Solid - I am quoting Solid to start this thread because I truly do understand where he's coming from and he, I and a few others seem to consistently reach the same conclusions (although sometimes with varying levels of frustration.... ) so it got me to wondering (always a dangerous proposition).... There seems to be a select group of members on CC.net who agree on most ROX decisions including, Solid, Yetti, DD and myself. Those I mentioned tend toward more elegance in their posts than I do..... but still, in spirit we agree. For example on the whole Joe Smith debate, I and those above are all wanting, well.... MORE!!!! It makes me wonder, of those who think Joe Smith (or someone of that caliber) is the right way to go, how long have you been a member of CC.net or ROX fan in general? For those opposed and "spurring" (sorry needed a pun somewhere) the ROX on toward a bigger "splash" in the PF - F.A. market, what's your tenure on CC.net or as a ROX fan? I ask, because I think BB IQ is not only related to the players on the court. I played in high school and in several amateur leagues 'till my knees gave out in my late 30's. I started playing in leagues when I was 8. I played and watched my entire life, including ABA Ball while living in Kentucky during some of my formative years. I became a member of CC.net around the time we got Steve Francis. Here's an example of what I mean by BB IQ: I think some people could see early on in JVG's career that he was holding the reins a little too tight, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the reason for both his success and his failure as a coach. Other's meanwhile either tend to agree with Mgmt out of reflex, or perhaps because they doubt their own ability as an arm-chair GM, or for maybe it's because they're newer to the game that Les Alexander and "RocketBall" play. So, I'm wondering if there's a connection to "belief" in ROX Mgmt that is connected to your age, personal Bball experience (as a player or ref), time as a fan (ROX or NBA in general) and/or time spent on CC.net in particular. Whether you agree with me or not, I believe that Les has put the wrong people in the wrong spot on multiple occasions, and had he received input from any of the long time members of this board (and in this instance I DO NOT include myself), he could have/and likely would have done MUCH better overall. The team that won two trophies was built by Steve Patterson and Rudy. Since Les put CD in charge of players and salaries we've had more hits than misses, which is why we've struggled so mightily even while having some of the best talent in the league. Morey is in my opinion, the wrong guy at the wrong time. If we were a new or struggling franchise, then yeah, I think he'd be worth the risk. But we're SO freakin' close to a WCF matchup with either San Antonio or Dallas that I have visceral reactions when I see us screwing up, especially by comparision to those teams we're chasing. So, if you have the time, summarize your own NBA Bball IQ type experience (on and off court) and how you think it affects your reaction to ROX decisions. Oh, and have a nice day !!
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So clearly, rather than answer something I think is relevant and which I am curious about, you would rather find fault with the post and use your tech skills with imaging to digitally shrug your shoulders in disgust. You MUST be a Les and Morey kinda guy. Right?
I think bb iq was a necessity under JVG, he demanded everyone to have a doctorate in defense and to know the opposing team's schemes and players like a star wars fan knows natalie portman's red blood cell count. However, not all players are capable of studying the books, especially since...well, they're jocks. I remember that during the playoffs, yao was talking about memorizing a phone book of plays on the other team (which apparently was ineffective). I'm sure yao and battier memorized the hell out of those books, but if the whole team can't do it, then plugging them with too much information will be more of an encumberance than help. If the team was made up of shane battiers, well things might be different. I think under adelman, BB IQ is still important, but not as much because he molds the team around his players and works on their strengths instead. He's not going to expect Tmac to know and follow complicated set offensive plays because Tmac is as much as a rhthym player as you can get and works best on his own terms. Under Adelman, I think the most important BB IQ that is going to be required from the players is that they know the strengths, weaknesses and comfort zones of each other incredibly well so that they can function as a unit on the court. Under an Adelman offense, knowing where the hell everyone is will have to be second nature. Maybe I'm extrapolating too much from what I watched in Sacramento, but I think those aspects are going to be a larger part of how adelman runs the team and what he's going to expect out his players. IMO, that will be much more manageable than trying to dowload JVG's defensive playbooks. mmmm...BBQ....
You want to make a big splash, you always have to give up something. We've got guard depth, but it isn't quality depth, it's like having Jason Collins, Mikki Moore, Carl Landry and any NBDL big man on the same team, sure you've got lots of options, but they are all terrible options. Besides, I'm sure that Morey is doing thing other than just Joe Smith, he was hired for a reason, and aiming to get one single player for the entire offseason isn't one of those reasons, he can multi-task. But other than Joe Smith, any candidates for PF that our crappy guards can get? And of course there is always the old arguement that 'they can't guard the Garnetts and Duncans of the Western Conference'. Joe Smith may not be the answer to our prayers (we are all praying for a Lucas for Garnett trade of course) but there are hardly any better options within our reach.
Smastastic - Thanks for asking one of the right questions to a response that offered so little in this thread.... For future wordsmiths; Things (including people) can be "elegant." This includes clothing, furniture, and even the way someone chooses to combine words in his or her sentences. If one is thoughtful and careful in constructing any type of written material, it may then be thought of (by some) as "elegant" and the writer might also be described as "eloquent" in his/her writing or speaking. Typically though, "eloquence" is associated with speaking rather than writing. The words a person writes can be many things. Elegant is only one. For those reading, I'm really interested in learning more about others on CC.net, and how they come to their opinions. I offered a little Bio information, because I have an intense interest in whether the Rockets do well or not. In addition, my own B-ball background informs (and in some cases, misinforms) my own opinions here. So, for those who've responded but not understood my original request, I'm still wondering how you've developed your own sense of B-ball "I.Q.". On the other hand, if my writing is somehow "inelegant" then you may want to move on to another thread.
Another masturbatory thread by a member of the r****d club. Blah blah blah... we need more hall of fame quality players on this team and the coach should make his decisions basked on a poll of clutchfans.net members.
Putting my "credentials" down first (as requested): I've coached and refereed at various levels, am still playing, and have played in pretty competitive competitions - started on a team that won everything for 4 years straight, and on similar teams that couldn't get out of first gear. Ok - now my assessment for you. I think the key to success on the basketball court is 'combination', certainly you need some star players, particularly those who will get the job done at the important times, but then you need need NEED to support those players with the right combination of other players. But, before you try and get the right support players, you need to decide which players are being supported, judge their strengths (and weaknesses) and add the right peices. The key to a team the wins often, but is not a success, is a system. If you have the right system, you can plug in most any player (who is willing) and results will come your way. The highly controlled, but less talented team, often wins the game. For mine this sums up the difference between the Jeff Van Gundy style of coach and the Rudy Tomjonavic style. JVG had his system, he plugged players into it and always had strong seasons. On the other hand RudyT looked at his cattle, assessed strengths and played to them --> who can forget the "iso" offence with Francis and Mobley? But yet this approach twice netted him success with a strong enough star and the right supporting peices, and provided deep playoff drives on other occasions. In terms of GMs - I liked CD, he made positive moves, but I felt he was 'soft' and always gave away more than he needed too. Not only in trades, but also when inking players to deals - he'd overpay for players that had filled a niche for us, but weren't "next level" type players. Morey I know nothing about - but I can only hope that he isn't just the same. I applaud the moving on of Gundy - I don't feel he is a championship coach - but I'm not certain Adelman is either... Let's see what Morey offers Chuck Hayes - he was typical of the style of player that CD would overpay for - are we really in a new era?
I think you mean "do not" agree with most of the Rox decisions. Personally, I think the Rockets have been mismanaged since the Patterson era. IMO, he built the championship teams. Since then, in the CD era, bad drafts, bad contracts, bad trades have been more frequent than not. The Rox org. has dug themselves a hole that is hard to get out of. Wasn't Morey involved in building the Celtics? That's not too encouraging. All we can do is wait and see. If I were TMac or Yao I would be pressuring the Rockets to bring in better role players. I know it is not as easy as it sounds, but the elite teams seem to do it. I LOVE the team, but if I could change the ownership and the management team, I would. I played city league basketball into my forties. I am 6'4" 220, and I still shoot well. That's about it. I coached a little, played alot. I really enjoy the game. I used to have a 36" vertical, but that was years ago. Now it is about 3". On good days!
There are several very ardent Rockets fans here, who have followed the team since they moved to Houston, have had a very close association with UH, and have followed the Cougars from the days of Elvin Hayes, Ken Spain (my sister went to high school with him), and Don Chaney, to the days of Phi Slama Jama, with Clyde, Akeem, Michael Young, Larry Micheaux and Alvin Franklin. Some of us have lurked here since the CC.com days, as well. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what your point is, or what the hell, exactly, you're talking about. Can't you find a broader brush in your paint can?
1. I played High School ball at Aldine, played at San Jac for 2 years in college, and now I am a member of TASO and ref high school and jr. high and I also ref 2 church leagues a week (10 games). 2. Sure I would like more than Joe Smith. Garnett, Shaq, Brand, Kobe, and Lebron all sound like good additions too, but really, I'm sure with 2 max contracts we would have to sacrifice either a star or serious depth to get a great player. I know I'm not making phone calls to the leagues GM's and scouting players through trades so I can't say what deals could be made. What exactly are you asking for. Your thread seems a little selfish. Everyone in here has a different off-season plan. The point of this forum is to share ideas and discuss. Yeah some posters have more knowledge of the game than others, but it is what it is. No basketball forum is idiot proof and moron-free. Sorry. What is your plan again??? I dont think I caught it in that narritive rough draft you submitted. 3. My plan is probably horrible in some eyes, but I would have this happen this off-season: a. Draft Glen Davis at #26 b. Trade Battier for Wilcox c. Use the MLE on Matt Barnes (to replace Battier) d. Use the LLE on either Magloire, PJ Brown, or Joe Smith e. Resign Chuck Hayes and Dikembe Mutumbo P.S. I love the Mike James trade!!!
You seem to basically be implying that everyone who disagrees with you has a low bball IQ. Even if you didn't mean for it to sound that way...it does come off like that. (Especially in concert with one of the posts I've read from you previously that was pretty similar to this one.) I don't think I agree with you on everything. I do think my bball IQ is high. I don't see why I have to prove it, nor do I see how stating my random credentials would actually prove it. I knew plenty of people that played a ton of high school ball purely on athleticism or height. If you still need info on my "fandom", I'll at least say that I've followed pretty intently since '92, I've watched a lot of the '86 team, and I've been reading clutchcity since '99. Why you think that impacts my thoughts on Joe Smith and the like, I'll never understand. If you want to be taken seriously, stop posting things that imply that you're more intelligent than 99% of the board. Just make intelligent points...and intelligently argue against the points you disagree with.
