It sure seemed as if Rudy T made all the right moves last night. Perfect substitutions and a great game plan. Now that the Rockets have finally settled into a rotation and the starting five seem be healthy we are really playing great ball. How is it that we are 4 games over .500 though with all the injuries, distractions and different line ups we've had to use during the season? I guess Rudy T. new what he was doing all along. Now I know why J.R. wanted to trade Flip Saunders for Rudy T. He wants a coach with some proven success for his beloved T-Wolves because he knows Flip is not the man. Now bow down to Rudy T J.R.! ------------------
J.R. needs to come on here and start tooting Scott Skile's horn now. Maybe they will start losing like the Timberwolves. ------------------
I wouldn't call myself an anti-Rudy, but I am critical of him from time to time. I didn't watch the game, so I can't say *too much*. But Rudy's substitution patterns have, in the past, been highly questionable. I think most people would agree with that. I also don't think Rudy is an x's and o's coach on the level of Riles or Brown. That doesn't mean he's awful with them, just that we've seen him outmaneuvered. I would say that Rudy is perhaps the best player's coach in the league. Great at handing the various personalities involved. Overall, he's probably top 10, top 5 perhaps... but not the best, I think. And he does make mistakes... I don't think it's "bashing" to point that out... as long as you also give him credit for what he does well. I want Rudy to be the Rocket's coach for years to come. But I'm also not blind to his faults. ------------------ Why is it that everytime BC defeats a major conference opponent, that opponent promptly goes on a losing streak? PS. Notre Dame sucks
Rudy is a great GM doing a pretty good job sitting in as coach. CD needs to retire, let Rudy take over the GM reigns and bring in a better X's and O's coach. ------------------ "He said hop on his back and he was goin' ta take us to the promise land...and that's what he done." -- Robert Horry '95
Rudy is pretty much the GM. All trades come through him, and must be approved by him. Rudy should be the Rockets coach, and will be the coach until he doesn't feel like it anymore. Rudy doesn't have to be the best X and O's coach, because his staff takes care of the X's and O's. Bringing in a new coach would be a negative and shouldn't even be discussed. Cuttino resigned because Rudy T makes it a family atmosphere. Rudy had the Michigan connection which helped land us Mo. I wonder how, and if, Rudy's Michigan connections come into play when the Rockets pursue Webber. It definitely helps, cause I know Webber would rather play for Rudy than Furer Adelman. Also, a new coach means a new offense, having to gell as a team AGAIN, and a friendship having to be forged between players and coach. Not that it's gonna happen anyways.... ------------------
I'm from out-of-state. Who are Rudy's assistants? Are any of them X and O type guys? Seems like even, no especially, the great NBA coaches have at least one old-hand (even a former head coach) by their side. We have no Tex Winter, no Dick Harter, no Phil Johnson serving as a technician. Our assistants seem "young" or "inexperienced." Can anybody verify? Or disagree? ------------------ Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils. PowerbizOnline.com
Didn't Rudy sign a 3-year extension earlier this season? That kinda makes the point moot, for the short term at least. ------------------
HAven-I agree with everything you said... ------------------ Check out my homepage! Loads of sports pics! http://www.public.asu.edu/~sykim/
Crash, kbm and I have posted similar Rudy T positives lately, but cannot seem to taunt any of the anti-Rudys out into the light of day.
disclaimer: been traveling for the last 2 days or would have been defending myself sooner! Crash -- trust me I'm all for Messiah Rudy to prove me wrong. I'm glad we busted up on Flip! Doesn't mean we couldn't already be the 8th seed with someone else as coach. I like AT -- Rudy as GM. Scott Skiles is beginning to look better and better hedster! Go after Skiles! ------------------
X's and O's coaches are less likely to take a chance and more rigid in their thinking than Rudy is. The man takes a gamble, often times that will work, sometimes it doesn't. How many big deficits have you seen the Rockets make up under Rudy's tutelage? I always loved that big Johnson/ Bullard/ Maloney three to cap the run and bring us back. He's working with young players now and working with getting them to fit together despite an horrendous injury toll. On the other hand, Rudy does diagram plays and sets for the players. Just because he runs some iso's doesn't mean that he's not an X/O man. Players still need to know where to go and how to space out. Rudy teaches them that. Just because you don't like the particular style of the man doesn't make him a bad X/O coach. Rudy will talk about the success% of a player when a particular play is called and determine which are the best to use in certain situations. A man doesn't have to hold a blackboard or have his playbook hanging out his vest pocket (Richie Adubato) to be a "fundamentals" coach. How many TO's are the Rockets commiting as a team this year as compared to last? There's your X/O's. ------------------
Rick Pattino is one of the best X's and O's coaches on any level of basketball. We all saw how succesfull his vast knowledge of basketball made him at Boston. As well as X's and O's you must be able to find tallent that mixes well together and you must be able to make them want to play for you. And you must be able to differentiate between NBA talent and College talent. Rudy does all those things as good or better than any coach in the game. I don't alway's like the way Rudy T subs his players and who he subs (that is well documented on this board) but I think it has gotten better. I still don't like using Walt so much but maybe he will find his stroke. All things considered though I can't think of a coach I would rather have guiding the Houston Rockets. If the Rockets make the play offs then I think Rudy T is a deffinite candidate for coach of the year. J.R., Scott Skiles??! Are you freakin kidding me? You want to compare Scott Skiles to Rudy and say he may be better? Tell me you were only kidding. Scott Skiles has done nothing to improve Pheonix since he took charge of that team. The Suns are a stagnant team that will get no better and never seriously contend for top name free agents or a championship with Skiles as head coach. The only feather in his cap has been Shawn Marion, nothing else. ------------------
Xs and Os is the most overrated thing I have ever heard. It is mostly something fans bring up. Let me tell you something the mark of a good coach is the adversity he faces and when he loses a ton of talent. Rudy T lost THREE, count them THREE of the 50 greatest players of all time, the other one is far past his prime, lost virtually EVERYBODY from both the '94 and '95 championship team AND everybody from 1997 Western Conference Finals team, faced tons of injuries to key players, and lack of inside play for an extended period of time with a young inexperienced team and had to COMPLETELY change the system around. He also had to deal with controversy on the team in the toughest conference in the NBA yet we are STILL 4 games over .500 and in contention for a playoff berth. What else do you want? Every coach makes mistake, if Skiles was so perfect he wouldn't only have a 4 game lead over a Rockets team that is young, inexperienced, totally rebuilt and lacked for a while, less then a front court then Phoenix. What has Skiles done? Has Skiles faced adversity like this? No. You can keep Scott Skiles, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Flip Saunders, Flip Wilson, ANY anybody else that you want. None of those coaches that people have asked for have had to deal with the adversity Rudy has. Not even Saunders. Even after the NBA ruling he still had the same team from the playoff year before. Some people just aren't satisfied with success. ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . .
By the way Scott Skiles has done EVEN LESS then Flip Saunders has done. His only accomplishment is beating a banged up Spurs team in the playoffs. Meanwhile he is losing control of his players(Even Blount attacked him on the way out)and Kidd, Robinson and Penny have been in trouble off the court, they are barely hanging on in the playoffs race and his team doesn't play defense, and they are MORE experienced then the Rocks, so their lack of defense is inexcusable. I know you want Rudy gone JR, but you have not given 1.)A good reason or, 2.)A good replacement. ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . . [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited February 25, 2001).]
I like the way everything Rudy does is focused on the long-term: trying to get players to play to their potential, creating an atmosphere and culture such that players want to play for him, and finding players that fit in the Rockets' organization and in his offensive scheme. Just one example of this is the way it takes a long time for players to work their way into his starting lineup, but once they're there, they don't get bounced for one boneheaded play. Having players, especially young players, know that their next screw-up won't put them back on the bench is invaluable for their development. Can anybody say that these intangibles aren't directly responsible for the greatly improved play by the rockets in the second half of this season and the last season? ------------------ Ex-Canuck loving life and the Rox in H-town
