no hard feelings rru, i was just giving you a hard time. i understand the "fire rudy t" peoples frustrations, but i dont think that getting rid of him mid-season will help us get into the playoffs, no matter who replaces him. part 9 of your resolution talks about how the organization stated that the goal was to make the playoffs and anything less would be a failure. that is the biggest issue for me on whether or not rudy t gets canned. there is absolutely no reason that we should not be in the mix. we should be a better team than phoenix, utah or minny, but they are all in. should we not make it again, then and only then will i jump on the "fire rudy t" bandwagon. ill even sign your petition!
you guys forgot about the 2 championships that rudy brought to the rockets???? who can you bring in that have won 2 rings?
u guys are really frustrated with rudy ... haha i dont think he should leave BUT if it does happen, they should put him in a higher management spot and we should throw in van gumby. lol thats what my brother said.
This is silly. If you don't think we'll make the playoffs with Rudy, then we definitely won't make the playoffs by getting a new coach in midseason. Aside from that, I believe Rudy will step down on his own in the offseason if we don't make the playoffs, so this doesn't matter. Real good teams don't need really good coaches. They need really good motivators. Our team is not that good, needs a couple of years of disciplined coaching, and THEN we need to bring Rudy back.
I do agree that a coach HAS to TRY do something, but it always has and always will be on the players. I don't care how good of a coach you are, and it's been proven time and time again. You think the Lakers all of a sudden starting winning because Phil starting his "Zen" and meditations? HELL NO! Shaq is starting to get back into game-shape, which in turn helps Kobe out giving him all the freedom around the perimeter. Detroit....I think Rick C. is an excellent coach, but he has the right group of guys that just go out and play hard. They have no superstars, and we all know they aren't going to win the title, yet they still compete on a daily basis with CONSISTENCY. And when has this team proven that it can WIN. Not a few games here and there, but win like an actual GOOD team? You know, that word that is synonymous with good teams......CONSISTENT. Have you ever looked at it from the other side, maybe us winning those games against "better" teams is similar to us losing to lesser teams? Ex: Us beating the Spurs is similar to the Heat beating us. Just because we've done it doesn't mean we can do it on a consistent basis. By wrong team, I meant coming to a team that doesn't seem to have an idea of what's going on......or at the very least, a couple of people that have an idea of how to play basketball.
Sane - I understand the logic. However, I am so completely certain that we will not make the playoffs that I would prefer to begin the "shake-up" now!!! Maybe a mid-seaon coaching change (and hopefully a trade of Cuttino) would actually get the players (mainly Steve's) attention!! So, I will continue to advocate for Rudy's move upstairs until it actually happens. Oh, and BTW, I would prefer to have Mike Fratello over Van "Gumby" anyway. I think Mike is probably a better X's and O's guy than Van Gumby.
Fratello over Van Gundy? I prefer Van Gundy because he gets guys to play hard and intelligent every night. And most importantly his team's always played tough D. The Knicks were always overacheivers under him and players respect and listen to him. I don't remember Fratello winning much or having much respect from his players. I could be wrong, but I think he was a players coach.
ARE YOU CRAZY, MIKE "I'M SO PRETTY" FRATELLO?????!!!!! How can anyone pick Fratello over VanGundy? Cavs, Hawks, you name it - Fratello's teams have never reached their potential. Sheesh. "THE CZAR OF THE TELESTRATER." I can think of a lot of words that rhyme with telestrater but NONE that are synonymous with winning. That guy is all talk and all show. Every other three years, he's leisurely alternating btw being a telecaster and a coach. Simply put, he is a showman first, coach second. Meanwhile, VanGundy is heads and shoulders better than Fratello. Just look at the bags under his eyes. VanGundy is a real hard-working coach who lives, sleeps, and breathes, basketball. A guy who understands not only the importance of winning, but what it takes to be a winner. It's like the barber question. For those of you who don't know it, it goes seomthing like this... You go to a remote town for a haircut. But there are only two barbers - one who is really neat, clean, and who's shop is spotless, and the other who is always dirty, disheveled and who's shop is littered with hair. Who do you pick? Answer: You pick the dirty barber, b/c he's obviously getting the business and getting his work done. Same goes for coaches. The more haggard the coach the better. Fratello is too clean and too pretty. Although he quit coaching, VanGundy still looks like hell and that's why he's still the better coach. theSAGE
This entire string makes me wonder about two items that I have not read for some reason, in this string. 1] If we fire Rudy and bring in a hard nosed in your face coach and the game does not change and then we end up having to trade players to get it to change, does anyone feel bad they let a coach with 32 years tied to the Rockets go?? 2] We have had three, really four, bad years and everyone has complained about one thing or another on this board, but nothing like this. Why is it that now that we have Yao Ming on the team we have fans that seem to not care about the past with this team?? From my point of view, Rudy can stay as long as he wants and will make what changes are needed when he feels he can not get through to the players. But it will be the last thing he does.
Rudy is a very good talent evaluator. If a coaching change is to be made, I hope he stays in some capacity as a scout or in upper management.
Just did a little research. Here are some of the Chron stories BEFORE THE SEASON EVEN STARTED, with predictions of playoffs, etc.: Alexander goes gaga over Rockets ' talent /To owner, team has look of greatness By JONATHAN FEIGEN 9/26/02 Look out, Lakers. And we're not just talking about the Lakers of Shaq and Kobe. The Lakers of Magic and Kareem, the Celtics of Bird and McHale and of Russell and Cousy, and the 76ers of Chamberlain and Greer apparently all will have to make room in their most exclusive club. The Rockets , one informed but perhaps biased observer believes, will soon have to be added to the roll call. "I love the team," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said Wednesday. "I think this is one of the great teams ever assembled." The Rockets won 28 games last season. But in case anyone with a dropping jaw thought Alexander had an unintentional slip of hyperbole, he made sure it was understood that he meant every word. "I swear I believe that," he said. "I think we have unbelievable talent. We're young. We're a little immature in terms of experience on the court. We have a great center now, and (Kelvin) Cato's been playing great at Westside. We have a great point guard (Steve Francis). Cuttino (Mobley) is a great two. We have three guys competing at the four position. We made this team to be long and lanky and can shoot." Asked his expectations, Alexander said: "Playoffs , and I think in the future, championships." NBA 2002-03 / Ranking the Western Conference 10/27/02 8. HOUSTON ROCKETS Tall Order / Heightened urgency to step up to playoffs accompanies opener By JONATHAN FEIGEN 10/30/02 INDIANAPOLIS - There can be no disclaimers, no explanations. The Rockets suffered through all they could stand of that last year. The grand unveiling of Yao Ming, to begin tonight, will be fun and different. But the minimum requirements the Rockets said they would accept do not change with the addition of a 7-5 center and his learning curve. When the Rockets begin their season tonight against the Indiana Pacers, there will be the usual collection of injuries and issues. But the Rockets - labeled by owner Leslie Alexander as "one of the greatest teams ever assembled" - said there is just one finish line to cross to define and measure their season. They will grade only on a pass/fail basis. "Playoffs . This year. Simple as that. Playoffs ," Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley said of the only goal the Rockets consider sufficient. "We felt we got cheated last year we had so many guys injured coming off a year with 45 wins the year before. Playoffs . That's all we want." Hardly a new concept, the goal did not come with the addition of Yao. Most of the Rockets have been together long enough to have earned their place in the league and, in most cases, secured sizable incomes for years to come. Now they seek a playoff berth to show for three lottery seasons. In Steve Francis, the Rockets have their maximum-contract "franchise" player. In Maurice Taylor and Glen Rice, they have the veteran frontcourt scorers they so desperately missed last season. In Eddie Griffin and Yao they have the young, gifted rewards of their life in the lottery. Mobley and Kenny Thomas provide reliable scoring threats. But Mobley is the only player to ever have been a part of a Rockets playoff team. Only Mobley, Rice and Kelvin Cato have played in the postseason. Francis frequently begins sentences with, "I've never been to the playoffs ." Though he recently has been insisting he will not look to any goal beyond that day's game or practice, he said last week: "There are no excuses. We have to be a playoff team." Even the recent run of injuries brings only temporary headaches. The next level beckons. "Guys want to win," Taylor said. "Our team, we have the luxury that it has a lot of guys under contract. There are not any underlying motives. Everybody's already under contract. "We have one goal, that's getting to the playoffs , making the Rockets a championship-contending team. When you have guys that already have long-term deals, they can relax and just worry about winning. There's nothing for us to do but play." But Thomas has made no secret he wanted a contract extension. The Rockets can offer an extension through today, but no deal is expected. "It's a big issue," Thomas said. "My people are working on it. I know there are a lot of guys, they're here, they're set. I'm one of the guys that's not. I have to take it a day at a time and hope I can get it done. If not. . . . " Luxury tax issues will keep the Rockets from making an offer to Thomas by today. "We're in a situation like everyone else in the league because of the luxury tax," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "We tried to explain it. The luxury tax has impacted a lot of people. He has a contract and we're very happy with Kenny." That also is not expected to change. "Kenny is our friend, so Kenny won't cause any problems," Taylor said. "If it was somebody else, I'd be worried." A legitimate concern are the injuries. While Taylor begins serving his five-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, forward Terence Morris is out for several more weeks and Thomas for at least one game. Cato has not practiced since Sunday because of the flu. Rice strained his right knee in Monday's practice but might start tonight. As frustrated as Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been with the injuries, he said: "The good news is it's temporary. These things are not season-long, monthlong (injuries) so I feel good about when we get healthy, when a young kid like Yao has time to be with us - some real good, positive feelings." More than that, Tomjanovich said he has noticed a determination to escape the lottery. "That's inside everybody, that fire," Tomjanovich said. "I read in Pat Riley's book about how the Boston Celtics made the Lakers feel. The Lakers felt they had something to prove. Those kind of things, using them to get you to the next level. Everybody has those things, different steps on the ladder. Ours has got to be we have to go to the playoffs . That's our next step. "Once we get to the playoffs , that's when we start talking about `What's the next step?' " Mobley knew. "This year, playoffs ," he said. "Next year, Western Conference finals." . . . FIVE KEYS TO MAKING THE PLAYOFFS 1. Stay healthy. After losing Maurice Taylor, Glen Rice and Steve Francis for stretches last season, the Rockets need to avoid injuries. 2. The franchise. Francis has a new contract, and he needs to play like a superstar for the Rockets to take the next step. 3 . Keep an eye on the ball. Yao Ming's first season will be a circus on and off the court and could become a distraction. 4. Play better defense. Rudy Tomjanovich says it is one of the most important elements to a successful season. 5. Keep Yao fresh. Yao has played all year without a break and faces an 82-game NBA schedule. How will he hold up? I know that was a LOT of reading to go through, but hopefully, because THEY ALL SAID "We have NO EXCUSE for not making the playoffs", all of you will PLEASE STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THE ROCKETS!!! The Rox told everyone who would listen that this was their year to at least make the playoffs, and I have lost faith (unless the somehow miraculously beat L.A. and Phoenix in back to back road games......) that they can get there! So, sign the petition by sending me an email @ jgatlin@houston.rr.com!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am all for it. Rudy has been with the organzation for many years and I'd hate to see us severing ties with him completely.
I'm all for healthy debate and argument, but this statement absolutely floors me... I am so completely certain that we will not make the playoffs that I would prefer to begin the "shake-up" now!!! I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, what makes YOU the self-appointed expert on coaching in the NBA? You have absolutely NO imperical data to support your theory. Assuming you are not a former player or coach... You don't play in the NBA. You don't coach in the NBA. You don't know the players or the coaching staff. You don't know people in the organization. You don't go to practices. You don't discuss strategy with the team. You don't have any insight into the team other than the little bit you can cull from watching them on a regular basis and reading about them in the paper. Yet, it is because of your "certainty" that you are willing to start a movement to get a guy fired from his job??? Then you go on to say... The Rox told everyone who would listen that this was their year to at least make the playoffs, and I have lost faith (unless the somehow miraculously beat L.A. and Phoenix in back to back road games......) So, if they win two games, all is forgiven??? Talk about schitzophrenia! I said recently that, if the team doesn't make the playoffs, Rudy is probably deserving of the door. I'm no apologist and I'm not defending the guy. Everyone has a right to blast him right along with the rest of the team. But, gimme a freakin' break with this petition business. The Rockets have barely managed to turn the corner in dragging fans into the Compaq Center to see them play. Their ratings are just now coming up and their marketing plan is finally starting to pay dividends. The team has a winning record and a team full of young talent and your answer to their recent frustrating play is to lead a public crusade (you said you wanted to go to the media) to make them look BAD over the coach??? How exactly is that being a fan? With fans like that, who needs Jazzholes? I'm sorry for being so outspoken, but to demand you get your way in the middle of the season just because you can't figure out how to emotionally detach yourself from the issue and because you are so "certain" is beyond bizarre.
Jeff - I NEVER claimed to be an expert. I have simply stated (rather emphatically) that I expected more from the team, and have now provided evidence that upper management, media and certainly other fans also expected far better than what is being provided. No, my exposure to the team is not limited to watching them on TV, in person or reading the paper, etc. Yes, I think Rudy has underachieved not only this year, but also for the past several years. I am of the opinion that this team belongs as much to the fans and the city as it does to one person (Les). Having said both of those things, I want to see something that gives me reason to feel that the Rox will not CONTINUE TO PLAY LIKE THE IDIOT WHO IS COACHING THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, YES, if the Rox win back to back road games (which they have not done this year) against two playoff caliber opponents then I might begin to believe they can make the playoffs.... This doesn't mean I have changed my mind about Rudy or that I'm schizophrenic, or more correctly, suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder!! And finally, the fact that people are sending me their emails and responding with agreement on this board does not mean I'm the only one who feels this way. If you disagree, as I stated earlier, so be it. Why be pissed at me when its Rudy who is clearly NOT GETTING THE JOB DONE!!!!!
Now, austinrocket, Jeff, et al, This is where I DO draw the line. Rudy may deserve to be moved upstairs (which I also advocated), but he does not deserve to be shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
