Leftovers it is!!!!!!!!! Ladies and gentlemen, if anyone doubted that this organization is no longer one of the best in the NBA, you now have proof. I've been a Rockets fan my whole life, but I'm getting a little impatient with this circus that seems to be spiraling downward out of control. This team needs more than a lateral move right now.
All the fascination on the board, and, in media in general, about Larry Brown, makes me want to puke. Would somebody please tell me what this guy has done?? 1) He has takent every team he has coached to the playoffs (6) - somebody tell me what's so special about taking 6 different teams to the playoffs, but never winning it all once (for that matter, how many times did he get to the Finals?? only once with the Sixers, right?). 2) He is "apparently" a great developer of young talent - isn't this one of the many reasons Detroit got rid of Carlisle - cause he wouldn't be the right guy to develope Darko? Yet, who has Brown truly developed recently? Stackhouse? The PG from St. Louis who now plays for the Wizards (sorry, can't remember the name)? Allen Iverson - questionable whether or not his talent hasbeen directed in the best way? Larry Brown doesn't help young talent develope, he decides if they can, and if he doesn't think they can, he ships them off for a hard worker. Brown wouldn't improve Griffin's game that signficantly, more likely he'd ship him off next year - not necesarrily the wrong move, but let's get that perception out of our head. 3) He's good with the X's and O's - says who? The Sixers offense? Please, that is, quite possibly, the only offense in the entire league that is more pathetic to watch than ours...well, Denver aside. I guess giving the ball to Iverson everytime down the court makes you good with the X's and O's 4) He's a good defensive coach and gets his players to hustle - this, there is no argument to. If anything, this is why the Sixers have been successful over the past 4 years. I'm not saying Dunleavy is the answer, but I think people who get a boner when thinking about Brown are misguided. I got $5 bucks that says the Pistons don't do any better next year than they did this year (i.e. - don't get past the Conferece Finals). Just my opinion.
Hey. We could have been great. But we can still be good. Dunleavy really wants this job. Maybe he should get it...he's not a genius or anything. We should have just kept Rudy then. Maybe try to get Rick Carlisle. Dunleavy...well... It would be nice if Pat Riley resigned from the Heat and joined us..or Gregg Poppovich or Phil Jackson or Rick Adelman. WHY DO YOU LIKE DOC RIVERS?
We might as well just hire some no-name coach. At least there might be some higher potential than just get a mediocre high profile coach. Just look at the guy at Golden State. Also, whatever happened to the guy who posted that Brown was looking for a house in Houston?
I'm beginning to wonder if the Rockets really wanted Brown. I think it's possible they prefer someone like Dunleavy. It's pretty much a certainty that Brown won't last more than a few years. Les and CD seem to like stability, and former Rockets. Dunleavy fits that bill a lot better than Brown. I'm not saying I agree with that, but I think it's possibly the reason they didn't seem to go hard after Brown.
I would have to think that if the Rockets really wanted Brown that no one would stand in their way. As it stands now, they (the Rox) were probably going in another direction all along.
He's an interesting coach...was always second on my list to Brown, unless another big gun unexpectedly comes on the market. Reasons I like him; * Players absolutely love the guy, but he's tough. He gets players to bust their humps, he calls them on bad play, and they love him. It's an odd combination. * He recognizes the value of running offenses through your stars. He's never coached a big man, so it's a question mark, but of all the guys with question marks out there, I'd go for this guy. The offense he ran on the few occassions that Hil and McGrady were on the cirt together showed he knew how to get more than 1 guy involved. * He understands the media, and how to use it. In return, they give him a lot of leeway, and he is able to then use that as a coaching tool. And he's very young, a smart guy who knows basketball, and will probably still be a head coach in 10-15 years. With it looking like Brown is gone, I would fully explore this option if I were CD. My list, as of now, is probably this: 1) Brown--not gonna happen. 2) Rivers--probably not available. 3) Carlisle--might not be safe enough for Rockets seemingly conservative tastes. 4) Jeff Van Gundy--This is where the thirs tier begins, IMO. Brown is by himslef, Rvers and Carlisle are much lower, but their youth, remarkable results thus far, and at least one great strength puts them as interesting long term potential coaches. JVG is the best of the next group...he has serious questions, but he says that he'd run the offense through the middle, and he knows defense. I'm not a huge fan, but at least he stands for something. 5) Silas--Not available, I hear. 6) Mike Dunleavy--'safe' middle of the road pick, and that seems to be what the Rockets have in mind. There are other coaches who would slot into various tiers, IMO, as they became available.
Awesome post JayZ. I mean getting to .500 with a pretty talented Clipper team just isn't enough to warrant the praise Brown has been given. What the hell did this guy do to receive this god-like status? What I see is the natl championship at Kansas, then a bunch of good but not great seasons at various locales in the NBA. And this guy is a genius? Why? Cheeks has been hailed as doing a great job recently with a team that doesn't look a whole lot different from the team Dunleavy took to within a Pippen/Wallace choke of a championship. The team had NO go-to guy. Teams like that don't win championships. Possibly the most important thing about Dunleavy, when looking at our team, is his experience w/Divac and Sabonis.
If Dunleavy is hired, then I have a gut feeling that Mario Elie might be an assistant. I would also like Avery Johnson, but he still has 1 more year left on his contract and if Nellie signs an extension, Avery will stay and probably look at other options after. But you heard it first here, Elie will be an assistant for the Rockets if MD comes aboard!
Dunleavy will be fine. West Conference coach. Supported by management. Former player. Has experience bailing players out of jail.
Actually, Dunleavy resigned from the Bucks and was fired from the Lakers and Blazers. Brown was fired from the Spurs and would have been fired by the Pacers if he hadn't resigned 1st.
Name me a coach at Portland who was fired that deserved it? name me a coach named Jackson who could have coached a NBA champion at Portland. Name me a coach who could have two players named Stockton and Malone and also be considered one of the best ever and has never won a ring? Name me a coach who has not failed as such before turning in the big performance... Your point?
Well, I believe Adelman was fired by 2 teams in a few years. I guess that makes him a lot better than Dunleavy. Is it the third team that makes him unhirable? Apparently getting fired by 2 teams wasn't enough to convince Milwaukee not to hire the guy.
Greg Popovich Pat Riley Chuck Daly Phil Jackson Rudy T. KC Jones Red Auerbach Any coach that's won a championship in the last 20 years, maybe 30 years, maybe NBA history.
I'll take Dunleavy over Clown Brown and his great performances at Indianapolis and Philly. Wow, he really knows how to get the most out of the team. Eastern conference loser? Yea, let's hire this overrated washed up over glorified Rudy wanna bee... Van Gundy? Is anyone really serious about this piece of crap? He isn't good enough to coach a second tier college team. Where is his tal(k)ent? He sucks as a commentator...
A young Glen Robinson Vin Baker (when he was good) Sherman Douglas (a good point guard) Terry Cummings (a veteran PF) Johnny Newman Not a very good bench however.
