That is what I have been saying too. I was partly sarcastic in the thread that suggested in trading Yao. Since I am a Yao's fan, people would say that I do not care for the team. However, the point is, the rocket have to make decision which system they gonna use. Without the clear direction, how can the team success? This year, the team is very confused in my untrained eyes. Make decision first then evaluate the players. If they cannot fit well with the system or cannot adjust then thread him/them even they are stars. I do not mind if the rocket even trade Yao if it is good for the rocket. (Except, I will continue to cheer for Yao in another team. ) By the way, I think that coaches are responsible for making that decision and create the system that utilize the players'talent. That is why I hold coaches responsible for the success and failure of the team more than players. As for Rudy, I think either he stays or not for next year is OK. I am willing to give him another year trying to fix the problems. However, if the team is not improved in the next season and the same problems remains, I think that giving him more years will not help either.
verse, Call them excuses if you want, but Steve's first two seasons were the very definition of "rebuilding seasons." I don't know how you can refer to a team being in the midst of a rebuilding process as an "excuse," but you're certainly free to try. Third season, there's no ifs and or buts about it, the reason the Rockets were so bad was because their third best player missed the entire season, and when there best player wasn't sitting out because of migraine headaches he was playing with them. End of story. The season was a waste (well, except for the fact it got us Yao). So, we've established that Steve's first three years were no-win situations. Two seasons, the team was rebuilding and struggled like any rebuilding team should, and the third season they were dessimated by injuries to the point of just being flat-out uncompetitive. This season, I admit I was disappointed. I thought they should have been able to slide into the playoffs as the eighth seed. However, I do think they would have made it if Rudy continued to coach. Do you realize the Rockets played two of the three worst offensive games in franchise history when Rudy was out.? Imagine that. A team with over 25 years of history to draw upon, and they just happen to play two of their worst games of all time in the short period when Rudy is sitting out. Wouldn't you say that's a pretty big coincidence? There was clearly something wrong with the Rockets after Rudy left, and I'm not just talking about the losses, I'm talking about the way they lost and the way they played. So, this was the first year I can say I was honestly (and realistically) disappointed by the results of the season. I do recognize that having to build a team and restructure their offense while in the middle of an NBA season is a daunting task, but I though they should have been good enough to at least make the playoffs. But, I did not think the season was so bad that the Rockets should take the extreme risk of bringing in a completely new coach and start all over again. I think what some Rudy-haters fail to realize is that those of us who want Rudy to stay aren't saying that just because we "like the guy," part of it is we don't really think bringing in a new coach is a sure-fire solution. That way of thinking is just too simplistic. They could easily bring in a new coach and be WORSE than they are now, and I just don't think that the Rockets are in bad enough shape to take that risk. As for next season, I'll just have to wait and see.
Verse, I didnt weigh in on this issue because I think all coaching changes are destabilizing. Im a Rocket fan living in San Antonio and just a few months ago the Spur fans were calling for the head of coach Popovich. Hes now coach of the year..hes also, along with Rudy, one of the three coaches who have won NBA championships in the last ten years. When SA fans told me they wanted Pop to go..I told them they were nuts. The Rockets dont have a coaching problem, they have a chemistry problem. With young teams ..patience will get a team over the hump..2 to 3 years of playing together. The Rockets starters have 37 games under their belt now. Changing coaches will slow this down though. San Antonios edge on the Rockets isnt coaching..its stability on the floor provided by TD and Robinson. With patience the Rockets will get that from Steve and Yao..but if they decide to trade for vet leadership..it better be for a damn good player..he will have to be the man..the new team leader.
what is the point of 3 years of rebuilding, when the seeming focus of the rebuilding is going to be moved position because he isn't going a the prototypical point guard. surely if you are going to rebuild you want lay the foundations in the right place, seems like the rockets, have laid the foundations, built the bottom story of the house and while attempting to build the second story are going to tear up the foundation and re-lay them while hoping the rest of the house doesn't fall down..... what a waste Not sure where Rudy fit's in here, there is so much we the public don't know? For me i would keep building but make we put up some (de) fences and maybe add some secondhand furniture for structural support.
Verse, although, I have always hated Rudy offensive design skills, there will be one thing that would be missing from the Rockets if he gets fired. And that is... When we are in the playoffs, down in the trenches, game seven, everything on the line...having a coaching staff that has been there, done that, is very valuble. That's what I will miss. It's too bad we can't have the best of both worlds. And that would be for Rudy to hire a x's and o's coach (like Tex Winter or Pete Carril) for the offensive design, and Rudy would be the motivator/leader. I mean hell! If George W. Bush can do it (hire people to do work for him) so can Rudy!
That's because you have reached an error within yourself and you have to move forward through the brick wall.
I will tell you right now, Yao Ming didn't missed nothing in training camp. You are going to see the same stagnant offense regardless of whether he goes to training camp or not.
Well, we wont know until next year (regarding the offense scheme). But, don't forget that Rudy has said that Anthony Falsone (Rockets trainer) did not work with Yao on heavy weight training. He was not allowed because the schedule and his body would not allow it (over worked and not enough time to properly train). So, next year, Yao will be able to work with Falsone and hit the weights hard and properly. They also did test on Yao's bones (stress tests) to find out how much weight Yao should be allowed to gain. That will be used as a measuring stick on how hard Yao will be allowed to lift. So, Yao will be more powerful, regardless what Rudy does.
Man you are right on the money with this post. Over the past 9 years inconsistency and the Rockets go together.
I answered you in the othetr thread verse, but after reading this thread, I have to say that rimmy and DC pretty much summed up how I feel... but just to keep from riding on their post-tails..Ill bring over what I said before in the other thread written befotre I read this one...
Rockets2K: thanks. actually, i was going to do the exact same thing (copy your post and move it here).
There is no reason the rockets should not be a 5th or 6th seed in the west PERIOD.........7th at the least...........Cancer or no cancer we played inconsistently all year, nobody can deny that...... Look, I love Rudy guys............I really do, I appreciate his contributions to the organization for over 30 years, and I think he is a very special person, and I'm praying for him and his family about the bladder situation.......but come on guys The bottom line is this..........Trade or no trade, cancer or no cancer, this team as more than enough talent to make the playoffs right this second. It wasn't about cancer all year when we lost games to cellar dwellers in each division, and when we were on this awful win 2 game, lose 4 game ratio goin on. My point is this my fellow bbs'ers I have one last question and after that I rest my case, and I want you guys to be completely honest when you answer this, And keep in mind we all love Rudy but think about this If Rick Adelman, Flip Saunders, Or Popovich was at the helm of this Franchise would we be at home right now? Especially Pop and Saunders because I think they have less talent on there team than the Rockets and they consistently out play us.........please for the sake of all that is wholesome be honest
you really think any of those coaches could have come in this year and implemented a system and then had to re-implement another system(or make drastic changes to it) when YM showed he was truly something BIG and still have the Rox make a bunch of noise in the stacked West? I don't. If there had been a new coach here this year...the team(as it is presently organized) would not have done any better (possibly worse) than they did for RT. You dont just plug a new coach into the mix and expect the team to whip ass..he would have come in to put his system in, and the team would not have got it down before YM broke out...and then he would have to accomodate for YM, and then it would have taken more time for the team to adjust to that....we would have been in rebuilding mode most of the season.. All we need at this point is to tweak the personnel(players) alittle over the offseason...and then see how things go next year... Next year is our year....or it's time for some staff(coaches) changes.
Awesome thread and awesome posts, verse. I asked something like this in the Old Man Rock thread. We live in a society today that is "what have you done for me lately?" Yea, Rudy won the 2 rings (although you can debate that Hakeem really won them for him), but missing the playoffs 4 seasons in a row, 2 of them with winning records is going to cause a lot of consternation with people. I mean does Les Alexander think that we are still "rebuilding"? Gauging by the comment that he said, "This is the greatest team assembled" or something like that implies to me that the man doesn't think we are in a rebuilding stage. And in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter what I, verse, Old Man Rock, TheFreak, Clutch, or Jeff or anyone else thinks, he, Les Alexander, is the only one that matters because it is, after all, his team. So, now that it has been established that Les doesn't think we are rebuilding what will be the "remedy" to make sure that we don't spend a 5th straight season out of the playoffs? I agree with Dakota that the cancer did buy Rudy some extra time, but it is very similar to the Hakeem situation. Rudy has Les over a barrel and he knows it. I mean the guy has spent over 30 years with the organization and like someone else said, maybe A-Train, it is not like Rick Adelman or Rick Carlisle getting canned; I mean a public outcry would occur just like with Olajuwon leaving. Which leads to the part of verse's initial post that I quoted...does he have a lifetime pass? Personally, I think a coach is someone who brings people together and have them accomplish certain goals, primarily winning games. Yes, as verse pointed out, we have 2 building blocks that don't really go together in Francis and Yao in the sense of their playing style. However, I think about Larry Brown and Allen Iverson. I mean if Brown can get AI to play a team game and change his playing philosophy to a team one, I would say he could do the same with Francis. It seems like Rudy is so easy-going or wants that label of being a player's coach so bad, that he just shrugs off stupid plays by his players or he looks in the other direction (something I used to get tired of seeing in the past). To make things worse, I would hardly expect Rudy to change his coaching style. He is in a good situation and knows it, so what is the incentive of changing, especially if he thinks that he has a "lifetime pass"? One thing can be certain, if this is not handled properly, things could get even uglier than the Olajuwon departure.
If I had a pennie for every time I hear "next year is our year"..................need I continue? You can't say we can't say this team should not have made the playoffs this year....We were out of it by 1 game and I can name at least seven we should have won
yes, you should.. How many of those years have we just acquired the guy who whill in all probability will be the next BIG center? Ask anyone that *really* knows ball...dominant BIG men get you rings.. In Yao's first year here, did you really expect much more than they did?...the homer part of me said yea, the realist part of me that has been watching ball for damn near 30 years said no.. If you cant see the difference between previous years and this one..then I dont know what to tell you.
so...next year...when we don't make the playoffs again...will the excuse of "well with the new additions of x, y, and z players, and having to incorporate them with yao ming and steve francis in our new offense, we probably overachieved in grabbing the 9th spot. plus, rudy had to miss some games for further therapy and the western conference, because we just added new orleans is such a tough road to travel" be palatable for you?
