http://www.khou.com/sports/khou_030306_jt_mattabouttown.334358bc.html "I don't know about you, but I laugh everytime I listen to local radio talk shows and hear the trashing of Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich . This guy has accomplished more in basketball at every level than most of us could even dream of. And if you think he's lost touch with the latest trends in the game, well, you don't know Rudy T. The chorus to "Dump Rudy T" gets louder everytime the Rockets come one step closer to missing the playoffs. Truthfully, maybe our expectations were a little high thinking the Rockets were a playoff lock. I still think they have enough talent, but of course it won't be all Rudy T's fault if they don't. Certainly, he should shoulder part of the blame and he will if that happens. He knows that's part of his job. But to hear people say he has lost his skill to teach is laughable. And I can prove it. I threw out a scenario to Rudy T one day before Rockets practice involving the youth basketball team I coach. In typical Rudy T fashion, he went out on the court with me and walks through the solution. I've been around basketball my entire life, but I've never heard a more concise solution to a defensive problem. He then flipped me the basketball and ran his own practice. Clearly, I am a little bias towards Rudy, I admit. Thanks to his advice and that of Rice's Willis Wilson , my team won its championship in the Cy-Fair Sports Association this season. Now, do some of the guys Rudy T coaches for a living always buy into his philosophies? That's up for debate. Is Rudy T always perfect with the strategies he draws up? No, but no coach is perfect. But has he let the game pass him by? Certainly not. And should he be removed as head coach? Definitely not. If the Rockets miss the playoffs next year with yet another high draft pick in their stable -- yes, Rudy T should feel some pressure. But for observers to claim that somehow he has become a bad coach this season is ludicrous. I have a new championship trophy in my house to prove it.
Nevermind that our team has underperformed all year long. Nevermind that we can't play a lick of defense. Nevermind that we have no concept of team basketball..... As long as Matt freakin' Musil says everything is okay, then it must be.
This Musil guy admits that he is little biased towards Rudy but he laughs when he hears people criticizing Rudy T. What is point of this piece? He did not even give us at least one up-to-date reason why Rudy should not be "called-out" - he (Matt) only proved to us that he is an unqualified coach of a freaking youth basketball team. Ahhhhh....
You'd think a man that speaks like he knows the Rockets would know that they won't have "another high pick in their stable".
Well, Matt "Freakin'" Musil gets PAID to do this while nobody here (Clutch included) does. I am just guessing, but he probably gets paid for knowing a little more about bball and the team than you or I. I am not saying he's always right (although he is in this case), but it is ignorant to dismiss him altogether.
I think it is silly question Rudy's basketball IQ. Do you know of another coach that has changed the way that pro basketball has been played the way Rudy has. Here are two examples, the first the use of the three point line with a big man. Three point shooting went drastically up after Rudy won a championship with that system. This is the same offense that Pops and Phil used to win the last 4 championships. The second is the ISO offense. As much as this offense is boring, it was highly effective. The zone rules were added to eliminate something that Rudy exploited. I consider Rudy the number one reason why this change was put in place. Rudy is a smart coach. I understand some peoples argument that Rudy's coaching style might not fit this young undisciplined team and I respect that argument. But to question Rudy's basketball IQ is to me unbelievable.
The Rockets won't have yet another high draft pick in their stable, even if they miss the playoffs, given that the pick has been traded away. So what your saying is this guy gets paid to not even know the simplest of facts about the Rockets, i.e. their draft picks status? Whoever is paying him should start saving their money and get someone who actually follows the Rockets, maybe.
Phil Jackson uses the triangle, always has on his championship teams The last two years would tell you differently. While teams like Dallas, Sacramento, New Jersey were running up fabulous records, the past two years for the Rockets, when they ahve been using ISO the most, have been much much less successful. Want to add three years ago? Go ahead, it still is crap in comparison to other schemes. The NBA did not institute the zone offense to stop Rudy T. Was his ISO schemes the culmination of a number of years of decreased team play and increased use of solely individual athletic talent? Yes. But it was something the NBa had been thinking about for a while. I don't think anyone, myself included, questions Rudy's basketball I.Q. I definitely question his ability to teach fundamental skills to his players to get them to play as they should, instead of as they think they should. And sometimes I do question his offensive schemes (as clearly others in the league are working better, with G. State being the most recent example - again a lot of this is the players not doing what he asks, I understand that) and rotations, but I know Rudy understands basketball. I've just seen the results and, young team (it's not really that young, either, Indiana is younger, S.A. is as young, etc) or not, they should be doing better, not in terms of record, but in terms of how they play and progress.
Rudy T. can adjust to zone defense. He is good for Yao's development as he helps Dream win 2 championships. BUT we need more assistant coaches! especially young, smart and hard-working assistant coaches!
Maybe someone should tell him that we will not have another high draft pick in our stable next season. Memphis gets our high draft pick in their stable next season.
I don't know if Shaq is the number one reason for zone defense, but I'm sure he should be ahead of Rudy.
Coaches need their players to 'get it' Matt Musil didn't get it. Rox don't get it. It's not Rudy's abilities to X and O it's his ability to penetrate the minds and soles (basketball soles) to move this team forward. I love Rudy, but can you fire the roster? Which he assembled? Or do you ... what else ???
So if Rudy, who mind you has the reputation as a communicator and player's coach, can not get through to the players, then who can? That is why no change is in the horizon as far as the head coach goes. Alot of the Rudy detractors feel the players will of the sudden snap and listen to whoever is the new coach. I personally don't see this happening.
What were everyone's expectations of this team before the season started? And be honest! Under 41 or so wins? Up to 50 wins? 60 wins? Un-friggin-defeated? I think people expect to much from this team, and because their expectations aren't fulfilled, they take it out on the coach and/or players. I'll admit it, at the start of the season I would have been happy ending within the 40-45 win mark. It is still possible, and realistic. Next year, after this team has played a full 82 games PLUS a whole pre-season together (remember, Yao wasn't with us until right before the opener), and barring injuries, we are still lingering around 41 wins by the end of the season, then changes will have to be made. You can't just thrust a team together and expect them to win on talent alone.
Excellent article. Rudy T. shouldn't be moving anywhere. Blame some on him, but blame 95% on it on the young players (2nd youngest team in the league, I should add) and the fact that this is their first year playing with Yao, 2nd year with Eddie (and note, Eddie has no college experience) and besides Rice, this team has no experience hardly in the league, more less in the playoffs. Rudy T. is doing a great job giving what he has to work with. Good job Rudy, keep up the good work.
