Looks like the team is starting to get it ========================================================== Rockets' hybrid offense clicks Adelman uses whatever elements work in situation By JONATHAN FEIGEN INNEAPOLIS — Rick Adelman had all kinds of ideas and plans for the Rockets' offense. Then the season started. He has them tucked away somewhere, the results of years of coaching and offensive success. But Adelman has had to adjust some of the plan, postpone much of it, and junk a portion. The result has been an offense different than the one he imagined. There are touches of the philosophies sprinkled around, but concepts have been superseded by what has worked. And despite all the changes — and some injuries and illnesses — the Rockets' offense seems to have found itself. "It's like any other system," Adelman said. "In this league, you have to go with the talent you have. You can't manufacture something if it's not good for everybody. We've tried to tweak things and put some stuff in." Scoring average rises The Rockets do seem to be getting somewhere. In the 10 games (including eight wins) since the previous game against the Timberwolves, whom they face tonight, the Rockets averaged 100.6 points, making 46.8 percent of their shots. Prior to that surge, the Rockets had been averaging 94.5 points, making 43.9 percent of their shots. The Rockets have not moved fully to the Adelman offense, choosing to emphasize Yao in the low blocks and in pick-and-rolls with Tracy McGrady. Injuries to Rafer Alston, Aaron Brooks and McGrady also have been factors. "When (McGrady) was out, I said, 'We're going to run our stuff,' " Adelman said. "We know it works. You have to make harder cuts; you have to do things. We're not running, but we're trying to do some things." There was so much greater emphasis on ball and player movement when the Rockets played without McGrady that they no longer try to shoehorn the ball inside, a tendency that stagnated their offense and led to some of the season's worst losses. They became balanced by necessity without McGrady and have seen at least four players score in double figures, a rarity early in the season, in each of their past six games. "I think the guys really did a great job of learning the system, playing off the ball, moving the ball, playing off each other extremely well, getting Yao the ball, letting him put pressure on the defense, kicking it out to the shooters and, most important, knocking down shots," Mc- Grady said of the offensive improvement that began when he was out. "Rafer got more aggressive. Shane (Battier) got more aggressive on the offensive end. Luis (Scola) is playing with a great deal of confidence. The young guys got a chance to play." Still, the offense is more dependent on play calls than Adelman prefers. Though some of those plays are typical of Adelman — getting McGrady catch-and-shoot opportunities around screens and getting Yao rolling to the low post — there has been little use of Yao on the high post and less freewheeling motion. Execution remains critical "What we'd like to do is when people get used to doing certain things, read what the defense is taking from you," Adelman said. "We're still very predictable in running different sets. We almost have to make calls to change the way we're going to approach a certain play or set. You'd like to have that happen just in the flow of it and not have to make a call. "But that's just typical. I think this is all new to the guys. We've kind of responded with certain things we think are good for certain players and the team itself. We kind of stayed with that and made it pretty simple." Lately, Adelman has found a way to make it work. Though the style has changed, that was the plan. "You get to a point that you have to execute it right," Adelman said. "You can keep adding stuff, but if you don't do it right, it's not going to help. You're better off ... zeroing in on things that are good and executing those right, because if your talent is good enough, you're going to be able to score." ========================================================== It has taken half the season for our coach to understand the strengths of our players and our players to trust the coach. But I like the direction the team is going.....and the offense is starting to flow. DD
What input did Adelman have in the amassing of this roster? What happened when he interviewed to make him, Alexander, and perhaps Morey believe he could coach the roster the documented by years Adelman way? And why can he not impose his will and skill in The Toy Shop?
Meh, that is just coach speak...everyone says it. There is a massive difference in the way the offense is being run this year...cuts, back picks, everyone moving (most of the time) and it is really starting to pay off. DD
No, Will has a point. What he is alluding to, I believe, is the situation earlier in the season where Adelman was trying to just make the team run his offense rather than first tweaking the offense to utilize each player's strengths --> Yao in the high post, for example. The offense is different, but now you do see players playing to their strengths again -- Yao is back on the low blocks and playing off pick and rolls like he should, Battier is playing defense and spot-up shooting like he should, and our guards are all playing to their strengths. The result is that now the Rockets finally have an offense that can, theoretically, always get a good shot every trip down the court regardless of what the defense throws at them, and that's what we signed up for to begin with.
Good Morning DD That's what I was thinking. It may take 2-3 yrs to build a contender and win the championship. Let's don't call it rebuilding, let's call it prolonged tweaking.
Rhester, there is a massive difference between tweaking and rebuilding. Adding a piece here or there, or getting some young players some experience as you build to contender status is NOT rebuilding. It is tweaking, and it takes time and chemistry to work out, it is not an exact science. Whereas rebuilding is what Memphis is about to go through and our opponent tonight the T-pups are experiencing this year. DD
Just change my to a and I hope you realize that was tongue in cheek. I'm really satisfied with the current progress. Defense is really good (which contrary to media hype is the main reason we are playing better) We are currently ranked #2 in the league in opposing FG % and I like that regardless who's coaching the team. The offense has returned to a focus on Yao in the low block and more of a half court offense which fits our starters to a "T". Landry, Brooks and Scola all are playing very well and Bonzi is giving some good minutes also occasionally. TMac and Yao stay healthy and I think we will finish strong. As far as rebuilding goes- let's don't call this one until we see how TMac holds up and they prove they are able to play with the big dogs in the postseason.
I agree. I don't think that this is the same offense that we had under JVG. Sure some of it is the same, but there are differences. Let's keep rolling!!
The offense is most certainly different. Yao in the low-post is something that shouldn't change, as it is where he is the most dominant, but you can tell by the cuts and the motion that the offense is different, not to mention the personnel on the floor (Scola, Landry, Brooks, Wells). I feel the Rockets are playing better and better as the year progresses, and given the fact that we are only a few games behind the 4th-5th seed and only six games behind the 1st seed, I think we are only getting stronger.
The biggest and probably only difference in the offense is occasionally Battier is spotting up for a mid range jumper, Rafer is attacking a lot more than last season and we have four new offensive threats- Scola, Landry and Brooks and the occasional outburst from Bonzi. Scola and Landry have done more to change our offense (boxscores will bear this out) because we were getting zero points from the 4 last season. Now there are legitimate scorers for other teams to guard at the PF.
Lots of differences, Yao is moving around more and is not just going to the low post, in fact he is posting up in the middle on the move a lot....good adjustment. Also, many more cutters from different areas when Yao has the ball. Scola moves extremely well into open space, and has a great propensity for the elongated layup.....where he reaches around defenders to lay it in...nice. The Rockets are doing much more at going TO the basket and much less of shooting the 3 point shot off the pass out by Yao this year. Massive difference.....in system and in players. DD
When teams play tough defense on us and contest every pass and shot, the offense will revert right back to what it was last year. This difference is we have better players at PF and at backup PG. We can hope this is good enough to make the playoffs and maybe win a series. If we make the playoffs, the system won't be "massively" different at all. Having Scola and Landry at PF instead of Chuck could end up being huge.
We are always looking good when Battier hitting his 3s at >50%, a confident Rafer and our active PFs are contributing. But, this team is Yao and TMAC's team. The offense in the last game were ugly as usual because Yao&TMAC. TMAC 27 FGA which made Bucks look like a good defensive team by not playing much defense. Yao was shooting soft jumpers at his old 40% facing a soft Bogut. For the hybrid offense to take off, Yao and TMAC have to lead. They have to improve.
this stuck out like a sore thumb. why was tmac's absence considered an opportunity to run adelman's offense?
Because no other player can replace T-Mac's role on the team. We weren't going to win with Luther Head or Bonzi Wells pretending they're T-Mac.
