With every passing day it gets clearer that Rudy T had to go.

No way! You could see that "stale" and "predictable" offense from Rudy in 1995. It was only when Drexler joined that helped in the "creativity" department. The vets helped Rudy's offense. They made it work. But it was still "stale" comparatively.

And don't come back with, "That stale offense bought us two rings." It was the "predictable" offense that made it more difficult. Not easier. That's why we were never very good in the regular season. Too predictable. We had to come back and win by the skin of our teeth all the time. Rudy's offense made it that much more difficult for our players.

JVG runs a great system. Baskets just come easier. And you don't need great players at every position either. That's not what a well designed system should do. It should give your "worst" players a chance to score. Not just your "stars." It's much more flowing offensive that incorporates the TEAM.

We still can goto our stars to "save the day" if need be. But not anymore than you need to. I couldn't stand Rudy's offense. Never had, never will! He was a defensive minded coach. His offense was always "meat-and-potatoes."
Yawwwnnnn.....

This is why I wanted him fired!

 

Talk about NOT giving credit where credit is due...This is JVG doing...

All you have to do is look back at the last 7 years. Same offense. No change under Rudy!

I can't wait...
If in 3-4 years, if win the championship, will it still be "Rudy's team?" NOT!

Get real!

 

I agree totally with Dear Rock!!!!

 

What are you talking about? The offence is just about the same as Rudy Ball- Guard Dominated and Steve Francis in Control.
The big difference is in the JVG Defence.

 

good to see JVG using the old rudy 3 guard line-up in the 4th

 

Another Brother,

My sentiments exactly. It should be so glaringly obvious to everyone. I screamed for a coaching change all last year............but I just didn't feel comfortable saying it now. Rudy is too classy to "pile on."

Let's just enjoy the ride.

D R

 

Just using a "three guard line-up" isn't the end of it.

It's what the rest of the system is doing. Are they cutting? Are they passing? Are they playing team ball? Are they playing defense?

Rudy would use the "three guard line-up" but let them run wild and dribble the clock out, i.e. iso-ball = Rudy ball.

 

Best remnent of Rudy's coaching - the one-on-one play of the guards... every team needs to be able to play good half-court offense, but when it breaks down in the playoffs, every team needs someone who can get it done all by themselves.

Worst remnent of Rudy's coaching - turnovers... Rudy just didn't teach the fundamentals that are needed to play without turning the ball over

I think the turnover problem is quickly becoming the Rocket's biggest obstacle this year. We could lose a lot of games unessesarily if we have the number of turnovers we did tonight.

 

After just three games, what is there to see?

The unprofessionalism that ruined the potential of this team the last few years doesn't seem to be completely gone yet. Just look at the EGriffin fiasco.

Cat still takes shots that would make Kobe blush.

Francis still looks like a natural scorer being forced to play PG.

The only difference I see is a bigger, more asertive Yao.
JVG is hardly the reason for his improvement. He's only had 1 month to work with him, and I would give the bulk of the coaching credit for Yao to PEwing and Yao's personal trainer back in China.

The addition of tough veterans like JJ, AGriffin, and Piatkowski have also helped, but how much?

The proof will come when this team is in contention for the playoffs down the stretch, and it actually comes through.

Until then, I won't blame Rudy or praise Van Gundy.

Beating the Nugz and Bulls, while losing to the Grizz, is hardly anything that could possibly be viewed as improvement.

 

No need to harsh on Rudy. He had to go for a reason that happens to even the best of coaches: The guys just weren't listening to him.

Give Van Gundy a few years and he'll meet the same fate. It's the coaching version of mortality.

 

Milos, you can't tell the difference in play? It's not that we're winning. It's how we are winning.

JVG is lucky that we actually have hierarchy of talent. It's clearly obvious that this is a Yao/Francis team. In NY, there were no apparent leaders.

The phrase, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game" means more and more...(That doesn't mean being a "good sport" or "good loser.")

Take a little look at how the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls did it in the past. Dynasty in championships. Yes. But they also dominated the regular season too.

Real dominant teams, good players from 6 through 12. Our roster changes aren't done yet.

 

This is the closest to the truth I've heard yet. I can't believe all the people on this board who think Rudy was a bad coach. It's just riduculous to think that.

 

He wasn't a "bad" coach. He was overwhelmed, overused his stars, underused his role players (drove me crazy).

X's and O's does have a great impact on making your players jobs easier. His offensive schemes were just too predictable. He did know defense well, though.

For some reason he couldn't get this team to play D that way. Not sure why. I guess he just didn't *really* push it on the players. And then the player took advantage of that.

 

Does anybody else remember how, either last year or the year before, Rudy mentioned that he enjoyed coaching more than he used to? That he used to sweat over every single detail, and now just enjoyed it and let the small stuff slide?

I wonder if that's when he lost "it."

Incidentally, the team's progress has been pretty neat. Against Denver, the offense looked near-perfect.

Against NJ, the offense might not have looked great - but the team showed 4th quarter grit that I didn't expect of them last year.

 

Interesting insight.

Could have been downhill from there...especially as a "mentor" with young players.

Nevertheless, I still never liked his offense, even if he never lost "it."

 

Where do I begin. First let me say in general you're basketball knowledge is wanting. Either that or you are not watching the same games as I am.

Rudy is an innovator. Rudy took what he had (in Olajuwon) and made the best of it. I know you will disagree so I won't waste my team going in detail. But let's just say every coach in the league knows the most valuable player on the court is the player who can demand double and triple teams. Because when he has the ball the opposing defnse breaks down. It's basketball 101. It's why every team wants Shaq MJ KobeTracy Yao. Every wants one of those players because they can get their shot off every time if you play them one on one and if you double team them someone else is open. Every coach would rather have 1 great player as opposed to 2 very good players.

Because the great player will make the average players look very good. Hence Kenny Smith looked great for the Rockets and Steve Kerr looked good for the bulls. So when you have this one great player you run the offense through him. Nothing else makes sense. If they play him one on one he kills you if they double the open guys kill you. Simple basketball 101. Rudy took Olajuwon and made himthe focal point of the offense and he developed an inside outside game the likes of which the league had never seen before. So maybe at times you thought it was boring but it was destroying teams in those championship years.

As for his predictable offense not winning in the regular season and winning in the playoffs. That actually proves the exact opposite of the point you are trying to make. Coaching is about preparation. And the playoffs are the one time you can actually concentrate a little more on preparation. It's the one place were better coaching can and does make a difference. In the regular season you don't have any time to prepare for a team but come playoff time you focus on one team for the best of 7 and if there is a flaw on that team you can find it and break it down from one game to the next. Look at the Spurs and Blazers last year. The blazers where being destroyed and then they finally figured out a way to beat the spurs and they almost turned it around. They almost upset the champions. Give credit to the coaching.

Look at the Mavs at the beginning of last year they were tearing up the league with there new style of bball. They were perfection, unbeatable and the buzz was that they would win it all that year. But the truth is they were good but they were also an enigma and noone had time to figure out during the beginning of the season. But by the end season they were no longer a surprisen't as much as surprise anymore and they proved they were beatable. And the playoffs exposed them even more because the teams now had time to prepare. That's why the best coaches win championships because they have time to prepare and coach. And that's why Rudy is a champion and JVG is not. He is a very good coach but not a great one.

As for Rudy always being boring that is total BS. The year we won 45 games and didn't make the playoffs the Rockets were one of the most exciting teams in the league. They could run with the best of them and they had two 1 on 1 players in Francis and Mobley that no one could stop. While the rest of the league was having problems with the Mavs we were running circles around them. But then the league changed the rules and there were some who said it was because Stern didn't like the 1 on 1 iso style the rockets were winning with. it wasn't team basketball. But Rudy mastered that new offense in a short time. And then had to give it a major makeover when the rules changed.

Then we drafted Yao and Rudy had to readjust the team towards him and he made great progress and when he left the Rockets were on a winning streaking and playing like a fined tuned team headed for the playoffs and Rudy accomplished that in a short period of time with a young Yao who was scared of the world for most of the season. And he had to do that with a team that was not built around Yao but was built arond the guards and he had to change that on the run. And it wasn't easy. But he did an admirable job.

As for JVG running this great offense they are running the same kind of offense that they did last year and some time it's effective and sometimes it's not. Look at last nights game they couldn't get the ball inside to Yao for ****. And yao is much stronger and much better. They team looked terrible on offense against the Grizz and then they stunk it up again against the Nets. Look how much everyone hates Mooch and the 3 guard offense and yet JVG ran that alot tonight. Now everyone wants to say that putting Cato at the 4 was brilliance and while it was a good move it was only done out of necessity when Eddie and Mo were out. And in the end Cato will be sent back to the bench and Mo will be are starter. So while you are trying to give JVG all the credit for this new offense they Rockets still look the same in many areas. And most of the improvements are because Yao improved and steve to alesser degree. After I say all this I will give JVG credit for getting to team to buy into defense and hustling more. Although Rudy was a great defensive as well but it is there where I do some changes. Not htese major changes but still better so I will give JVG credit and I believe he is a better coach than I first thought.

I will also agree with one thing that Will said and I do believe there is some truth to it but not the whole truth perhaps the players had grown tired of Rudy and were not listening to him the way they should have. And yes when that happens sometimes change is needed for the sake of change and maybe that's why Rudy needed to be fired. Of course I don't see that but I admit I could be wrong. I know this doesn't change your thoughts and nothing I say will but if you are reading this than at least you know my point and you can disagree with it and bash it all you want. In the I am a baskeball fan who apreciates good basketball and good coaching and JVG looks like a good coach but from where I am standing Rudy looked like a geat one!

 

Sigh... just wait...you'll see. I'll let the JVG performance speak for itself.

 

Here is a quote of Van Gundy from todays NY times:

"I was asking one of the players the other day about one of his former coaches, what was the best thing about him?" he said. "He said, `Well, he was just a really nice guy.'

hmmmm, could this certain former coach be Rudy?

:eeks:

 

Seriously. It could not be Sloan. I doubt it would be Rick Aldeman. And who' s left?

 

Accountability is the key. Its somthing that Rudy never made his team live up to. When Mashburn,Davis, and Wesley missed all those games and even in the playoffs, you never heard anything from Silas or the players. When Penny missed half the season and Googs still trying to play, how many excuses did they make? Yet when the Rockets lost a couple of games , they used everything from not having Glen Rice to every other excuse. What JVG has said is no more excuses! I think that was what really is helpinh this team. The youth factor can no longer be used as a crutch for playing stupid basketball. I still think this team has a long ways to go and still could use a trade, but thats just me. 22 to's tonight as well against the Grizz which is pretty pathetic if you're trying to win games. They have a long ways to go, but early returns are pretty optimistic.