So just to clarify this isn't a knee-jerk thread, its just something I've been noticing since the first year RA arrived. IMHO DM and RA just don't compliment each other. In a nutshell, Moreyball is a philosophy that gets undervalued assets and strives to get the best bang for your buck in whatever situation is present. By its very nature you're going to end up doing small deals that tilt the balance in your favor, such as trading down your draft pick to get something extra. The end result of this is you usually end up with a lot of solid players on cheap contracts over that overpaid high flying star. Although we call it Moreyball, honestly this type of approach is also present in other sports, and in the hands of the right coach (such as football coach Bill Bellichick of NE patriots), this kind of philosophy can be very successful. However I believe RA is as far away from being the "right coach" as possible for this kind of philosophy. To illustrate let us look at the good things about our roster: *Depth from top to bottom *A lot of guys have narrow but defined skillsets, forming a versatile "tool kit" depending on the situation *Healthy mix of young, high potential guys, savvy vets, and players in their prime In the NBA, there are a lot of coaches who enjoyed having these kind of rosters like PJ (prime Shaq, young Kobe, vets), Pops (young Parker, Prime Manu and Duncan, vets) and JVG (Prime Mac/Yao, washed up Knicks, young Head and Hayes). However something all these guys have in common is these guys are all masters at x's and o's. They don't just have that text-book knowledge, but they can read the ebb-and-flow of the game and make changes accordingly. To them, the game on the court is like a chess match, full of moves, countermoves and counter-counter moves. With Adelman though, the game is like a simulation, wherein he puts in all the necessary work beforehand and all he has to do is watch it unfold. Looking at his record, there's no doubt his approach also works, but the roster has to fit his mentality. During Sacramento's heyday, RA had only had like 6 guys he can focus on, with the rest of the roster being swappable parts. There weren't much adjustments to be made, all 6 guys got around 25-35 mins of play and the rest went to the "other guys", probably chosen depending on which starter got winded first. That approach won't fly with this roster though, as can be seen by our 0-3 hole. DM's created roster is for a master tactitian, not a simulations expert. The depth or toolkit we have is wasted, and actually becomes a detriment because RA doesn't know who to play anymore. It works in the first half because RA has time to sort it out before the game, but after the opponent makes his first counter RA can only watch as his planned rotations go to the crapper. All these problems with have, the late game melt downs, the crap executions out of timeouts, the lack of discipline, the searching for an identity...all these can be pointed out to RA being unwilling or unable to cope with the demands of the roster DM handed him. SO IMHO something's got to give, either DM replaces RA with a coach more suited to his style, or he trades most of his depth for a star in order to make things simpler for Rick the Ruler. More urgently though, I think he needs to sit down with RA and get him to play our rookies. Hill and PP need the PT either to showcase them for trades or for development, making them ride the pine esp. after their promising preseason games makes zero sense. I don't care how overwhelmed RA is over his roster, playing your two lottery picks should be common sense.
I don't really agree with that. Just because we haven't landed a star doesn't mean we're not trying to and it's against the grain of our philosophy. If that were true, we wouldn't have gone after Amare or Bosh (depends on how loosely you use the term "star") or thrown our hat into the the Carmelo sweepstakes. Lack of results doesn't mean it's not part of our philosophy. And Morey's probably one to tell you that due to the cap, max contract players are worth more than what their contract is. The ultimate bang for the buck.
I am going to agree. I like Rick but I really think it's time to part ways. If we can't trade the players, than let's get a coach who has more discipline.
And that isn't going to matter. Mr. Chips has assembled a cute roster with lots of good but no great players. Overvaluing depth. Overwhelmingly, NBA history has shown those teams aren't real contenders. You need an alpha dog. You need a player somewhere in the top 10 players in the game, at some point. (cue the lone exception of the Pistons).
I know we need an Alpha dog, but how many times have you heard Rick's offense is about sharing the ball??????? Alpha Dog, doesn't share.
I hear lots of stuff, frankly....but this one is vastly overstated. Rick's offense was at its best when Chris Webber was in it and was finishing First Team, All NBA and fourth in MVP voting. To hear it said here, you'd think you could just run Rick's system with a bunch of mediocre players and challenge for a title...if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. And no one would be coveting the best players in the game. This is the NBA...stars win.
I think he was unlucky, his fallacy is trying to recreate the same roster with a bunch of 2nd round picks.
Ummm I think you are agreeing with me, this Roster isn't a good fit for Rick??? However what do the kings and Rockets have in common under Ricks coaching? Inability to win it....alpha dog or not. Sometimes bringing in younger coaches......is better. Old coaches hang onto old Ideas......
And that is the REAL issue I see at work here. Last week, one of the Reader Blogs in the Chron talked about just this approach where DM was assembling a new type of contending team - one where there isn't a superstar player (or two) but a team stocked with interchangeable pieces that worked together like a machine. This goes against everything teams have done to produce NBA titles. I cannot recall in my lifetime of such a team winning the NBA Championship. Now if that is truly the case here, then this entire season boils down to some sort of grand experiment the outcome of which won't be known until April.
I'm pretty sure Morey has been adding all of these good players in hopes of trading them for a super-star the entire time...
We do not need an alpha dog, we need a set rotation, and we need some of the players that Rick likes to play to sit. DD
Not unlucky but outcoached by Phil Jackson. That 60 win Sac team he coached had everything it needed to go all the way.
Come on DD, we clearly need an Alpha Dog!!! This way in the 4th Rockets can run an effective play (pick and Roll)
And just WHO on such a roster will be the one player opposing teams will game plan for and try to stop at all costs? And how will simply having a set rotation compensate for the talent mismatches created by the one-dimensional players currently on the roster?
You sit the one dimensional players and play them situationally when needed, and play the multidimensional younger players that are rotting away on the bench. We need some crazy sauce over comfort food. We need a hierarchy, but not necessarily an alpha dog, this team is stuck without an identity....and Yao's situation is killing any chance of getting one. DD
People forget just how good Chris Webber was. Extremely Dominant physically, and was seemingly tailor made to play the high post. Adelmens system could have been designed around CWebb for how well it utilized his skill set. The Rockets have everything they need besides a chris webber.
