Please let it be Brown. And I'm sad, too. imo, Hakeem was kinda difficult, but Barkley and Shandon complained about Francis, too. Rudy gives the team to him, and he still plays like a celebrity and not a winner. Now Rudy is out. The Francis era is beginning to piss me off. If we are going to move on with a coach, I am glad that we did it before anymore trades. Let the next coach make the trades. I want to move on to another franchise player, as well. Yao allows us to take the risk that most teams don't; that is, trading a franchise player for another one (Kidd, Brand, O'Neal), or for Denver's #3 pick and a decent veteran PG, from some 3rd team. Denver has the cap room eat Francis's BYC. dreamcasting the move of Francis is the only dreamcasting i'm interested in.
If Yao got a standing ovation from JVG, then he's definitely the man for the job. On another note, farewell to Rudy T and thank you for so many wonderful memories. You'll be missed.
Unbelievable! I haven't been a fan of his coaching style the last few years but how can any Rocket fan not be even a little upset. It's the end of an era. It had to be done though. Hopefully since his number is already retired, we can retire his...I don't know, maybe his tie or something.
From Steve Francis: "Im not mad. I can't be mad at the situation" On Rudy: "He owes him everything. Im a better play because of him." Overall, Steve seems a lil sad, but not vastly upset and is resigned to change.
sad day for me..i will miss you rudy... i can't imagine rudy "mr rockets" coaching for another team..i hope alexander wont end up regretting this decision... best case senario for me is ...bump rudy up to the front office...get brown in for several seasons.... and when he leaves...rudy drop back down as the coach and lead us to a championship good luck rudy..stay healthy...
Personally, I am saddened by the news, BUT, it is the right thing to do. It will be a bit strange to see someone other than Rudy on the sidelines. It will take some getting used to. However, I think that he had done all he could with this bunch of guys. He wasn't willign to get on Eddie Griffin for flat out laziness. He wouldn't get on Francis or Mobley for for flat out ignoring Yao. It is simply time for a new direction. I don't see why they couldn't get in the playoffs with a new coach. It seemed that everyone associated with basketball knew that Yao should get the ball almost eveytime down the floor. So, hopefully, whomever the new coach will be should already understand that. Thank You, Rudy for all that you've done for Rockets basketball and the city of Houston. We still love you, period.
Good luck Rudy - I hope it's not health related and the parting is on mutual terms (hopefully there won't be any animosity). As for those who say JVG, why? I haven't heard much about him being a good teacher of the game, but I have definitely heard that about Larry Brown. Just because Van Gundy knows how to suck up (see the Rosen article on ESPN right now...) doesn't mean he'll be a great coach. Whoever said that Brown is 10 times the coach Van Gundy is, AMEN. He took the freaking Clippers to the playoffs. Beat that.
Double posting this from players reaction thread so it won't get lost. From Mark Berman's latest report: Steve was interviewed by phone. Said a few times he didn't think it would really happen but the tone of his voice was one of resignation. Said a few times "I can't be mad... don't know how things work on the business side, etc... But I can't be mad, because I don't really think it's going to happen." Was asked what it'd be like to play for another coach and said stuff like 'it'd be tough but I don't think it'll happen.' Still with the tone of resignation. Was asked what Rudy meant to him and said he'd meant everything, that everything that'd happened for him (2 all-star appearances, etc.) was cause of Rudy. General impression I got was one of sadness but, again, resignation. Seemed like he was gonna be okay with it ultimately. Not a trace of anger or bitterness, just sadness. CD and LS both declined to appear on camera, but said they were totally shocked and this was the first they'd heard of it. CD said he was driving to Rudy's house right now to find out what was up. Berman said he'd be updating all day with a full report tonight at 9.
First of all, I AM saddened to hear this. I really liked Rudy. I wanted it to work here with Rudy at the helm but I guess it just is not in the cards...... Which then leads me to my "Rockets Offseason To Do List". I see the first bullet point of my list has been taken care of. What will be next? <font size="1"><B>My ROCKETS Offseason To Do List</B> Re-evaluate the Rockets offense or get a new coaching staff! (more motion, passing and cutting). Try to trade for a 3rd star type player (i.e. Elton Brand). Facilitate Eddie Griffin & Bostjan Nachbar in having major offseason improvements in their game. Via trade or FA find a 3rd guard (no moochie). Add another "veteran player" into the rotation. Re-sign Posey ONLY at a decent salary rate, otherwise let him go. Use Cato, Rice (expiring contract) and possibly Mobley as trade bait to aquire better talented players (see above) to fit around Yao's and Francis' games. Only trade Griffin for a star type player. Look for Quality over Quantity.</FONT>
i dont want him to die in a car wreck. i want him to have a nice, reliable car that will take him far, far away from houston. the rudy era is over. now lets end the francis era. its time to win!
After Barkley complained about Francis his broken down leg gave out on a rountine rebound. And this was the has been Francis should have deferred to. Francis and Hakeem sure seemed to get along when Hakeem gave his last hurrah in 01' and as far as Shandon Anderson having anything to say about any player. Please.
This is the saddest moment to me as a Rockets fan second only to Dream's departure. (These two events would have been equally sad if not for Dream's nasty comments about Rudy and the management.) So many mixed feelings right now. On the one hand, I hope Rudy will do what he wants to do most, which is coaching. On the other hand, I can't handle seeing him on a team other than the Rockets. In that regard, I hope he will stay with the organization till he retires. Those who think having another coach will instantly make us a playoff team should think again. The one player who will be affected most in the negative direction will be Yao. He has been very attached to Rudy. It's gonna be a huge blow to him. And I agree with HP. If the team is going to change direction, let's trade Francis and make some REAL changes.
I don't post very often (obvious from the post count) but I visit this BBS nearly every day. I've been a Rocket fan since the start of Hakeem era - those were the glory days. Wow. Changes are in store for the Rockets - new head coach, new arena, new uniforms. New up-tempo style of play that's fun to watch - let's hope so. I'm going to miss Rudy T - I trust he will make the adjustment to a front office position and focus on returning to full health. That should be his number one mission right now. Coaching-wise, what are your thoughts on Mike Dunleavy vs. Silas vs. Brown vs. JVG. What about Larry Bird? I worry about JVG - can he bring the Rockets a championship? He didn't get the job done with the Knicks. I think we need a coach who will bring an uptempo game, bring maturity and discipline to the team. Handle player issues (read Griffin, MoT ). Brown certainly fits the bill for the latter (Iverson experience).
I agree with Easy...Rudy T endeared himself to me...I really hope he stays with the team in some capacity, assuming he will no longer be coaching. He is, in large part, the Houston Rockets. We will never...I mean never...have a coach who is more proud to be a Houston Rocket than Rudy T. Man...I hate this.
anybody think this has to do with the Cavs getting the number one pick in the draft? I mean, why else do we wait so long to make a move. Cavs get first pick, everybody starts talking about Van Gundy going to the Cavs now....so Les decides to fire Rudy, and make a run at Van Gundy.
