The last 4 games have seen the Rockets either start or finish poorly with virtually no defensive intensity out on the floor. When that happens, particularly during a crucial stretch of the season where every game is pivotal, it makes one wonder if this team(and I use that word lightly in this situation) has given up on Rudy and tuned him out. Oh sure, I'm certain he's saying all the right things during practices and timeouts. He's calling team meetings after disasters like the home loss to Miami. He's forcing the backcourt to pass to Yao and experimenting a little by having Mobley handle the ball more instead of Steve. But when you look at the effort(or lack thereof) in games and the body language of the players, they simply don't care anymore. Hell, Steve refused to call a timeout at the end of that Wizards game even though Rudy was screaming that he should. And remember that home loss to Utah when Rudy told them to foul but they let Harpring launch the game-tying three anyway? I'm not blaming Rudy for all of the Rockets' problems this season. They are a young team, they have no consistent outside shooters, and the Western Conference is stacked with contenders. But it's not too much to ask that the Rockets improve as the season progresses much like the Warriors and Sonics(post-Payton trade) have done. And that's simply not happening. If anything, they're regressing and it's mostly due to the fact that these players don't respect their coach anymore. I believe it's no longer a question of if, but when Rudy must be replaced with someone who's not afraid to discipline these guys and can install a more effective offensive system. The question is does Les wait another year and see if things improve(they won't, at least not enough) or does he swallow $8 million and hire a new coach?
It's hard to say if they have quit on Rudy but when things don't go right they are starting to give up which wasn't a problem in the earlier part of the season even though they were making a lot of mistakes.The body language is really bad.
They haven't quit. It looks like......we came out terribly and then came back from like 16 points against a very good Boston team and beat them. It looks like..........we were playing well against the Knicks. But they came back. And we made a few mistakes and did not get any calls. We played our hearts out. It looks like......we came back from 24 points against the Wizards to tie it in OT only to get screwed by the refs. And It looks like...........we just lost to the 2nd best team in the NBA.....and the hottest team in the NBA....and we were down by 20 but reduced it and tried our hardest. THEY HAVEN'T GIVEN UP. But they just can't win all these close ones. That's why they should start out aggressive and get an early cushion. Maybe they do need a new coach................ Yeah. We do need a more effective offensive system.....ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THIS OFFENSIVE TALENT... Experiment time.
Peronally, I think they have quit and they are not buying into Rud's system anymore because the fight and passion just isn't there anymore. It seems like they don't even want the 8th spot anymore.
I don't think the Rockets have quit, but I do think they've pretty much quit listening to Rudy and are relying on their "instincts" which are high school basketball instincts. I'm particularly targeting Stevie Franchise, Eddie Griffin, yes, Mo Taylor, Cuttino, and even Geln Rice to an extent, although he has been a proven player in the past. Very poor judgement was used throughout the game tonight and it really counted in the 4th quarter when efficient plays were not being run and Steve in particular was showcasing his tunnel vision by running the ball with nowhere to go several times in the last few minutes. The defense is the roughest. It's hard to even talk about how bad it is. Yao is trying to work it, but he is fighting a losing battle by leaving his space open trying to compensate for the other sleepwalkers. It's time to trade Franchise while the rest of the league still thinks he's as great as the Rockets' press office has said forever. We would be going to the playoffs this year and probably the next three if we had traded Franchise for Payton and a prospect or pick. Too bad our new arena is running the team. I hope we make the playoffs because I can't bear for this season to end early.
I think its not as much as they quit but more that they are just playing like losers with losers mentality. They are playing not to lose and that's a horibble way to play, but i'm just rewritng my topic again with this response.
I think they hae tuned him out as well. Once that happens, its over. What this team needs is a major shake-up. If I were a potentially lame-duck coach like Rudy I make some changes in the significant lineups to try to save the season.
Now it's the time to find out what our boys are made of. If a losing streak breaks them down, this team shows little character and won't go places. I don't think they quit on Rudy. They are just not playing smart now....so what else is new.
I think Rudy's testing to see how much heart this team has with unorthodox coaching moves, like subbing out the hot player in the game for a cold one off the bench, just to see how the team adjusts to it all. I'm sure right now this is a time of experimentation just to see how to react for playoff situations. I kind of see it as a preparation for the playoffs in dire situations where maybe the hot guy on the team has fouled out, or is in foul trouble.
My God London, I have said a lot of harsh things about Rudy (and I think he deserves to have harsh things said about him this year), but I hope to hell that he doesn't sub out a "hot" player for a cold one just to see how his team reacts to it!! I have certainly questioned Rudy's sub patterns a lot in my posts, but the only reason I can think that he would do something THAT idiotic is if he were being paid by the Grizzlies to tank the team so they can get a lottery pick instead of something higher in the draft...talk about your ludicrous conspiracy theories Oh and btw, if Rudy IS EXPERIMENTING for the playoffs, then he needs to stop it before their are no playoffs to experiment for!!
Rudy has to step up and look himself in the mirror. The list of bad coaching moves he has made this year is very long. The team has been relatively healthy this year which would have been a good time to get something done. I cannot think of any area of the game where the team is better than it was at the start of the season. I am not buying this thing about being the 2nd youngest team in the league. Why blame Rudy? I blame him because, among many things, he has failed the get more, rather than less, out of the following players: Rice, Mobley, Francis, Posey, Nachbar, Ming, Morris, Moochie, EG, Collier, Taylor and Hawkins. The performance of all of these players are below expectations. Who else to blame? He has failed to get our dominant players to dominate. He has failed miserably with the offensive schemes which seem intent on providing low percentage shots. It failed with Anderson, Pippen, Posey and Rice and it will fail with Nachbar. His defensive scheme has gone south in a hurry too. Bottomline: there is no excuse for not making the playoffs. Time for Rudy to go.
DearRock, Posted very similar thoughts under "petition thread." I'm depressed just knowing we're probably not going to make a coaching change at least through 2004. I love Rudy, but he's lost and/or not getting through. Results speak for themselves. D R
Bingo. In Steve's first year we didn't have Hakeem and Charles so it was understandable the rox didn't make the playoffs. Still ,they overachieve and set a standard that I don't think we are unjustified in expecting them to have met this year --(45 wins). The year after that we were racked by injuries to Steve, Mo and others and we tanked. Rightly so we didn't Blame Rudy because its not his fault that the rox got bitten by the injury bug. But NOW i think its unbearable. He's had a resonaly healthy club with as much, if not MORE talent than in the 45 win season where NOTHING went right, yet we continuously underachieve. Our players have failed to get up for every game (and don't give me that youth crap because age has nothing to do with you coming to play every night -- ex. Memphis). The players have obviously lost faith in whatever system it is Rudy is trying to run and have reverted to trying to wing it on pure talent -- something they can get away with sometimes but will never beat the better teams. Our "offense" consists of 2 sets which are easily recognized and never varied, and our substitution pattern is a joke. Rudy has proven that he is either incapable or unwilling to make IN GAME changes to counter what the other coach is doing on the court. Rudy has lost the players..and if the roc don't make the playoffs..he'll loose the fans too.
Case in point (being nit picky a bit): During a late third or early fourth quarter timeout. The Rockets Spin Crew came out and performed some serious breakdancing at mid court. I will that this was amazing, coming from an old school "Crush Groove" type like me. These guys were awesome! I digress..... During the timeout both benches are gathered and huddled. Meanwhile, the Spurs (ahead by 15 at this point) are focused on the coach and obviously tuned into the coach and not paying attention to the goings on at midcourt. Meanwhile on the other side, the entire Rockets bench and some starters, are peeking and watching the break dancers at mid court, while Rudy is drawing on the clip board. To make it even worse, two of the starters were watching the dancers and not watching Rudy. Heck, even one of the coaches was not paying attention to Rudy. To make it even worse, the Rockets came out of the timeout and had a backcourt violation called on them for not brining the ball across in 8 seconds. I am seeing this kind of lack of professionalism, general lack of concentration and overall lack of intensity running rampid on this team.
Great point Mongo. Rudy is not a bad guy but the longest rope has an end. The Rudy thing has run it course and the thing he should do is either come clean and new or step aside. He is only there because of his past and certainly have not done anything this year to remind us that he is the best coach for this team.
Yep. Time to quit worshipping the past. This will be the fourth year out of the playoffs, and sixth year (seven calendar years) since we did anything significant in the post-season (2nd round or better). Rudy obviously isn't reaching these guys, and we need somebody who does. Somebody who isn't afraid to take these knuckleheads aside and say, "Hey, you pay attention to me, not the dancers. You want to sit and not play, we can do it that way, too. Your choice." I also hope the offseason sees us address some trade issues. I don't want any of this "we just need to stay together and develop some chemistry." Do YOU see any chemistry being developed on the floor? Yet? This team has no mental toughness, and I think that starts with the coaching staff. I don't care how young these guys are. They're getting paid millions of dollars. The least they can do is pay attention and try hard.
Just to touch upon that a bit. Here is an article on the Warriors and Eric Musselman in today's ESPN Insider. Just to relate it to the Rockets a bit. Notice how Mussselman is not pulling any punches and putting the people on the floor that are playing the best regardless or their "stature." ### From the moment Musselman walked in the door his mantra has been, simply, if you produce you play. If you don't you sit. No one, with the exception of Jamison, has been immune from Musselman's wrath this season. However, over the last 13 games, Musselman has been holding Jamison to the same standard. As Chris Mills and rookie Mike Dunleavy have emerged, Jamison has seen his minutes dwindle when he doesn't play well. Even Antawn admits that the move has made a positive impact on the team. "Everybody is kind of equal now," Jamison told the Contra Costa Times. "I remember being asked about when I said, 'Just give me 40 minutes a game and I'll produce,' and what if I wasn't playing 40 minutes. Well, whenever I'm called upon, I'll produce, whether I like it or not. It's me growing as a person. I know he's trying to help this team out, too." Jamison's reaction (in previous years he'd pout if he didn't get 40 minutes and 20 shots a game) is just more evidence that the Warriors are finally growing up. "Everyone is contributing now so he doesn't have to leave someone in when they're making mistakes," Arenas said. "It's like, one, two, three, everyone is yanked. Everyone. If the bench players come in and do the same thing, they get yanked, too. He's making sure he's got five players on the same page." For young players like Richardson, it's just proof that Musselman refuses to play favorites. "It does help," Richardson said. "Now I don't feel like I'm the only one coming out because of my defense or whatever. He's (Musselman) done a better job of that. Earlier, I did think he was singling me out. But now, everyone will come out if they're not playing defense." Could this new attitude lead the Warriors to their first playoff berth since 1994? The Warriors are just two games behind the Suns for the eighth spot, but are facing a brutal stretch in March. ### As a side note, even though it has been 4 years since we made the playoffs, and as a Rockets fan it has seemed like a long time, I think the Rockets feel their rebuilding started last year with the drafting of Griffin and then there was the drafting of Yao this year. The team changed with those two draft picks and I think the organization doesn't look at the fact that we have been out of the playoffs for 4 years as much as we started over (the last TWO years), got two new front court players and we are young and learning. I think their might more more urgency for the Rockets to make the playoffs if they were not starting over like they did last year versus being out of the playoffs for 4 years without any changes etc. Chris
I was at the game and I saw that too. Spurs had just made a run and Rudy called a TO to "fix it". We take the ball out under the spurs goal, the spurs go to a full court press and we get called for an 8 second penalty. Way to come out of a time out. The break dancers were great and the Power Dancers are hot, but they're for the beer swiggin' fans (like myself), not the players. BTW, the Rockets were NEVER in the game. The spurs let up at the end to make the score a little closer. We were NEVER in it.
Deuce, great parallel. Another error Rudy is making is playing Cat and SF that many minutes. No need for that whatsoever.
