It seems like a lot of people think JB is new to coaching basketball and just has no clue what to do, but there's a method to his madness. I think the jury is still out on how effective he can be, for two reasons. One, consider that he didn't get a training camp or pre-season. Yes, he should already be familiar with the team, but unless fans want him to just copy McHale, one should expect him to still tinker with the lineup and rotation. He's been head coach for just over a month now and started off his first week without much practice time. Since then, he's had to work around DMo's return, Capela's illness, Ty's suspension, Bev's ankle injury, and Dwight's back to back situation. Two, there are issues with players (or a player) not buying what he's selling during their losses. It may not be as simple as turning all the L's into W's, if they just listened to JB, but we've seen the games. It would be true for a few of them. That would be a pretty solid record for his first month and it's not like his current record isn't solid enough, given the circumstances. It would be on pace for 49-50 wins. I suggest people check Feigen's Houston Chronicle archive for his latest articles. After reading a few, you should get the hang of which will include quotes from JB. Then, posters can at least get upset over things he actually says and not what other posters surmise. https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/author/jonathanfeigen/ A few samples: From late last month Earlier this month: On Dmo: Terry quote, but further explains why JB wants him out there:
Interesting quotes. I think he's doing fine. He's making changes and I think he realizes where the problems are. However there's no guarantee any coach can fix this.
Great effort, but it's likely wasted here. Joe Rocket Fan will always blame the coach first when things don't go his way. Putting it all on the coach is always easier - requires less thinking and/or confronting hard truths.
We still have the same coach coaching offense, and the same coach coaching defense. Things will improve when and only when the players decide to play with more effort.
Have you even been reading the board ? No one is blaming Jb first. You could say that for McHale maybe but not Jb. Harden is getting the blame. Howard Lawson and Jb seem to be blame less.
I guess reading full future articles is out the window then, huh? Don't need to be profound...simple and logical can go a kong way. Things like changing practice on the road make a lot of sense..not sure why that change wasn't done before. JB is getting just as much blame lately.
Why haven't we traded Brewer yet? He'll single handed get Atlanta back into this game. And the more we play him, the less his value will be. Please JB - give minutes to KJ or Thornton. Hell, put in Worrell or Drexler instead.
Stop asking for MC over Brewer..different positions.Terry too important to sit, but too old to play huge minutes..so MC is basically JET's personal back up. http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocke...-is-to-keep-getting-jason-terry-on-the-court/
Thornton is very important to this team. Most of the wins we have this year is because Thornton got hot! Not playing him is just dumb!
Terry has played well too..and it's not like Thornton is a star...I've been one of his biggest supporters..but this team does need to be babysat and coached on the court, unfortunately, for now. MC just isn't a leader. He'd be great off the bench, if this team had already found his groove, but they haven't. Getting everyone going> playing MC.
I have liked Bickerstaff since he was in Minnesota. He is well liked and bright. He has been on the radar as a likely future head coach in the NBA for a number of years. If the Rockets were rebuilding, then I wouldn't have any problem running the club. However running THIS club? No, I don't like it. Thibs should be the Rockets coach.
Seems like JB found how to push the right buttons with Ty Lawson. Hope his progression continues on the court. That would be a big boost. At the same time, WHY KJ/Thornton can't get more playing time over Brewer is beyond me. JB needs to know when to call a timeout when the Rox are getting destroyed loosing leads and make the proper substitutions. The losses to the Hawks and Pelicans he had the opportunity to do both. Need to calm the team down at the least when the opposing team is making a run trimming the lead down. Also, Sometimes we have a lineup that opposing teams can't handle and JB never goes back to that same lineup or waits too late to do so after we loose leads in games. This should be clear as day in the film room to JB and the team...should be FIXABLE..we shall see...just my two cents
Speaking of Lawson: Ty Lawson's recent play has been a silver lining in Rockets' woes By dyslexicsports on Dec 30, 2015, 10:11a 1 1 The Rockets may not be winning like we'd like but there is a bright spot. If there is any good new from the Rockets current stretch, it's that Ty Lawson is has become Ty Lawson again. For so long Lawson had been trying to find himself in this offense, but since the two-game suspension, Lawson has returned and been a valued addition. Lawson has played in four games since the suspension and has been on fire, shooting over 50 percent from the floor, not to mention handing out assists all over the place. Lawson has been aggressively getting into the paint and finding open shooters, and the backup point guard has also been assertive at times, looking for his shot and his offense. The Dream Shake spoke with Ty after the game to ask his if this is the most comfortable he's felt with the Rockets.. "I think so," he told us. "Just being aggressive, getting to the basket, shooting my pull-up mid-range (jumper). Just being aggressive, that's what I think what's making it a little bit easier transition." During his suspension, Lawson spent time watching film. Unlike earlier in the season when he said he watched his old highlights, it seems, this time, he found himself. He found a way to play in the system the Rockets run. The Lawson from the first 26 games is drastically different from the Lawson of the last four. In the first 26, Lawson was averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 assists a game In the last four games, he's 9.5 points and 4.3 assists a game. Lawson in the past four games is out doing the what he did in the first 26 when he spent a decent chunk of it as a starter. During a recent Root Sports broadcast, Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy mentioned he thinks Lawson should still be starting. Whether Lawson should be starting or if he will start again in the future — I personally like Patrick Beverley starting the game and Lawson off the bench, it's like a football team with a change of pace running back — this Lawson has found a seem to found a groove. Lawson has taken charge of the second unit and been a scoring punch for the team when James Harden is not on the floor. With this new version of Lawson, the Rockets are still trying to figure out how to utilize him best. But while they are still trying to deploy him the right way, the good news is when Lawson's on the floor, the Rockets are scoring and playing faster. More Lawson is not a bad thing of late. Josh Reese
