Is Rudy capable of drawing up an offense that doesn't rely on ISOs or jacking up 3 pointers? Let's see some f'ing movement from guys without the ball. Glen Rice is good at running around, then catching and shooting. Let's utilize it, and set him up with some screens to let him run around the baselines. Since we have a PG who allegedly looks to pass before he shoots, let's use that as an actual benefit.
Same old, same old complaint. Maybe the players are the ones supposed to be moving their feet? Does Rudy look happy when everyone stands around? Could it be that it will take a little while for these guys to be on the same page? What happened mid-way through last season when the Rockets showed flashes of an running offense that no one could stop?
Cohen-If the problem is the players, shouldn't a "great" coach like Rudy be able to COMMUNICATE TO THEM that he wants them to move around? I also don't think the players are supposed to be moving around much when Cat and Steve go into iso-mode. The root of the problem is Rudy. Even if he does want his players to move around more, he should have enough respect from the players to listen to him.
Even though I cringe at the phrase "Players' Coach", I know that Rudy is a very good coach. However, Rudy has never been known for his during game strategy or game plan. Rudy's base offense is to beat your man in a one on one matchup and find the open man. Concepts like back picks and curls are not in his playbook. However, what do I know? I still believe that Rudy could have gotten past Seattle without trading for Barkley by tweaking his game plan. Seattle would always trap Hakeem in the low post with double teams and zones. Rudy never adjusted by moving Hakeem to the high post or running more pick and rolls. Instead he overreacted and gutted the team to get past Seattle. Again just my opinion.
3Rings, you must can read my mind. A good shot to Rudy is an open 25fter. Anyone who ever played basketball know that you play defense inside out, meaning you'll give up a long jumper as opposed to a short one. Any team would rather you shoot 30 3 pt shot as opposed to 20 15ft shots. Even though if you get 50% from 2 and 40% from 3 its pretty even, but when guys get shots from 15-17 ft consistently, you always have a higher shooting %
I'm having trouble remembering anything from my one whole viewed Rockets game this year... perhaps b/c every play the Rockets ran was a microsecond away from a turnover. But, is there any weak side movement when the Rockets run the p&r or do the rest of the 3 players now stare at the Center's feet and count off 3 seconds?
Rudy NEVER makes adjustments. How has this offense changed any from last year? You would think the zone defense would have prompted Rudy to make some changes on the offensive end.
We basically do. Hakeem was isolated, if double team he would kick it out for a three point shot. If not then he would beat his man. Same thing now from the outside. If Steve and Cuttino are doubled team they pass it to someone for a three point shot. If not then they try to beat their man. Of course they are no where close to being like Hakeem (not that I expect them to be of course) and that is why our offense sucks! I still wont call for Rudys head though. I remember last year I was one of the most vocal Rudy hatas in the beginnig and soon enough he made me shut up. I think I will give him atleast 2-3 months into the season before calling for his head.
I've swung back and forth on the issue. I've never been quite ready to get rid of rudy... but I do wish he'd make more adjustments and change his questionable subsitution patterns at times. Rudy is great with personel, good with motivation, and bad with X's and O's. Pat Riley's a terrific strategic coach... and look what he's done the past few years. Not much. I think we're lucky to have Rudy, who's a Top 10 coach. But we do have something to complain about. I think the Rockets offense so far this year is a legitimate problem to point out.
Cohen-Do you even watch the games? I suggest you close your mouth if you have nothing to base your "arguments" on. Obviously, Francis and Mobley aren't posting up down low like Olajuwon. But in the sense that we clear out the court for an isolation, it is exactly the same from when Olajuwon was here. That style was fine, before the new rule changes.
Why are the Rockets near the bottom of the list when it comes to teams with good offense, and last year they were at the top of the list? What are they doing wrong this year? You would think we would have better offense and scorers this year. I know anderson and hakeem are gone, but wer have enough players with good offense to make up for them.
Flying 4 ever-PPG is a very misleading stat. That has more to do with the pace of the game. Last year, the Rockets pushed the ball up more. Also, the main key to offense, is it's efficiency. The Rockets offense has been very inefficient for the last 3 years.
I'll take it under advisement. Did you watch the games last year? About mid-way through, we had some quarters that were absolutely phenomenal. The main problem we've had so far is some crappy shooting. The guys have had open shots and they missed. Then we have a totally deplorable looking effort and everyone who's a better coach than Rudy comes out of the woodwork. Did you really believe that a team that has undergone the changes that this one has (and couldn't even put all of the key players on the court in the preseason) would kick-off with an awesome offense? It'll take some time; show a little patience. Let me add one other observation and probably the most salient. Rudy and his staff have been very succesful. Rudy is recognized as one of the better ones in the league. Have you played a few seasons in the NBA? Coached college?
Cohen-Did you take into account that LAST YEAR'S OFFENSE was played under a whole different set of rules? This offense will not work against a zone. Also, shouldn't the Rockets recognize they are a shooting so crappy? It seems like common sense to me that if you can't shoot from outside, try driving it to the basket. Too bad only Francis and Mobley are allowed to do that.
If anyone had a chance to watch Lakers v Magic, they'll see why we don't score 100pts. The Magic avg 107 and all they have is 2-20ppg players in their line-up with Hunter or DeClerk, Armstrong, and Grant filling out the starting rotation, but what they do is run after misses and makes, turnovers included and guess how many turnovers they had? 6! Its just a sense and knowledge of knowing that if you push ,push, push, then defenses have bad transition defense and you can get lay-ups and open 16 ft jumpers. With two open court players like steve and cat, it makes no sense to walk the ball up the court everytime and expect them to score. The Rockets should attempt 90 shots a game at least if they push the ball up and stop playing Pat Riley type of basketball. Its just sad to watch a team walk the ball up so much.
leebigez, Since Stevie and Cat were unleashed on multiple occasions last year, it could be that their is some other reason they are not running yet other than Rudy and his staff. I think the coaches just want to take it one step at a time. If we try to push the ball with the new players, we'll probably just experience the excessive TO rates we had to live through previously. Pick your poison. BTW, if you want to know why the Lakers score so much, look no further than Kobe and Shaq. As for Orlando's low TO rate, what roster changes did Orlando make from last year?
kidrock8, I really don't feel compelled to consider every issue, because I rely on Rudy and his staff to do that for us. Some here are full of hubris and seem to feel that Rudy and his staff cannot recognize simple concepts. Pardon me, but how did these guys get where they are? If they are so incapable of recognizing simple concepts, why the h*ll doesn't EVERY team beat the cr*p out of us? One would appear much more insightful if he sought the reasons why the coaches haven't tried something (yet), or why the players cannot execute something (yet), rather than implying that the coaching staff are incompetent idiots.
