Is $omething Wrong With the Rockets?

Does anyone think that it might be something else besides the dollar or the East/West consideration?

 

MacBeth, you do know brown's contract has incentives, right? i believe it was Clutch's article that indicated the incentives were none too shabby and none too hard to obtain, though no specifics were given. i cannot possibly imagine larry brown was seen as a $8-9 million by most (even $10 millioin according to you), detroit knew this, larry knew this, and then detroit said "how bout 5" and brown said "ok, fine with me, what's another 3-4 million/yr that i can most likely get other places." he's got incentives that i'm sure make it look much much better and i'm sure he doesn't have to do much more than detroit has already done (not that they aren't already maximized, #2 pick not withstanding) to get those. lets stop saying we were priced out of $5 million unless that is actually reported b/c we do know there were incentives and we do know that (assuming they were winning related) those are much easier to achieve in the east.

 

I think some people here are overstating the benefits of the Houston job.

The Rockets have:

1. Good players

That's about it.

Now, what are some of the negatives?

1. They've not shown they can play as a team. The development of some may have been forever stunted by bad early teaching.
2. Yao. Sure, he's fantastic. But you also have expectations accompanying coaching such a player. And of course, there's the circus involving him and the Chinese natioanl team. I think the Cleveland job is even worse for the same reason (LeBron *isn't* going to be Jordan-out-of-the-box, and expectations are going to be huge). Francis also has his problems as well. We've got two st ars, but they've got some baggage.
3. Expectations. And having to follow an iconic and beloved coach. Imagine what happens if we don't improve dramatically. I could see making the playoffs and losing in the 1st round being seen as a failure by some long-time Rudy supporters. Most Rockets fans see their team as much better than the #9 team in the West.
4. Limited money to spend on free agents for the foreseeable future.
5. Upper management that appears confused.

And, as JohnHeath pointed out... it's damned hot. Hope they didn't take him to the "beach" at Galveston.

 

Just because there APPEARS to be a money issue regarding the Rockets and their top two choices, doesn't mean there is folks. Going by the facts, I think what the Rockets have said has been consistent with their actions. They must have been thinking of Larry Brown all along, but what if their interview with Jeff went better than good ol' LB's? I think Les has been VERY loyal with Rudy, and demands the same in return. Would he be as comfortable knowing he has the most fidgety coach in the NBA? Jeff spent over six years in New York his first coaching stint and was VERY successful. (see 1999 finals) I believe he blew the Rockets socks off when they initially spoke, and its been nice consistent wooing since, albeit not as immediate as most on this board would like. The Rockets have taken their time as they have stated all along. They determined that Larry Brown wasn't the coach that could hasten their decision. And get off the money issue, The Rockets haven't, at least publically, and will not get into money until their candidate's second interview. Jeff wants to be treated "fairly" and that shall be between what Paul Silas and Larry Brown are making. Carroll Dawson also stated that the money issue should be resolved fairly quickly.

Just because they dont work on our timetables, it doesn't mean they're not working as diligently as we should expect them to. All this whining and complaining is just going to stress every other Rocket's fan too. Let's show our balls and back our team! We're not Jazz fans!!!

 

good post!

 

Of course it's about the money. I've been saying that since the Rockets lost out on Brown. Be careful telling it like it is on these message boards though. A lot of these fans are so blinded by their love for the organization that they can't see that Houston is getting outbid and outclassed by the competition.

 

Or maybe the Knicks are asking for too much in return, knowing we're over a barrel?

 

There's always the possibility that potential coaching candidates are leery of working for an owner who kicked the previous coach to the curb after 30+ years of loyal service, championships, etc. who was coming off of a winning season in the West with the 2nd-youngest team in the league.

 

Didn't seem to affect Detroit did it??? Look, I'm not saying your theory is wrong, but I am saying it is not the most likely answer for why Houston is still looking for a coach. You get what you pay for.

 

Now that's a good post.

 

Actually, Clutch said it was an issue and not the issue. I take that to mean there are other circumstances that we are not privy to. We fans are blind but only because we don't have the entire picture.

I and many others feel that the Rox were not so sure about Brown. It seems that while we were all sweating through last weekend JVG had an offer from the Rockets. So who really was outbid or outclassed if we were not that serious to begin with?

 

When did Detroit fire a championship coach with 30+ years of tenure with their team?

 

No they just fired the ex-coach of the year, and arguably the coach that did the best job in the NBA last year. Come on.

 

Word out of Detroit fans is that Larry's contract jumps to 7M if he gets 50 wins, and jumps to about 9M if he gets to the NBA Finals.

I don't think we could match that.

It's definitely money. There is ABSOLUTELY no doubt AT ALL about it. I don't know why we are in denial. If it was anything else, we would've heard it by now. If it was a choice between equal contracts in Houston and Detroit, Larry wouldn't have been waiting for the Rockets to call back. If money wasn't the issue, Jeff van Gundy would be signed by now. He LOVES the city, he LOVES the schools, he LOVES our players, and he LOVES the organization. He's just not sure if it's worth taking a 4M dollar contract, because Houston will not and can not and should not offer more.

 

Graet post! I'd like to add a comment on points 3 & 4. Nearly everyone here looks at the Rockets through rose colored glasses and actually think they are a better team than they show on the court - that they underachieve due to bad coaching, inept players or poor ownership. In reality, they are a mediocre team that's stuck in the perverbial middle, which in the NBA is not the place you want to be. While they have stagnated, they have been passed by Phoenix, Dallas & Sacremento in the West.

Look folks, Dallas won 60 games, made it to the Conference finals and even they are worried that this year was their best ever shot at the title and that they blew it. They are really worried about how tough the West will be next year and that they won't make it as far. Now if a team like Dallas is worried, what does that portend for this group who have been in the lottery for 4 straight years?

With Rudy stepping down, the next coach will be under the gun. He has to not only get this bunch into the playoffs but actualy do something there. That's a tall order and that's one reason why LB jumped to Detroit and Van Gundy has waffled on taking the job.

As for spending on free agents, forget it. CD told ESPN that they would actually prefer to NOT draft anyone as they have NO salary slots available for the upcoming season. Now, they still may make some sort of trade but don't expect them to be players in the free agent market - not without going over the cap into luxury tax land. Uncle Les don't play that game!

 

I hate it when pessimists say that other people are biased.

We're not the people who labelled this the best job, the coaches looking for jobs are saying that. Paul Silas knew he wasn't getting the job, and knew he was going to Cleveland, but maintained that this was the #1 coaching job.

This team has:

1) Yao Ming and Steve Francis. Both All Stars. You can build around these guys, no doubt about it.

2) Enough talent throughout the rest of the roster to parlay into one more SOLID semi-star or excellent role player (Elton Brand type).

3) Won Championships, and has sincere ambitions to win another ASAP.

4) A brand new arena, with brand new facilities.

5) Coachable players. You say this team couldn't mesh. Well that's music to a coach's ears. To hear that a 43 win team didn't mesh and didn't find it's identity? That's basically saying we have the talent of a 50-win team, but need someone to guide us there.

6) The second best C in the league and a top 3 PG. Both have tons of room for improvement, are young, and are raw.

What we DON'T have is:

MONEY.

That almost offsets everything else.

 

Ok, so here we go...

We're all biased here, since we're all fans .

I'm still trying to figure out what everyone saw in Silas. He did almost nothing with a team that was quite talented. And he's old.

Francis is an all-star at a position that almost nobody thinks he can actually play. And please don't ever use "all-star" as a term to increase someone's credibility. The all-star game is a joke.

Perhaps. If we really had a chance to get Brand this year, and didn't, we're going to regret it. I think Mobley's value is going to decline from now on. And Cato is no better than a good back-up. And I'm not sure what else we have. Griffin will b e valuable if he ever turns on... but teams aren't going to want his "potential" for much longer.

Same goes for just about everyone except the Clippers and Wizards as regards future championships. As for the past ones - a coach isn't going to care. Maybe if you're offering him the LA or Boston jobs, but not the Houston job. There's just not THAT much more tradition vis a vis the rest of the league.

Insofar as he believes this will help him get good players, this is true. But we're not getting new players.

You sure that should be plural? Francis, Mobley, Moochie Cato, and Griffin all appear pretty uncoachable. Glen Rice, more mild than many, b****ed incessently when Phil Jackson tried to coach him.

The Rockets are talented. That's their only real selling point IMO. But that doesn't mean they *can* learn and mesh. It just means they ahve some good players.

Both of those comments are arguable. I'd agree with the part about Yao. Francis is the perhaps a top 3 PG in terms of raw physical talent. But he's stupid, basketball wise. And he has awful PG instincts. Watching him run a fast break is hideous. Watching him try to run an offense is even worse. He is an excellent scorer. But, you know what that means? Psst. He's an undersized 2.

He did make some improvement last year in his playmaking skills. But as much as I'd like... the light still hasn't turned on, and he's not getting younger.

 

I think Houston is a better choice than Detroit but Detroit is not that far away plus they have the #2 pick that is very eye catching.

Money is the problem. I don't think the rockets have 6-7 mill to give a new coach. The chances of Gundy coming are slim I think.

So if the Rockets lose out on Gundy what is the next choice?
Go after a old player Elie , Avery Johnson even Kenny Smith who has the desire and the love for the game to win.

This is out there but SIR CHARLES WOULD BE A GOOD FIT.

 

If Silas thought he had a good chance at this job, he would have stayed in the hunt and not taken the job in Cleveland. He probably thought he was the 3rd choice behind Brown and JVG which is sad. Its partly about the money and little about control also. If JVG is offered what everyone thinks he was offered, then he's probably gone. I mean if anyone here was offered a chance to be gm and coach on a team in a soft conference with no bad contracts, then thats not such a bad idea. If he takes takes the Wiz job and makes the playoffs, then he'll be like a god in DC.