actually this is his 2nd year. and we've seen little improvement in offensive style except for the emergence of a good player in aaron brooks, landry, and scola getting to know the NBA game more. we're still playing a half-court style of basketball for the most part, with or without tracy. like i said last night, our offensive efficiency was TERRIBLE (21 assists for 38 baskets). we played A LOT of 1-on-1. utah on the other hand got 35 assists on their 49 baskets. we've gotten our season high in assists when tracy has been playing. so i don't know what adelman offense is being run b/c i don't see it even now. sure every team gets good cuts/screens here and there (we had that under JVG too), but for the most part, i'm seeing a typical inside-out offense.
fair enough, but I am holding Adelman to a shorter leash. JVG came in with a pretty young, inexperienced team, and people would be kidding themselves if they were talking about championship contender during his tenure with the exception of the 06-07 season. 2 years from now, the entire structure of the team will be completley different, and will be much too late.
JVG didn't inherit a team with T-mac, Yao at his peak, and a host of others ready to make a run. Hell, JVG didn't even inherit a playoff team. He had a lot more re-tooling to do than Adelman has had. And even then... you only gave JVG 2 real seasons before callin for his head non-stop during both the T-mac back injury year and his final year. You really only gave him a pass for the Sura-J.Barry-T-mac's first year... which probably was the best the Rockets have collectively played since Hakeem left here (and even then, you had doubts around mid-season... before Sura got healthy and helped turn this team around).
Damn DD, you are one hell of a lightning rod around here. Good thread, and anyone that thinks Feigen isn't telling us something here is blind. JVG is completely irrelevant and there are so many guys here that have their opinions hard-wired from Droopy Dog's jaw to realize he could have still been here if he'd wanted to be. At least JVG knows he screwed up even if people here can't deal with it. I also love how anything negative about TMac eventually becomes a Yao-bashing session and I guess it now includes "Adelman's wrong about everything" meanderings. Jeez...
This is the inherent problem that a lot of people have. Ron Artest's play easily overshadows McGrady's because of his physical, gritty style. McGrady has never been that kind of player, and it is unreasonable to suddenly expect him to become that kind of player in his weakened form. McGrady's style has always been so smooth that it never really looks like he's expending a lot of effort to do what he does, except for those times when he gets in the "zone" and takes over a game. Furthermore, he has been much less of the ball-dominating player he usually is and has played a lot more within the flow of the offense. The overall result is that it generally looks like he isn't really trying when compared to a player like Artest, and furthermore, when he isn't able to do what he normally does effectively, it is magnified so much that whatever he is actually able to do (pass, rebound, organize the offense) is barely noticeable. I do think, though, that Feigen knows something we don't for him to call out McGrady in his column, and furthermore, McGrady is going to have to go out of his way to show fans that he really is doing all he can to be productive for the team. That said, there's nothing new under the sun here. This isn't the first time we've seen lots of people criticize McGrady's effort, and each time that has happened we've seen him put the team on his back and carry them to an overachieving record by season's end. Somehow I don't think this season's going to be any different.
From the comments section... "As long as I can remember, this is the first time Jonathan is openly critizing McGrady for hs effort and heart. That means something. (I don't remember typing the words effort or heart. I am not foolish enough to presume to know how someone else's injury feels. I was concerned, however, that I was repeating myself because several weeks ago I wrote that he has to adjust his game to do the things his body will now allow, as opposed to playing the way he once could. -- Jonathan)" is feigen being pc here.?
Sounds like Feigen is kinda saying the same thing I was saying -- McGrady is looking bad because his knee is preventing him from doing what he normally does effectively, and that McGrady needs to go out of his way to make adjustments so that he can be productive on the court for the team. If I'm reading him correctly, he's saying that instead of sitting out, McGrady should stop trying to be his typical self and instead focus on doing other stuff. like rebounding and passing.
thanks.. Doesn't really seem like he calling t-mac out all that much. If thats calling him out, that is a pretty mild-mannered dude riight there.
Well, if you haven't ever read Feigen's articles or blog I could see how you might read this as no big deal.
It's a big deal and I think the mild-mannered Feigen is trying to backtrack. What's his explanation for writing, He [Artest] said, however, that he only played because Tracy McGrady did not, making McGrady's contribution on Saturday more significant than in either of the previous two games.
Absolutely no cutting with Head getting a layup early in the game and Scola on the and 1 from Artest out of the block to seal the game lastnight.
Hey Dada QUESTION: Isn't one of the knocks on Steve Francis was that he could not adapt after his athleticism was gone? How is T-Mac adjusting without his superior athleticism in your book? Rocket RIver
And if they had done more of that, the game would have never gone to 2 OT. The point is not to be taken as literally as apparently you have... the bottom line is that the offense has extended periods of stagnance that exceeds much of what we saw when JVG apparently coached a "boring offense". And save for Scola's man inexplicably leaving him (which isn't really a cut... more like a blown assignment), there was absolutely zero cutting in the 4th quarter and both overtimes.
Funny JVG never had a problem ripping Steve and Cuttino over the coals in the media. . . why the different treatment? Rocket River
Like being in a gun fight .. .and saving bullets for the next battle Rocket River . . . don't wanna be caught with a full clip . . . go down in a blaze of glory!
I did not have a problem with JVG until we lost the Utah series, and blew homecourt for a 2nd time, then compounding it with him not playing for the future and costing us Brandon Roy caused me to realize he was too myopic and risk averse to be a championship coach. Now, Adelman comes in, and I am willing to give him some time to get his type of play together, so far, I have found him to be far too soft....and would like him to be a little more engaged. But, JVG was not a championship coach, if Rick Adelman fails in the next few years too, he may need to go as well. But, let's give him the same chances, shall we? And Feigen is backtracking because he is basically a mouthpiece for the organization, he is the good cop to Blinebury's bad cop.....so when he questions TMac, to me it is speaking volumes. DD
This is stupid, JVG inherited a healthy TMac and a budding superstar in Yao.....and the team missed the playoffs by a whisker the year before under Rudy, and JVG won a grand total of 2 more games during the regular season in Yao's 2nd year....wooohooo..huge improvement....NOT. Horse crap, he was never my first choice, but I didn't give up on him completely until the Utah series...by then I could see that he was not nor would he ever lead this team to a championship. GOOD RIDDANCE !! And, I am not sure what this has to do with the TMac discussion Nick, perhaps you could enlighten us, or maybe you are just trying to get a dig in on some old JVG lovin you are missing? DD
the circumstances are not close to the same, so I don't agree that we should give Adelman the same chance. Like I said, he is on a shorter leash. The foundation has already been laid for him and Morey has given him plenty of weapons. I haven't made my verdict yet, but I don't see any reason to wait until 2010 so that he can turn thiings around.
