After observing the team's reaction, it is obvious to me that JVG's teachings and habits embedded with this team. JVG is a good coach and had 4 years to drill his philosophy into these guys. During his tenure with the team, even the casual rockets fan could tell what kind of coach JVG was, he's a workaholic that wants to control all aspects of his team and make every possession perfect. His mentality is that every regular season game is huge, I'm sure that losing streaks drove JVG crazy and consequently drove this team crazy. I get the sense that Adelman has a different mindset from JVG. I'm not saying RA doesn't want to win, but you get the feeling that a few early losses won't drive RA crazy the way they drive JVG crazy. If you gave RA a choice between having the team learn on the fly so they can be better later in the year and winning a november game, He'd choose the former. When I watch the team play on ESPN with JVG as the announcer, I really get the feeling that RA is experimenting more than anything. When RA brought Luther Head in to play point late in the game in Miami, JVG was very surprised at the move: "We played Luther some at backup point last year, but never so late in the game." JVG certainly would have trotted out Rafer to stablize the team and go to the things he always does to win the game. It's not like RA doesn't know the strength and weaknesses of his players, he's had all training camp and I'm sure he's watched all the tape from last year. I think he just wants to put these guys in pressure situations and see what happens, even at the expense of losing a game or 2. It's funny to see how the difference in coaches affect the players. You have Yao and Tracy meeting with each other, Yao acting all gloom and doom because they are .500 in november. These guys need to remember that championships are won in June, not november. In Summary, I think our new coach has a different big picture mentality than our old coach. I don't know which approach is better but I'm going to be patient with this team. The coach is a proven guy, the talent is improved over last year. This team will be fine later in the year.
Agree with the post. However, here's the problem: winning every game does matter! We can't afford a number 5-8 seed. The West is too dang competitive. Realistically, I don't see us beating SA, Dallas, Phoenix, or Utah in a 7 game playoff series. We need a top 3 spot in order to make it past round 1. Every game does count, because we play in the Western Conference.
before the season started... many of us would have said being over .500 would be decent. you know how hard our games have been in november? we barely played any east teams, and thats half our schedule. so don't worry, if we get our head straight we'll be in the top 4 seed.
JVG was the team leader from the bench. Rick A. wants a leader on the floor. Big difference in coaching styles. I think Rick is forcing the guys to think for themselves. DD
No way. It's common knowledge that we'll finish 3rd in our division alone. Throw in Phoenix and Utah as division winners, and that gives us the 5 seed AT BEST. Here would be my order of the Western Conference: 1) San Antonio 2) Phoenix 3) Dallas 4) Utah 5) Denver 6) New Orleans 7) Houston 8) Lakers We lose to Phoenix in 5 games.
JVG.. To me.. is RESOLUTE... look it up...sums up what i like and hate about the guy... But make no mistake about it..JVG is one gooood coach...
I don't really care......everybody talks about how tough the West is and how we can't get out of the 1st round.....it's all true. But the only team in the West that I would truly fear is the Spurs....they are the undisputed champion, everyone else are either chokers, up-coming, or flawed in some shape or form. I think in really closely contested series, we can beat any team in 7 game series....as much as everyone says we don't stand a chance over the last 3 years. We've shown from times that we can beat any of the strongest teams in league....last year Utah barely got passed us with 75% Yao, a poor supporting cast, and stubborn JVG. We even had 2-0 lead on them. Same with Dallas. They barely beat us in few games last year without Yao, and lost to #8 team (with the MVP on their team).....seriously flawed somewhere that's not supposed to happen whocares about match-ups and former coaching staff. We've almost took them out a few years ago with a weaker roster. And even, the Suns are somewhat suspect. They're still not a great defensive team, on our worst days where still better than them defensively as much people complain about us. I don't see any NBA championship banners hanging up in their arena. Steve Nash, Amare Stoudmire, and other Suns can't shut down or slow down other teams best scorers when they have, to, especially when the player is a center or point guard. As much as some of the fans or posters on this board criticize the defense of Yao, T-Mac, Battier, and the Rockets as team......the Suns are supposed to be championship caliber team and their supposed to have all these great All-NBA players, but they can't slow down the other teams best players......and people conveniently blow off as haterism or some thing that really doesn't effect the team. I just don't understand.
y'all are crazy. if anything, we'll be the lowest at the 5th seed and face the jazz again. we proved to them we can beat them EARLY in the season. the reasons for the losing streak are: 1) defensive lapses 2) b/c adelman thought we were to slow in adapating, he went back to most of JVG's set plays => not good. we'll be fine
File this team under the "chokers, up-coming, or flawed in some shape or form". you have no right to talk about other teams being flawed when the rockets arent even mentioned in the same breath as the big three. in case you didn't notice, we havnt past the first round in 10 years, while the mavs, suns, and spurs, are perennial championship contenders...even Utah has accomplished more than us. i fear the Spurs the least because we match up the best with them, but they are still better than us. the Suns and Mavs kill us, hands down. theres no way we are beating them anytime soon.
Every team is flawed. But usually, team that wins it all is not as much as everybody else. Like I said in my original post, the Spurs are the only team that really needs to be mentioned. Mavs and Suns have do nothing impressive, but win a bunch of regular season games. First, the Mavs squander a championship to lesser Eastern conference team, a team that had 2-0 lead with 14 point half time advantage....where is their championship at? Next, they do give encore performance winning 67 games, but getting throttled by the 42 win Warriors in six games. If you supposedly a "championship contender" aren't you supposed to beat team who a week earlier was outside of the playoff picture. A few of the games were blow outs. Seriously is that really team deserves praise. Next are the Suns they've had some unfortunate events happened to them, but weren't they winning game 5 in 4th quarter last year and some how found way to lose. Also, didn't they barely win game 4, in which they got severely out played. Haven't they looked down right awful defense at times getting outrebounded by lesser teams and getting run out of stadium by the Lakers and struggling beating the Hawks and Heat. How come they can't win a championship, even though they have what everybody calls the best center and best point guard and best supporting cast in league...? 0 Western Conference Final Series victories, 0 NBA Championships in the last 5 years. I don't get it.
I don't think we'll finish below new Orleans or Denver. Most likely we'll be pitched against Utah again. Ouch!
Yes,he is. That's what causing Yao to get frustrated. Rick does need to recognize each players shortcomings as well as their strengths and make changes when things aren't going right.
i think rick is a phil jackson prototype. he rarely calls time outs even when the opponent makes long runs. he wants the players to think through the tough stretches by themselves. i like when coaches do that. but he needs to use the right players. i mean, alston can't never make a shot to help counter a run by the opposing team if he has to. but i like his coaching style. w/ JVG, we ALWAYS look to him before running a play. you have tmac and yao, u don't have to look to a guy who doesn't know how to coach offense to run your offensive plays
Why are you talking about other teams being flawed, when this team is evidently more flawed than them? I don't get it.
RA is like a Zen master: calm and smooth as silk even when things are falling apart. Smart. First couple of games he just threw them in water and let them swim for a while to see how each individual make decision, work together and communicate. RA never panic. After all this is creative offense required right chemistry. He said it before first couple months are time to test out the players and learning the system. And that's what he's doing. Learning new things take time and sometimes mistakes even with steep price. But I'd rather have a system where players learn to swim together under guidance and having freedom to react and be creativethan a system with someone shouting out commands all the time. Avery the "Little General" learned that lesson the hard way.
I like RA's approach, too. Especially with this team, they need to be able to think on the court more, because it's a big reason why this team lost in the 1st round the last two years. On offense, everything is predicated on T-Mac, Yao, and looking at and waiting for JVG. This year, I see the players taking a little more initiative.
I promise you, that approach with the Rockets is getting really old, it's time. NOW! It seems like the Rockets are always "figuring it out." That's baloney. You either have the horses or you don't. You can either do it, or you can't. The best teams in the West just keep winning the vast majority of their games. And, tonight, we are playing around with the Clippers. The Clippers!
