What if the Rockets treated Rudy T like the Jazz treated Jerry Sloan?

if you're implying that you're more certain about the latter than the former, you're in big trouble here.

 

I think Rudy T is a great coach. However, during his last season with
Rockets, a lot poster in this bbs were calling for a change of coach
to a disciplinarian type i.e. JVG or Larry Brown. Then Rudy T had
health problem and the horrible assistant coach (I forgot his name)
took over and we failed to get into the playoff. That was painful
as we were supposed to qualify instead the Suns got into the
playoff and Yao lost his ROY.

 

Phil Jackson will be the perfect coach for Yao-Mac system, but we need one guy to complete his triangle offense.

perhaps...Steve? Bonzi? Mike??? or SCOLA!!

 

you missed the poll option of him getting fired a couple years down the road.

Rudy was a players coach and would have never pulled the trigger to get TMAC. Francis would still be eating up the cap and his injuries would hamper us. Rudy would have continually drafted crap and signed crap. And eventually would have been fired anyway.

 

I loved Rudy T because he brought us two championships, and he was a class act. However, he did ALOT of things at the end of his tenure that really set this franchise back. It is because of this that we have absolutely NO dept now. Can you imagine how the Rockets would be if we were not so fortunate enough to land the number 1 pick to draft Yao?

Here is the run down of the things he did.

1. Sign Mo Taylor, Cato, and Noochie Norris to long term deals.
2. Traded multiple 1st round picks for Eddie Griffin.
3. Had THREE 1st round picks and did not draft Rashard Lewis. We ended up with two guys who are no longer in the NBA.
4. Drafted guys like Langhi and Rhodes.
5. Passed up guys like Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer for Noki.


Those are just SOME of the highlights. Those who wonder why JVG and the Rockets had so many problems signing free agents or trading for players can just look at the list above. We had NO cap room or trade pieces. I believe JVG did a FANTASTIC and magical job cleaning up that garbage. That is why I have nothing but admiration and respect for JVG. Never did he complain or make excuses.

Rudy T left at just the perfect time to keep his legacy IMO. The moves he made crippled our team to this day. Like I said in the beginning, can you just imagine how the Rockets would be had we not landed that number 1 pick? SCARY!

 

The Rocket's under Rudy during his last 6 years:

1997-98 Lost first round vs Jazz
1998-99 Lost first round vs Lakers
1999-00 lottery 34-48
2000-01 lottery 45-37
2001-02 lottery 28-54
2002-03 Lost first round vs Lakers

In comparision Sloan:

1997-98 Lost in NBA Finals
1998-99 Tied for best record in the league, lost 2nd round to Portland
1999-00 Lost 2nd round to Portland
2000-01 Lost first round to Dallas
2001-02 Lost first round to Sacramento
2002-03 Lost first round to Sacramento
2003-04 Lottery 26-56
2004-05 Lottery 42-40
2005-06 Lottery 41-41
2006-07 lost to San Antonio in Western Conference Finals


The plus of course for Rudy T is he won 2 titles prior to that, while Sloan lost in both of his Finals trips. On the flip side Utah has rebuilt much faster after losing Stockton and Malone, to go from the lottery 3 years in a row, to playing for the western conference championship. The Rockets haven't passed the first round since 97. Of course if Sloan was coaching here, or just about any where other than Utah he wouldn't have lasted this long. The 1999-2006 stretch of losing 3 times in the first round, followed by 3 years in the lottery, coupled with never winning the championship would have done him in.

Rudy did a great job running the mostly veteran championships teams, but he always seemed like a better manager and motivator than strategist. His offense during the championship wasn't any more exciting or drastically different from JVG's. Spread the court, post up the center and score or pitch it out to a 3 pt shooter. The difference is Rudy had Hakeem playing at an MVP level in the middle, and a much more consistent supporting cast.

 

Love you to death, but Rudy's style was as much a disaster with Team Francis as it was a key component to the championships.

With alpha dog vets that were professional and hungry, it was perfect. With immature guys in terrible need of a firm hand at the wheel, it was a trainwreck. Francis never had to answer to anyone and was happy to do whatever he wanted. Which, unfortunately, meant he was never going to give Yao the ball since he and Mobley were the established scorers at the time. He did the same exact routine in Orlando with Dwight Howard.

I love him to death, but Rudy could not or would not step in and get Francis to play ball correctly. Isoball with him and Cat was the result and it was a disaster.

Evan

 

So Rudy T gets all the blame for the bad personnel moves and JVG gets all the credit? I'm sure a little guy named Carroll Dawson had something to do with things, what do you think?

Let's not forget JVG's "FANTASTIC" job of bringing in Weatherspoon, Marc Jackson, Charles Oakley, trading a future star in Rudy Gay for Battier (decent trade but Battier clearly isn't the same player).

But as long as we're making lists, let's look at the other side of things...

1. Traded for Mario Elie
2. Drafted Sam Cassell and Robert Horry.
3. Won a World Championship.
4. Traded for Clyde Drexler.
5. Won a World Championship

And now you're telling me moves made over 10 years ago are the reason why we have no depth now?

 

Rudy left mid-season (we were also in position for the playoffs) after he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Not sure about leaving the Lakers but his health reasons for leaving the Rockets were absolutely real.

 

I assume you're able to back up a statement like this? Certainly you wouldn't say something like this on this website without providing some evidence.

 

He always had a consistent winning team because Malone and Stockton never missed any games.

 

Unlike you, I hold Les & Dawson responsible more than JVG for these moves because Dawson was the so-called GM responsible for personnel moves while Les was content with getting players on the cheap instead of getting players who could help his team win. Oh and I don't believe that JVG was responsible for the Gay deal either. But I agree 100% with everything else you are saying here.

Yeah, someone needs to go back and re-examine the Rockets' draft history in THIS decade especially all of those years in the lotto that managed to produce 1 player before they start looking at what went down 10 years ago.

 

They played better than they've ever played and put up as many wins as after he left. How is that a "disaster"?

Here's what was a disaster - in Francis' last year with the Rockets, his scoring and shooting percentages were all way down, and his assists and turnovers stayed the same. Was that 'playing ball correctly'?

 

REREAD what I wrote. I said, "moves he made at the end of his tenure." There is a BIG difference. And why do you suppose JVG signed guys liked Oakley, Weatherspoon, and Marc Jackson? Do you suppose it had something to do with our salary cap AND poor draft choices? You cant expect JVG to go out and sign good players for the cheap when he had no cap to work with or players to trade. Lets THINK a little before we post.

 

In all seriousness you are an absolute liar. I have always found much of what you say as straight up BS but mostly harmless. This is a straight up lie and totally uncalled for. You are absolutely the worst type of poster on this board.

 

Not with the new defensive rules

 

i was going to say the same thing. i think the free reign that he gave to steve and cuttino cost him his job. he was much better coaching a team of vets. i dont think he would still be the coach though, due to health reasons.

what if the rockets treated jvg like the jazz treated fairy sloan?