[Chron] Adelman: "There's nobody we can't beat."

Fair enough, I give credit to Adelman as well.

 

Look at the Rockets now. A franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since 1997 is a stealth contender in the Western Conference.
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Isn't this article be written too soon? Doesn't they say the exact same thing this time last year? Contender...

 

how long have you been watching the NBA?

you honestly think it's everyday in the NBA that a 2nd round pick and a guy from overseas turn out 9ppg 5 rpg on limited minutes?

you know how many "pretty good" lottery picks in the NBA need YEARS of experience to be ready to contribute in a major way?

you talk like a dude who doesn't know basketball. there's a reason some coaches are known as "players' coaches." JVG is a good coach but dude micromanages and tends to magnify mistakes until players double and triple guess themselves. I think there's a good chance that scola would get minutes under JVG and scola's playstyle actually wouldn't be negatively affected by JVG but there's no way Landry would have the same playing time or production.

RA's primary strength this year is his use of rotation and his ability to get production from the scrubs... those were JVG's primary weaknesses. Not that this is a JVG v RA thread but there is that difference between the 2 coaches. It's r****ded to minimize Adelman's role in getting good play out of the rooks. It's as stupid as saying JVG didn't have a big role in the excellent D the rockets play (but but with a big center of course you play good D, but but with shane battier hustle rubs off on everyone else for good D, but but but but but puke)

 

Carl Landry could be doing what he is doing for any team right now. He is very talented. Did Adelman "develop" his explosiveness? Did Adelman "develop" Brooks' speed and long range shooting? Don't be ridiculous.

I am not "minimizing" Adelman's role, he is a great coach. Just point out the fact that these were two EXCELLENT draft picks. Landry would still be Landry even if JVG was coach.

You guys act like these rookies would be lost without Rick. Please learn a bit about basketball and the NBA, this is a player's league.

 

JVG himself said that he didn't like playing rookies and while Landry, Brooks and Scola might still have the talent if JVG was still the coach I'm not sure how much playing time they would've gotten. Looking at JVG's tenure with the Rox the only two rookies who got a lot of playing time were Luther Head and Chuck Hayes who were needed to fill in gaping holes due to injuries. Brooks was on a team chock full of PG's and Landry had Hayes and Scola ahead of him. I'm not sure that if JVG was still coach you might see those guys getting much playing time.

 

you mean the "overseas" player that was an MVP and widely considered the best player? I had reservations about scola simply because "you never know" but dont make it sound like he was just some foreign guy that came out of no where.

Landry, is a surprise to a certain extent in that he has progressed so quickly. But then again, its not like he was ever a stiff. He was a VERY good college player with a lot of skill. Also, he wasnt completely himself his senior year either due to the knee injury his junior year so that could have easily cost him to drop in the draft.

that was one of his strenghts? really? news on me.


Well put Mr. Clutch. The whole "the coach developed these guys" is so overused and flat out silly. A player only gets better if he puts forth the effort and is committed. Yes, coaches "help" in that the tell the player what they need to do to improve, like decision making or rebounding, but it is ultimately up to the player to produce in those areas.

Conversely, you dont develop natural talents like ABs quickness and Landry's explosion.


AB is a competitor who improved himself each year in college...same goes for landry...Scola is also in that same category...even novak is a hard worker (but obviously limited in abilities).

last thing, i think people confuse "developing" with just good old fashioned "getting comfortable" with the play of the NBA

 

Which other rookies did JVG have a chance to play?

How many rookies did JVG bench who eventually went on to excel at other teams? VSpan, for example, is out of the league. He was exhibit A in the anti-JVGers arguments

I've mentioned it before- the guys JVG and Adelman play have been remarkably similar:
Rafer- big minutes
Francis- traded or benched
Mike James- traded under both coaches!
Bonzi- doghoused or traded
Luther- consistent minutes (Adelman reversed his early mistake of not playing him)
Hayes- significant role until the emergence of rookies
T-Mac/Yao- rarely bench both at the same time

On the basis of that, I think JVG would be giving Scola and Landry significant minutes.

 

The talent level of this years's team is so much better.

I think the big credit that Adelman should get is for Rafer's improved play. Cause I can't figure out how Rafer would make a difference on his own.

I think where Gundy built this team solely around playing off of Yao and T-mac, with a lot of structure, Adelman allows a lot more offensive freedom, and that gets players to play better and become more involved in the game at both ends of the court.

That is, they have more fun. Where Gundy wanted everyone to do things his way, which was a great way, Adelman tries to get people to do things at what they are good at a bit more. And what they are comfortable doing.

What Gundy left his mark on this team was the defensive intensity and the belief in how critical it is to winning, so guys like Battier carry that spirit on....in a way, JVG is still coaching D through Shane.

The team offense is definitely better though, and there are two signs of that:

1. we have less 24 shot clock violations
2. more assists.

 

I agree with this post 100%

DD

 

What do people keep saying this? Landry is known to be a great practice player, and he has a wonderful attitude. In his short stints on the court, he played well and earned more playing time. He competes. There's no reason to think Van Gundy wouldn't have given him minutes if he impressed like has this season. JVG gave opportunities to the young players last year to stick in the rotation, and they didn't take advantage of it.

 

i think you misrepresent what JVG said or at least what his overall point was.

ok. what other rookies did the rockets have during JVGs tenure that jumped out at you and said "man, he should play!"??? or the better question is, what rookie under JVGs tenure has actually proved a damn thing in the NBA? {crickets}

that team "chock" full of pgs that brooks is on, how have those other pgs done ? it would seem that brooks filled a gaping hole this year at backup PG after watching MJ and francis try to play. Then again, lets not overstate what brooks has done. He's shown flashes of his ability but he's hardly played that well on an overall basis.

Landry is a good question, however. The answer? Who knows. Would JVG have seen landrys hard work in practice and rewarded him with time in the game? I dont see why not.

and a side note about landry. I wouldnt say he has been "given" his playing time, rather he has "taken" it. Meaning, he produced so much in his limited minutes you cant not play him. Remember, adelman was fairly reluctant to play him early on. In fact, you could even argue that the move was a little slow ( i wouldnt, but you could)

 

Azubuike?

 

I just found this funny. It seems like the team was not creative enough to run this offense b/c they were too used to the rigid system under JVG.

 

probably because they are mistake prone. But even Gundy gave his rookies plenty of opportunities. VSPAN actually played in quite a few games but blew most of his opportunities and whines a lot. And Novak didn't the the hardwood until the second half of the season with Adelman as a second year player - so even Gundy had played him more by that point.

I think Landry Brooks and Scola were of a higher talent grade and they earned their playing time. JVG doesn't have an irrational bias against rookies, and I believe he played a few in his tenure as Knicks head coach as well.

 

fair points but a few things to consider.

I dont think rafers play is really that "improved". His numbers are nearly identical save less minutes and a .02 improvement on his FG% (he is also down .02 on 3pt%, but whatever). I do think rafer has less pressure on him because he does have more offensive weapons to defer to and thus he doesnt have to be so aggresive trying to score, which isnt his game.

I will also take issue with "rafer wouldnt make a difference on his own" statement. He is a very smart basketball player. I wouldnt underestimate his ability to realize what he needs to do to help the team.

Offense centering around yao and tmac comment: It still does! however, the team also has more guys who are able to score this year so that naturally helps relieve some scoring pressure.

about offensive freedom. this is another thing that gets tossed around a lot but i dont really get. I've heard Jon barry comment a few times that JVG actually gives a lot of freedom on offense. We are saw JVG take out players for stupi plays on the defensive end, i dont remember too many taken out for stupid offensive plays.

But even beyond that, this is basketball, NBA at that. Part of the game is improvising on offense. Cutting when you see a lane, sliding to an open spot in the paint, etc etc.

Team offense being better statement...??? they do avg about one more assist but they also average about 1 point less per game. There are more people who can score effectively, i would agree with that for sure.

shot clock violations...do you actually have those numbers?

 

amazing. adelman must have tought him how to shoot! I wonder if Adelman will go to the hospital today and touch the cancer patients to cure them

 

i am not sure about from a statistical perspective, but his shot selection and passing is much better than last year. also, keep in mind that he had a horrid start from the first half of the year and that's probably canceling out his improved play of late. in fact, if he's matching last years numbers, it shows his play had to improve in order to make up for the first 30 games where he sucked big time.

same with the assist and point numbers - gotta look at the last 20 games as opposed to the whole season, really were were a different team prior to jan 1st.

and yes tmac and yao are the center, but the offense doesn't completely revolve around them meaning if teams focus hard on them there are other options other then passing out of a double team which is what we did last year. now the ball can move to other players first and then back to tmac or yao when they are in better position. Yaomac has to work less hard to get the ball in better spots. And that's the key difference. Sure we still keep some of last year, but there more options in how the ball moves.

Remember, the team of the last 20-25 games isn't the same as the one for the first 20-25 games. It's not this season vs. last, it's the way the team is playing now versus last.

It took a while to incorporate all these folks. I think you;ll see the statistical difference next year but if you want a hint, just cut out nove and dec and recalc the differences.

Another indicator is that we aren't taking as many shots with the shot clock below 5 as we did last year. I know it from watching the games, but i am sure if anyone can produce a stat it will back it up.


Finally, we still have to see how this team performs in a game where a defense tightens up - in our win streak our only big test for that was against Sac-town and we failed it (thanks for saving us novak). So the verdict is still out - blowing a team out is great, but what about when we have a 5 point lead with 9 minutes left and the opposing team starts to play very strong defense - we'll see if we stall like we have in the past or not. That's the last thing i really need to see.

 

Love this CONFIDENCE! Let's go all the way!

 

Rafer in the month of Feb (vs. last year)

FG% 42.9% (37.5%)
3 PT FG% 39.3% (36.3%)
Assists 7.6 (5.4)

That's a pretty good improvement especially the fg% and assist numbers.

 

Good to know it!