Amid all the wailing and gnashing of teeth out there, I hear a few of you speaking up against panic and in favor of steady progress based on limited expectations. Let's form an alliance and articulate some defining principles. 1. We are neither cheerleaders nor pessimists. Unlike the cheerleaders, we hold no player, coach, or system sacred. Unlike the pessimists, we believe our coach and our players have free will and can change their ways when they are not succeeding. 2. Don't abruptly get rid of a coach or a player who has a long track record of success (in this case, Rudy and Hakeem). There are reasons why they succeeded in the past. Before calling for their heads, look for ways to reawaken and/or draw on the talents that made them great. 3. Don't make radical decisions early in a season of change. Scientists don't halt an experiment until they've had enough time to try out all the possibilities and determine exactly what the key causal variables are. We don't have enough information yet. 4. Focus on specific improvements within the game, not just the win or loss. Before a team can win games, it has to learn to do a lot of little things right. If the team is losing but learning to do more of those things correctly, that's important progress. 5. Don't let psychological problems compound physical problems. We've been losing games due to some simple physical and mental factors, such as bad free-throw and three-point shooting. The danger now is that before we get our stroke back, we'll tumble into a self-fulfilling funk over our losing record (possible case in point: Francis in the Dallas game). Morale is an important ingredient in success. Don't squander it. 6. Don't punish risk-taking. We've been calling on Rudy to let go of his low-post "security blanket" and let Francis run more of the show. But Francis is a rookie, and on some nights, he's going to make lots of mistakes and cost us the game. Ditto for the whole "running" offense. New schemes and young players can look really bad, but sometimes, you have to go through these bad patches to learn hard lessons and become a winning team. If you fire your coach when the team is learning but losing, your next coach will try to win more games in the short term with the old system instead of making his team learn a new one so they can win in the long term. I'm sure the rest of you can think of other principles to add. Let's keep our cool, gather our wits about us, and forge ahead.
Nicely said. #7 It's hard to keep your morale up when your own fans are booing you. Be supportive and cheer, even when Drew is at the point. It's not blind cheerleading, it's supporting your team. Come with me to a Clippers game sometime and you know why THAT team will never win. -zach-
Wow will, that is the best topic I think I've ever seen. You are right on the money. [This message has been edited by 360degree (edited November 17, 1999).]
Sign me up Will. However, according to popular belief, I don't think that there are many people who blindly follow the team without judgment.
Good post Will! Your right, lets just wait and see how this whole thing plays out. By the way, in case you didn't know it, 360Degree is the Antichrist! Definition of Antichrist -one who denies or opposes Will; specifically : a great antagonist expected to fill the world with wickedness but to be conquered forever by Will at his second posting. ------------------ GO ROCKETS!!!!!!!!
Will -- Good luck to you and your new alliance. Y'all are founded on some great principles and should make for an awesome "anti-extremist" force on the board. I'd join up with your faction, but I'm stubborn. Optimism 4Life!
Incrementalists.....hmmm...count me in. Does that mean 'others' would be the Excrementalists? That sounds OK too!
Ouch! Cohen! LOL! While we're on the Biblical metaphors, since you must be descended from the priestly tribe of Cohenim, I'm going to hop off the pseudo-prophetic hot seat and turn it over to you . . .
I thinking about it (being an incrementalist) but I don't know as of yet. The Pippen trade killed the experiment I wanted to see and was a big increment backward (unless you subscribe to catastrophe theory, when you might call it something else). This is still hard one to swallow because we had the darned best line-up in the league, never gave it a run, and now probably have to live with the baby jackass getting a ring with someone else at our expense. I still haven’t exactly accepted the way we started last season with rookie guards, started any season with Price/Maloney, and many other moves to be that seem obviously and painfully shortsided. I am still with the Rockets, which is a testament to loyalty, because no team has come to play with more and done less the last 5 years. I don’t call the last 5 years a track record of success, I call it consistent underachievement. I am not yet ready to say incremental changes will get it done, more like revolutionary changes are needed. This is just where I am at, but I'll think some more on it.
Will, A part of being an incrementalist is the expectation that improvement will come incrementally. I see that from Francis and Rogers, but really from no one else and definetely not from the team as a whole. I think the primary reason I have jumped into the "Rudy must go" camp is that he isn't committed to the running game. He says he is and then runs the same ol stuff. If we were 2-7 with a committment to the running game I would be 100% behind Rudy. Unfortunately, if we committed to the running game from the get go we probably wouldn't be 2-7. However, I think you need to understand our argument before you label us as extremists. There may have been an isolated post or two wanting Rudy to be canned immediately, but few of us honestly would make that suggestion. Nine games isn't enough to make such a call. Up until the first few games of the season I was staunchly defending Rudy. I bought into the "didn't have enough time to change the system" argument after last season. This season he had a training camp and more importantly the personel to run. In fact, he cut guys like Maloney and MacClean to make sure he would fill the roster with as many athletes as possible. Then, he gets cold feet. Could Rudy turn it around? Sure, anything's possible. My decision to support going in a different direction after the season is based on watching Rudy run the same set his entire tenure as a coach. It comes from watching him get into pitfalls like being loyal to guys who he really shouldn't be (Maloney). This system and loyalty won him two championships. I can't knock it. I also think he's not going to change. Most coaches don't. Most coaches spend their entire careers coaching the same way. There's nothing wrong with that. I just think it is time for this team to go in a different direction after the season. ------------------ AOL users: Check out the CBS Sportsline Houston Rockets Team Club. Keyword: RFHayes
Shoot me for saying this,but: The addition of Chuck to a good team = not even in finals.A trade which was engineered by Rudy...... The Pippen fiasco = no finals appearance Great offseason moves give us a buttload of talent which is being wasted right now. If something doesn't change by the end of the year Rudy must go..... I have loved Rudy ever since he came here to play,but if this team hasn't changed their offensive philosophy by the end of the year and isn't rolling,heads have to roll.There is no tactful way to say this.He has to stand up and put Dream and Chuck in their place.I'm not saying that we have to win the title but he must steer this ship in the right direction.Ironically,it will be alot easier for Rudy when our Boys are gone.I do believe that if he survives the next two years then he will work wonders with a young team. HH
I believe that the year we acquired Barkley we had the best team in basketball, save for perhaps the Bulls. I think that the Jazz beat us because Brent Price was hurt, and Maloney couldn't handle a pick and roll.
Derek Harper should have been a Rocket 4yrs. ago.Chuck did also get hurt in the playoffs against Utah.If that hadn't happened maybe things would have turned out different.Price had alot of bad luck but we should have had somebody there,just like we need a back up to Stevie right now.Hell,Harper would have strarted.He wanted to play here but there was a timing problem on the Barkley trade.It took too long or he would probably be here.HH P.S.We owned the Bulls! [This message has been edited by Hardwood Hammer (edited November 18, 1999).]
I might be considered a big pessmist by many, but the solution to my problem is very simple, as long as Rudy use pick'n'rolls, motion and high post offense in the crucial times in the fourth quater, I won't b**** a bit even if they loose 10 in a roll. That way they will get better for sure. Otherwise, it is just Pip II for me. Good Luck. ------------------ Rockets' biggest problem is not player talent levels, it is the coach's ineptitude. [This message has been edited by Caveman (edited November 18, 1999).]
Caveman, does that mean if they use the same ole dump it in offense everyone hates so much, and win 10 games in a row, you won't be happy? ------------------ Is it any coincidence that we are the only team mentioned in the national anthem? I didn't think so!
