough for the price of admission. In addition, Murphy would not be a threat to take over the team whereas a person like Del Harris or Van Gundy may have a tendency to do. Murph would always defer to Rudy but he would be stern with the players. I guarantee that this team would be a better shooting and FT team with Murph.
Calvin Murphy would be great. One person that I would like to see as an assistant is Avery Johnson, when he played with the Spurs he was great at reading defenses and making sure the plays were executed. I think his contract with Dallas is up at the end of this season and everybody says he's going to become a coach after he stops playing. I think he can teach Steve alot about how to run a team and how to involve his teammates.
Calvin Murphy? I personally love the guy. He's very knowledgeable and entertaining. However, after reading this board throughout the season one thing really stands out: Nobody in here likes the "dribble, dribble, dribble, shoot" style offense that the Rockets(Steve, Cat, Mooch, Mo-T)seem to favor. All Calvin ever did in this league is SHOOT the damn ball! Didn't he score like 50 freakin' points in that "ol' timers" game? Geez guys, come on. Rudy was a shooter as well. How 'bout tryin' to find a passer? Just my .02. We definitely have a problem that needs fixing THIS season.
Calvin knows the benefits of getting a good pass. yes, he was a shooter and scorer but he sure could make that pass to Mike Newlin or Moses Malone.
What is Mike Dunleavy doing these days? I would love to have Dunleavy as an assistant. He couldnt control the Jail Blazers (who can), but he knows basketball.
How would you know if he didn't? I mean, maybe the reason the Lakers won was because of one of their assistants . . . not likely, but you can't just write off the value of assistant coaches. In our championship years, we had a very good assistant coaching staff. Lots of the best NBA teams have great assistants. I think the Rockets could use some better/more assistant coaches. Most of our assistants are not basketball guys -- they used to do other, non-basketball things, and ended up being promoted to that position. Personally, I think the best move the Rockets could possibly make is to bring John Lucas in as an assistant. I don't know if it's possible here in the middle of the season, but Lucas is a teacher, point-guard (educating Steve) and a mentor. He teaches the guys during the summer at Westside, and he's a former Rocket. I have a feeling that if we had Lucas on our coaching staff, we'd be doing much better, and our guys would be maturing more.
I'll tell you now that it won't ever be Dream. He has built a house in Jordan and will spend most of his time there. Murphy wouldn't be a good idea. Can you imagine those suits on the sidelines? Mike Dunleavy would be a great addition. Also Kareem would be great to have to teach Yao and to show the guards how to make an appropriate entry pass.
Actually there's two reasons: Michael Jordan and Shaq. His offensive set didn't work too well for the Bulls once Jordan left. Didn't really work too well for the Mavs either when Jim Cleamons was coaching them.
I am all for the Murph!! He is a basketball genius. Yes he is a scorer, but if you listen to him, he knows to get the ball low and the other shots will come. I could see him in those suits, and if you make more than 2 boneheaded plays in a game, you have to wear his suit the next day. Possibly Clyde as well.
I RARELY hear Calvin say something really brilliant or insightful. He's always cracking jokes or laughing. This team needs someone mean who puts the team's interests ahead of individual players' interests. I liek Calvin but he's not a coach.
I don't care if he has who and who. The key is that where he goes manage to win some championships and that's fine for me. You never know what assistant coaches do behind the door. Perhaps MJ and Shaq are so great because they have some people behind the door to give them advice and motivate them from time to time. You know the difference between great and not great is very small and due to many factors. Well you never know.
Van Gundy could be interesting. Very underrated coach. The Knicks always played hard while he was there( a problem with us), and he took a team with mediocre talent to the finals a few years back. Just a thought.
That Princeton guy is doing a great job in Sacto. Brilliant addition to Adleman's staff. Sacto going to the Princeton set is beautiful. Some of the college guys I'd like to bring in for x/o + help would be hard to lure away. The college gig is pretty cushy. People have been trying to lure Rick Majerus away for years - no luck. Still, I think one of those guys would be a great compliment to Rudy. Ok, maybe not Bob Knight, but certainly another classic teacher who knows game strategy and can lead a clinic. I'd pair that guy with a few ex-players - like Ralph or Kareem or whoever for Yao, and savvy guard who's looking to get into coaching like Avery or Eddie Johnson, or you-fill-it-in. Both assistants should be able to get after a player and get Rudy's ear during game time. A coach who'll listen to his assistants is a better coach. We don't need Jack Pardee with his headset not pugged in. Aside - I wonder why coaches don't use video feeds or headsets ? Seems like they could get a picture from staff upstairs to pick out problems and make adjustments, like they do in football. I'd love to see Coach pull the Cat over and show him his horrible shot right there in the 20 sec. timeout, or show Yao not to drop the ball for a strip, or show Steve to pass it high to the big man. Hey, High-tech Texan - get me a telestrator!
If the players don't listen to head coach Rudy, do you think that they will listen to an assistant coach?
