Lowe mentions the fact that Rudy was one of the first (if not the first) coaches to implement a 4-out strategy in the NBA, but it shouldn't be forgotten that our iso offense last year was basically the same offense Rudy ran with Stevie and Cat in the early-aughts, but with better spacing (and better iso players).
Lowe’s guest on his most recent podcast said that was the biggest flaw with basketball hall of fame voting. No one knows who is doing the voting. Writers are unable to ask the decision makers what went into their decisions.
Lakers writers must hate Rudy for signing a huge contract with the Lakers. Rudys health made him retire. Kobe and the Buss Family might hate him. Knicks writers, fans hate Rudy, he ruined Patrick Ewing Legacy, Knicks still in a Championship drought. Bulls writers hate Rudy Winning Championships when Jordan retired the First time, or Rockets got the First pick over the Bulls to select Yao.
Rudy Tomjanovich 1995 Rockets Team is Today's NBA. Robert Horry as a Stretch PF, Guards as 3 pt shooters. Rudy was the First in this Philosophy.
Beyond ridiculous that Rudy T is not in the HOF. When you put his resume together from his days at Michigan to his coaching it’s a no brainer.
I don't know about Kobe, but I thought there were some in the Buss family that tried to do right with him by keeping him and his son on the payroll. That Laker year was a big turd, but I don't remember FO throwing him under the bus on the record.
The Buss family actually kept paying Rudy as a consultant. He never came back to the Rockets and was a consultant to Phil Jackson. The Buss family was very loyal unlike Les Alexander.
Why isn't Rudy T in? Why is it even a question? Perhaps Rudy's unassuming nature is part of it; ok, then, why isn't there the grassroots support afforded Guy V, for example?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudytomjanovich/ Rudy Tomjanovich 3rd degree connection3rd Los Angeles Lakers basketball consultant and statistical analyst. Los Angeles, California
Really need someone like Hakeem or Clyde to push for it. Wish Barkley or Kenny would, since they have the platform, but I’ve only heard a few nice words from them from time to time. Maybe someone can put a bug in Tillman’s ear; he knows how to build a proper candidacy that would get attention.
Rudy T deserved to be in the BASKETBALL Hall of Fame 10 years ago. It's not a players or coaches hall, it's a complete effect on the game award hence Yao getting in. It's time Rudy gets in too.
Rudy T was the small ball coach before small ball was a fad. He was the coach that convinced Hakeem to trust his teammates. He volunteered to take a bunch of scrubs to play in the World Championship and won the bronze.
Rudy T should be in the HOF as a PLAYER ALONE, not even counting his coaching. Rudy T should be in the HOF as a COACH ALONE, not even counting his playing. HOF proceeds to not put Rudy T in the HOF. Just awful...
Lowe essentially mentioned it with the "behind an ahead-of-its-time 3-point barrage" quote. If you read the list clearly each writer could only fit a certain amount of words, and Lowe hit on points way more important on the 4-out strategy. Especially because the Rockets used it mostly for 1 playoff run (2015), and they eventually reverted back to traditional lineup when they traded Horry for Barkley. Even in the rebuilding era and SF days the Rockets mostly opted for traditional PFs rather than tweeners, so it's really hard to make the case Rudy T was a trailblazer here. If you only have a couple of hundred words to make Rudy T's case for the HOF, it's hard to fit more stuff than what was said here. Hell, I know I've almost never seen even Rockets fans use his Michigan career as part of his HOF case. And that should be a big thing given Michigan's place in NCAA history and Rudy T's play there.
Larry Brown once called Rudy T one of the best basketball minds he ever worked with...yes, he is a Hall of famer - put him in. DD
Rudy has to play who they trade for. Even still, not too many coaches would have run high pick and roll with Francis and Matt Bullard; that is, he got more out of Bullard than likely any coach would have. You also forget Rudy spread the floor to exploit the illegal defense rules, so they had to eradicate them. But back to the PF usage: I don't really many using a PF like Bullard...his 3Pt rate was off the charts. Griffin might have been second highest for PFs at the time. Although, maybe Sam Perkins was still around. That 4-1 high is regarded as being Rudy's invention, and he did it anytime he had the personnel. The play series from Horry's era is dubbed Fist-Up Houston. Fist Up was/is a common play series, that Rudy extended out further than anyone else, and had it feature the PF more. In 2000, the year Barkley got injured, Kenny Thomas and Matt Bullard combined for 43 mpg and 5 threes. Bullard shooting 45% 2001, same thing, Bullard shooting 40% 2002, Eddie Griffin shot as many threes as Francis All that time, Rudy was also exploiting the illegal defense rules to spread the floor to allow ISO. NBA largely changed the rules because Rudy made a mockery of them. Point is he was flexible and found ways to adjust to maximize his players, not stubborn. What he did with the 1998 World's team with no NBA players (and very little training) that @Easy mentioned was yet another great example. Bronze-medal run a gold-medal example of Rudy Tomjanovich's coaching acumen https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/10/...o-disappointment-in-bronze-medal-victory.html
