The Adelman Project: Early Observations

Okay, well that whole first paragraph is sort of a strawman... first thing is that we're only looking at a small sample size -- 7 games.

While Van Gundy did emphasize Yao playing in the low post considerably more, he did get to take some outside shots over the last few years. The problem is that with all the beating Yao takes on the low block, that's going to impact his legs and his shooting touch as he gets further out. Statistically, Yao (even when blowing dunks) is going to shoot better from the inside. Now, I'm not arguing against Yao playing more on the perimeter of the offense with his shooting as of late -- he's been incredible. But on the other hand, you complain about how he's away from the basket on the defensive end and how that keeps him from getting rebounds. Same thing goes for the offensive side of the ball. How is he going to get an offensive rebound when he's shooting from 18 feet out?

This one is moot to me. Rafer took the wide open shots he was designed to get (as a 3rd or 4th option) in the offense last year. He's doing the same thing this year, but he's splitting the minutes with another point guard who happens to be shooting like crap now. So whereas you used to see Rafer go 2 for 17... now you're just seeing him go 1 for 7 (and MJ going 1-7). Bottom line is, whoever we put in there has to make those shots.

Do you mean the pick and roll that obliterated the Mavs interior defense in the '05 playoffs (when the rest of our team couldn't find the basket with a GPS)? Our sample of games is very small so far, but Tracy has been on fire. When the guy running the Pick and Roll is hitting everything, you sag off him creating better looks for a wide-open Yao. That's when Yao gets the ball back. Tracy wasn't shooting like this early in the season last year (or at any point really), and that's as much on him as it is on the coaching change. I know bringing up the Dallas series from 2 years ago may seem like a stretch, but that was the last time I remember where a) both players were healthy, and b) where Tracy was shooting like he is now.

Again, with the small sample size. Look for the games where we've played against teams that run the Pick and Roll alot. Adelman actually adopted the same strategy against the Jazz as Van Gundy did... give Boozer to Yao, and make Boozer hit the tough shots. And the outcome (at least for Boozer... he torched Yao) was the same, except we won the game. This game plan of having Yao chase Pick and Rolls is dependent more on the match-ups than anything, and we just haven't seen enough games yet. All in all, I think we defended the Pick and Roll better under Van Gundy than I'd seen in a long time (of course under Rudy, it was the guards who seemed to get burned too).

More possessions = more opportunities for rebounds, blocks, etc. To me, it seems that rebounds are up for everyone... but Yao's also actually averaging fewer points so far than he did last year (you left that out). It's still early, and I have faith that he'll pick up the scoring. His blocks have been up... good for Yao. He's stayed out of foul trouble for the most part too (not sure how much has to do with how they're officiating on the inside). As for assists, if our outside shooting (largely dependent on Rafer's crappy shooting last year) had been better, Yao would have had more assists... plain and simple. I think Chuck has also been better about not blowing layups this year which helps. I seem to remember watching Yao make some great passes to cutters last year (Chuck and Luther), only to have them blow the layups. I'll concede that some of that is also due to Adelman's offense -- maybe better spacing and pushing the ball to catch the defense off guard.

Agreed, I hope.

Like I said earlier, to me, this is more on McGrady than it is on any coach. His shooting has been much better (shot selection, not necessarily... he's just making them now). His freethrow shooting is better.

Overall, it's way too early to make any big proclamations about Adelman completely leaving behind Van Gundy. Van Gundy left an imprint on this team -- the defensive tenacity we see here today is a carryover from Van Gundy. I don't recall ever seeing that in any of Adelman's Sacramento teams... or even in Portland? And without Van Gundy forcing Yao into the low post for prolonged periods, there would be no way that he'd be as dominant down there as he is now.

 

It's a drastic change from Gundy's mechanical offense to Adelman's flowing offense. It is not going to happen overnight. In fact, Adelman would be making amistake if he were to demand his players to execute his offense to perfection right off the bat.

After couple of years of Gundy's offense, players are programmed to do certain things like standing around the perimiter and watching Yao or Tmac operate. These habits will take time to kill. New habits and schemes will be learned throught out this season.

Sacramento was also growing pains for Adelman. The guys used to have too many turnovers and made stupid mistakes in the beginning. It took them couple of years to turn into a well oiled machine.

Give it time. It's only 7 games so far in the season.

 

Adelman to Van Gundy improvements, so far:

1. More "risky" fast breaks and converting them. I'm a JVG apologists, but one of the things I hated about his teams is that they'd get a 3-on-3 break and pull up and go into a half court set. Adelman has changed that mentality already, and it's by far the biggest improvement in the team from last year to this.

2. Yao shooting more from the high post. Don't pretend like he never did under JVG, he was good at it last year. It's just a bigger part of his arsenal now.

3. Doing a better job of turning defense into offense. The team is doing a better job of gambling for steals, playing the passing lanes, and then turning those into breaks.

4. Spacing. Moving Yao out gives the guards much better driving lanes and room to get to the basket.

Adelman to Van Gundy regressions so far:

1. Yao's passing. Get over it, Yao is not a good passer. He really never has been. He double clutches, telegraphs passes, and doesn't make good decisions with the ball. Opposing coaches know this, and that's why they send the double team with him in the high post. If he passes more, sure he'll get a few more assists, but he certainly doesn't make the team better. He needs to be told to shoot from the high post and shoot only. When he hesitates, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

2. The re-post. What happened to it? It was the most reliable way to score last year. I know that more motion should mean sharing the ball more, but that doesn't mean you get rid of your best scoring opportunity.

3. Paint defense. The Rockets were the best team at stopping penetrators last year. It hasn't fallen off much, but it has fallen off. That was the downfall of the 2006 Pistons, but they fell off more than the Rockets did. Right now it's okay, but it can't drop off much more.

 

Donkey has a JVG post sensor. Anytime the name JVG is posted on this forum, Donkey puts on his mask, cape, and logs on....

 

I agree that Yao is getting his points more off the low post ups and the number of those has increased in the last week. That's logical when he was struggling and you want to put him where he's most comfortable. But his playing the high post does help open up the offense.

It creates a huge opening under the basket when we flatten out up top with the two inside players at the top of the key and the triangle of the three outside players at point and sides.

You have to watch something other than the ball when Yao gets the ball on the high post. That's where the offense is affective. It's not to get Yao better shots, its to get everyone else easier shots at the basket.

I wish I had videos where I could tele-strate for you like Bullard does! LOL

 

good points, I agree that we are growing towards the Adelman system, and I have tried to watch that, so far I haven't seen Yao make the pass to the side, but he has found the cutter which I love on occasion.

It's Time

I'm on record we win it all, THIS SEASON (health considered of course)

 

Well said. De-Gundification takes time. Patience and practice are the best medicine.

Not reflected in boxscore, Adelman's instinctive in-game adjustment ability is something Gundy can never muster. We've already seen plenty of examples in this young season. No more predictable substitution patterns for our players. Previously under Gundy, TMac and/or Yao would often have a hard time to regain their shooting touches and their feel for the game after they were yanked to the bench at pre-determined time marks when they were still in top of their games. You don't see Adelman do this. A real pleasant surprise, I shall add.

 

come on. Yao made some great passes in last couple games. Nobody can really pass well when he got double teamed.

 

god post. i agree. i think scola just needs more time. but rafer needs to be traded for Mo Williams

 

All our guys, with the possible exception of Yao, are STREAK shooters from the outside... James, Rafe, Tmac, Shane, Bonzi, Scola... Chuck doesn't even bother... Luckily, they seem to come up with hits when it has mattered lately... Yao needs to practice more high post shots... In fact, I think Adelman should plant Yao at the free-throw line in the high post some and get him point-blank freethrow type shots, since Yao shoots such a high FT%...

 

The coach isn't going to have nearly as much effect as the roster changes. This is a much deeper team, there is no argueing that. Maybe JVG would use a different line up than Rick is, maybe not. They are both using the same starting line up.


The only real good thing about JVG being gone is that the play Francis threads would be even more obnoxious if he was still here. At any rate evaluating the coach after 7 games is pointless.

 

I don't know what you are talking about here. Have you been watching the games? Yao's passing has been crispy clean. Most of his turnovers are due to the handlings of his own shooting attempts and/or receiving of passing, not passing to his teammates. His assist number would easily go up at least another notch if our wide open guards could shoot semi-decently. Even when his pass does not result in a direct field goal, it usually is an assist-pass that leads to a secondary field goal or 2 FTs.

 

When he gets double-teamed, it means that someone else is open. Good passers recognize it and make a decision before the double team gets there.

Most of the turnovers I've seen him make are from him not making decisions quick enough and falling for the pressure. He's the Rockets' best option within 15 feet (and maybe even out to 20 feet), if you simplify the game and give him a permanent green light, his turnovers go down.

 

I don't see a lot of difference yet but it's way too early to grade Adelman. As Clutch said, MJ's contribution was the difference the first two games and he wasn't here last season. Bonzi has come up big for us. Tracy looks like a different player. We can only hope he keeps attacking the basket late in games.

The main thing Adelman has implemented is Yao in the high post, which has freed up other players. Props to him for that. Even though it usually makes Yao a non-factor, Tracy and Bonzi have taken advantage of the space underneath. There has been more cutting than before but the players still stand around way too much.

By January or February, I hope we see more significant differences in the offense from last year.

 

I don't expect Yao shooting 13/15 anytime soon. Even Yao himself admitted some of his outside shots in the Bobcats game were not good looking and kind of forced. Thank god they went it, and thank goodness to inept guards. I agree that Yao still has to make quick decisions on what to do with the balls when he is not in shooting positions, whether to work his way to shooting or find some open teammates for supposedly easier shots (knock on wood), but I maintain that Yao's passing and his assist-passing have been a real eye opener this season under Adelman. To say he doesn't make his teammates better is very biased, not reflecting slightest objectiveness of a Rockets fan.

 

Interesting... Because the first two points are precisely where I think Yao has improved. He's much better at finding cutters and his passes are more accurate when passing out of the double. I think you might want to revist some of R2k's highlights to see that it has been done before. In fact, the movement from the high to low post allows Yao to get much better position down low for the shot.

 

Dude James is a good three point shooter, he's just bee strugglin these last few games. And Scola to me is still learning to adjust and may seem jiterish and nervous because of that. Now we all know Hayes cannot, and should not, shoot.....so thats a given. And Rafer......well.......he's half of what he was last year......which sadly says something about Rafer because he didn't shoot very well last year either, but I'll take the decent three point shooting percentage last year over this Rafer anytime

 

No, it's a good topic. YOU have a problem with Van Gundy. Why can't one discuss the differences between the two coaches and the team, based on the relatively small sample size, in the context of discussing the Rockets under Adelman early in the season? It's a small sample size, but clearly this offense is being run differently. Is it better or worse than that of Van Gundy? What's different? Is the defense worse? Are the Big Two being used differently? How? Why is Yao fresher at the end of games? Why? Why the increase in blocks? Why is he getting rebounds with what appears, to me, to be with less effort? Why's McGrady shooting at a higher % and getting to the rack? Why is Bonzi arguably the biggest surprise early in the season? Why the big increase in offensive boards?

You think it's all coincidence? You might want a towel to clean yourself off after removing that large head and the long ears out of your (censored!). With all due respect. It would be nice to be able to discuss these things without some goofus turning it into a Van Gundy/Adelman tug of war. (insert one of your roll-eyes here. thanks)