cut someones minutes and play chuck hayes. Send a message. JVG no doubt would be playing chuck and deke way more than they are playing right now. Or at the very least, he would have called out scola and landry for how poor their defense was against memphis the other night. I mean we knew mayo could go off like that, but watching warrick drop 17 easy ones on us was so painful. That would have never happened to a JVG team.
you're right. if tom was still here, the JVG philosophy would still be here. look what he did to boston's D. we know that isn't doc rivers' work.
The Rockets never abandoned their defensive philosophy of defending the paint. And RA doesn't "refuse" to play Deke. The issue with Deke is that while he brings it on the defensive end there's a trade off on offense. The more I think about it the more convinced I am that nothing's going to change without changes in the roster.
and what does battier bring? and what does rafer bring? and what does hayes bring? umm... yea, keep telling yourself that. deke in those few minutes got 2 blocks, scared marc gasol away from the paint, grabbed 2-3 offensive boards in one stretch (though missed all the tip-ins)... but again, that trade off you said is the reason why the coach is also the problem. maybe after you shoot 47% for 3 quarters and are still behind in double digits, your defense must be a problem. JUST MAYBE.
And how many minutes does Rafer play if he's sucking it up and Brooks is available? How many minutes does Hayes player period? Battier's job is to play with the starters and that means he's going to defer on shooting, and that's by design. The Rockets have a huge problem with chemistry between the players on the court. That's not going to change if Adelman leaves.
Why even hire a coach? If it is up to the player's to motivate themselves and maintain good habits then why not just get an X's and O's guy instead of a highly accomplished, experienced guy to coach your club? Sure, in a perfect world the players don't need external motivation or someone to reinforce positive practice and game habits. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world and even (especially) professional athletes need structure and discipline from an outside source. When it doesn't come from a leader on the court it has to come from the coach. We are seeing what happens when leadership is absent. It isn't pretty. So yes, Adelman is to blame. He was brought in to maximize the talent management provided him and to minimize the flaws that usually accompany that talent. He has done neither.
I agree, let Deke play. Obviously he would significantly hurt the offense, but I think that would be offset by his shot blocking and his finger wag. At home, the entire crowd is energized which transfers down to the players and the entire momentum shifts. Free Deke!!
one year after jvg's departure the rockets still maintained the defensive intensity instilled in them. but two years after is too much time. the rockets forgot how to play defense without jvg constantly harping at them. it's like learning a language. if you go one year without practicing, you can still get by. but, two years, it's like back to square one.
you can't blame the players if the coach don't said a **** to the players that why adelman is a offense only coach,don't made any **** like puting the best roster option if that mean bench your star and captain.and coaching in practice and games what and what not the should be doing and leting do the same error again again and again
I'll agree to an extent. The players obviously have lost focus in the defense department. That with the combination of new players on the roster that are not that great on D make a recipe for disaster. At the same time though I still have to put some blame on Adelman. Rafer said himself, that when you dont practice the drills, it gets away from you. While I'm not saying that Adelman has not taken an approach to defense, he may have taken more of an emphasis on Offense. Part of this being because of the ever-changing lineups, he has had to emphasize offense more so that the players are able to get use to each other while also evaluating where they may be able to score best on the court.
I think there was still some carry over from the JVG defense that Adelman was able to use. This year, it's not as fresh in their minds and the philosophies are weaker. Poor coaching. It's happening far to often to be just on the players.
