If Larry Brown was who Alexander wanted, I just don't understand this. Sure money is money, but given what happened with Rudy, the fact that a lot of Rockets fans are disgusted with the team and we're opening a new arena next year, it seems the last place you'd try to scrimp on money would be a head coach. If nothing else the buzz created from hiring Brown would been beneficial for the bottom line. When Carlisle said something to the effect of "they didn't fire me just to bring in anyone" - it makes Rudy's removal even more painful. I can't say Dunleavy isn't the right man for the job, but he doesn't seem to me a drastic enough change given the circumstances. Les and CD had better move soon. I think we're really looking inept right now.
caught this interesting thought about Van Gumby on TSN: "How good a coach is Van Gundy, really? He made his reputation in five-plus years with the talented, veteran Knicks of the mid-1990s. However, he has never coached another team, and there is no evidence that he would be able to work the same magic with another squad, particularly a young group such as the Cavaliers. Somewhere along the way, his reputation has swollen to the point where he is considered among the league's best coaches. But he is of limited experience, and his hiring is a risk." Full Article
To be fair, it's not our money. If it was, maybe we'd think differently. However, maybe this will end all the B.S. that we didnt offer Brown or he wasn't our first choice or Brown wanted too much control or whatever. If it was about money, it is disappointing. We didn't get our #1 choice because he was too expensive. That's a sobering thought.
Read what you said.... Maybe he REALLY $$$$$$$ didn't want him that bad. Maybe the feeling is he was wanted at a reasonable price, that the alternative to him at less $$$$ is not that far off, if at all. I'd personally rather see a Dunleavy + excellent staff approach.
Don Nelson and Donnie Nelson? Interesting. Donnie might be an interesting person to look at considering he is very good with foreign players. Perhaps the Rockets should look into interviewing him. I am not sure he would want to give up his President job in Dallas though. And certainly we are not going to outbid Dallas for their people, they would have to want to be here. As for Don Nelson, he is interesting too but I would rather go after a younger Donnie first. As for the Mobley statement. Yeah, Brown seems to like Mobley a lot so if Brown was the coach I would think there was a good chance Mobley would have been more safe. And of course good points about having a coach here when Yao resigns. That is important.
I don't know how you guys can fault Les for losing out on Brown because of money. How can you possibly justify paying a coach almost $6 million/year?? Furthermore, how can you justify paying that much to a 60+ year old, who has no team loyalty, and who has coached forever without winning a championship? Losing out on him was a good thing folks. What the Rockets needed was a head coaching change, and that's exactly what we are getting. I personally have wanted JVG all along, just because the guy has some personality and charisma (something that brown and dunleavy certainly lack), and, I think JVG is still somewhat of an unknown commodity as a head coach, and that intrigues me (i also lke carlisle for that reason). In a limited time serving as head coach, he turned a crappy knicks team into a decent one and took them to the finals. but, if we lose out on him, i wouldn't be too heartbroken either. we just need a new face on the bench.
I love it how people just think that Les should spend whatever it takes. I wonder if they feel that way about their own money. With the new arena coming up, I am sure Alexander does not have as good a cash flow as he used to (Clutch mentioned the naming rights issue and the buyout of Rudy T). I don't the Rockets are in a position, financially, to give Brown a signed check and let him fill in his price.
One of the qualities that made Rudy special was that he just loved being a rocket. Dunleavey clearly wants to be here, and imo has a better resume than JVG. i think dunleavey's a better fit not just for the rockets, but for houston as a city as well.
Looks like Brown actually got three coachs fired (Carlisle, Collins, Rudy). All the talk about Detroit having egg on their face if they fire Carlisle, only to not get Brown. This looks exactly like what happened with the Rockets. We get the egg-face.
Who cares how a player/coach fits into the city. Very few players have any loyalty to the city anyways. Its just a place to work. I can't believe that we are going to have a Rudy clone next year.
I don't blame Les for not wanting to shell out a $6 million base with incentives. However, if Dunleavy receives anything close to do that, it means the Rockets underestimated the price of a new head coach. Also, if I have to hear CD or Les say that Dunleavy was their first choice , that would make me puke. It's Les' money but don't lie and pretend there was another motive.
Good article Clutch. I think the Rockets will be better off without love em and leave em Brown. I want someone who will be dedicated to the franchise, ala Rudy. Dunleavy is the only choice as far as I am concerned. DD
Thanks for the info, Clutch. Thanks for nothing, Mr Owner. Either play in the fast lane or get out of the way. Van Gundy remains an attractive alternative, IMO. Dunleavy remains a very unattractive result. Gee, if it were up to me and $ $ $ was the issue I would like to see what kind of Head Coach material Donnie Lite, Jordan lite, Duane Casey, and/or Kevin O'Neill possess. If $ $ $ is not an issue, and if JVG is not an option, look to the Big O. No, not Oscar, Orlando. The Doc. Gimme some love, young man Rivers.
I care, it's part of what make this organization unique and why, even though i haven't set foot in the city since 1968 I'm a fan. w/o that attitude, cc.net would be just another bbs...
What do you do now? Since Larry is gone? Is Dunlevey the Answer? NO. Is VanGundy the answer? NO. Go the player coach route like Orlando, Indiana w/Bird did. Get Elie or Smith or even Clyde in her bring the excitment back. New blood that will get these team motivated and show them how to win.
Okay, you are right. Lets just hire Dunleavy. Who cares that he got fired from 3 jobs in 10 years. Also who cares that nobody else wants to interview him besides Atlanta with whom he has a good relationship with the owner. But hey, he cares about Houston and wants to be here. When this BBS gets flooded next year with Fire MiKe D threads, you can bring up, "well at least he represents Houston well."
A couple days ago, we thought the Rox's job was the best available. That gave Les and CD time to consider their options. I don't fault them for interviewing and taking their time either. Although LB is known to be a good coach, it does not mean he was a perfect fit. You have to talk to the guy about his philosophy, how he runs things, what he is going to do to your ball club. How you expect him to do certain things ... It is also unclear whether we had an offer out to LB. In any case, Detroit's beat us to it. What we know points to: 1) Detroit offers a clearer path to the finals. 2) We did not or will not offer LB as much money as Detroit. Given 1, it's hard to get LB even if we had offered more money. What more, I've always liked Brown but there is always limit to what we should offer. Business is business. No businessman should throw unlimited money away. LB offers no guarantees either. Who is to say he will take the Rox to the finals? I think we should just move on to the next coach. JVG, Dunleavy are very good choices to me. (Talking to Carlisle is not a bad thing either).
Maybe the Rockets are better off without Brown. I went through my old sports tapes and saw an old SportsCenter story where Brown wanted to be released from his Clippers contract after only a year and a half there. I think he was in the middle of a five year deal. (correct me if I'm wrong here.) Brown's request caught Elgin Baylor off guard.
