Now, i'm thinking Adelman will be back, considering how well the team has been playing lately. He should.
Given that the coach doesn't count against the salary cap but can have a significant impact on the team's performance, the correct Moneyball move would be to hire the best coach available and pay what it takes to keep him.
I would like to see Adelman with a full roster at least one year, he did pretty well when he got an almost healthy roster. If he doesn't get the nod, i would like to esplore Jerry Sloan, he might be from Utah, but i think this league is ruled by Old school coaches and he is one of those. The StarTribune.com from Minesotta has him not entirely convinced of retiring from coaching. http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/119097679.html
It's a good thing that Les expects a lot. But Les must realize that with what is available to Rick, he did a great job. Shoot, you have Chuck Hayes who has stepped up big time to average 8 points and 8 rebounds per game!!! simply wow.... He is the 25th best overall rebounder in the NBA this season. Is Les upset that he's got such talented guys in Morey and Les that they are keeping the Rockets just competitive enough to stay out of the playoffs and too good for a realistic shot at a meaningful top of the lottery talent! It all adds up to another mediocre overall seasons; but with sub-par talent, this is quite a realistic goal of borderline playoff team (again). The team did grow though. Lowry, Hayes, Budinger, Lee, Patterson have all grown as players. Martin and Scola have established themselves as the special talents they are. There is reason for optimism. But speaking as a fan, the heart and effort is inspiring and a joy to watch.
Really not for bringing in a coach from a college team. If we are going to go fresh, i say get Mario "Kiss of Death" Elie. I am currently on the Adelman bandwagon though. Adelman currently has a good thing going with the team clicking so well and Thabeet learning the system in the valley. With Adelman returning, we should be able to immediately jump out on the league with a much better start next season.
I think it depends on where the Rockets see themselves as being. If they believe they can retool over this summer and become a contender again within a season or two, they'll roll with Adelman. And there's no better coach available IMO. But if it looks like it's going to take 3, 4 years to get back into contention, I think the Rockets and Adelman could part ways. The Rockets would want a coach who could stay with the team through its peak years, but Adelman would be in his late 60s by the time that happens.
Adelman runs great sets for what he has. I notice how he substitutes much better since the trade and think that if Battier/Brooks weren't gone we wouldn't even get 35 wins. A less stubborn Adelman makes a great coach.
When did that previous interview happen? What was the record at that time? I think it was a while ago but don't remember exactly when.
so this is basically speculation and not a fact...because the thread title makes it sound like a fact. zzzzzzz.
Moneyball coach does not mean anything, but Adelman would be close: he values high percentage offensive plays and his defense is even based on percetages.
Thanks. I wonder whether the continuation of good play (8W 3L since then, was already playing well at the time) changed Les' thinking. His recent comments to Feigan suggest it may have. Aside from the playoffs, I think if the Rockets play well the next 5 games but still miss out, Les is a lot more likely to stay the course with Adelman.
"Moneyball" in a coach is not about running the highest percentage play over and over. Moneyball from the coaches perspective is about maximizing the performance of each asset. A big part of this is appreciation of talent. Do Rockets players achieve perceived value in excess of their acquisition cost? Is Kyle Lowry a more valuable asset than when he was acquired? Scola? KMart? 2Pat? Bud? Landry? Chuck? Lee? Hill? All of these players are performing ahead of reasonable expectations for them when acquired. There is something to be said for Adelman's role in their performance, as he puts players in advantageous situations (on offense at least) where they can maximize their best skills. Because of the Adelman "talent appreciation" effect, the roster is worth more when shuffling for a superstar than it would be otherwise. Of course, proactive asset value "management" has hurt the Rockets also. Rick does nothing for players who need to isolate to dominate (TMac, Twill). Rick can't do anything without a pre-existing bball iq (Donte Green, Ariza, Jermaine Taylor). And every once in a while, DM drafts a stiff (I'm looking at you, Joey Dorsey). Finally, Rick (or maybe DM) has been willing to push player development goals to outcomes which are not the best path to short term success (TMac and Yao in limited minute stints, AB closing out post ankle injury). It says here that Rick stays on to develop talent for 1-2 more years. Then, given a more mature roster and organizational goals oriented towards "winning now", we see a more conservative / flexible coach come in to lead.
Morey was talking about not judging the name of the next coach they select. Ettore Messina would be an unknown to most NBA fans. A superstar coach in Europe and as much a gamble as someone crossing over from college ball. Rumored to have been offered an assistant coaching job with the Nyets for next season. Messina talks about "the process of building a championship team" where "We are here to win, but we cannot guarantee that we will win" sounds close to what has been coming from the Rockets the past few days. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ian_thomsen/03/18/playoff.matchups/1.html
That is very, very, very interesting. All the connections buzz. Doesn't the Euro offenses more closely resemble Princeton???
