The blame game Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was so upset after the Rockets' 94-82 loss to the Heat on Feb. 14, he called a team meeting immediately after the game. "We had a little meeting," said Tomjanovich. "We talked about a lot of things but not one player personally took it on themselves. Everyone was talking about other players. The only way it's going to get changed is if each guy takes it upon himself. It's some kind of syndrome and I think most of it is mental. Thinking about somebody else's problems is not going to get it done." This from ESPN.com's Rockets Page. Startling if you ask me.
The two things that are so upsetting about this quote are: 1. Rudy also failed to address his failings as a coach. So, to ask his players to own responsibility for their part in the team's failures and him not to smacks of hypocrisy! 2. Rudy analyzing anything from a "mental" perspective. It's like having a plumber discuss neurosurgery!
With this apparently "poor" level of coaching Rudy is bringing, had the Rockets played better as a team, we'd still be the 6th seed. Now, if Rudy was absolutely brilliant, Francis got "it" and Ming didn't hit a wall, we'd be the 4th seed. Right now, the most important thing is the team. You're not going to ever change a coach's style, but you can make a team play mentally and defensively harder.
