Rockets v. Wi**rds - How Not to Coach

by grungedave on Dec 29, 2008 10:01 PM CST in Whimsical Posts

So, let me get this straight...

The Houston Rockets came out flat and cold tonight. None of the starters had a good game. Yao was off. Tracy was off. Scola was not playing well. Alston was Alston.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Rockets trailed by 10 points to the 2nd worst team in the league. Okay, maybe the 3rd worst. Anyway... the bench comes in.

Artest, Brooks, Barry, Landry and Scola lead the Rockets back to take as much as a 3 point lead. A 17-4 run to start the quarter. Which was awesome.

And then someone woke Ricky up. Dammit.

With two minutes left, Ricky puts Alston, Tracy and Yao back in the game. The Rockets promptly go ice cold again. The Wizards regain the lead... and hold on to win. As the Guinness guys would say:

Brilliant_medium

Brilliant!!!!

F-U, Rick Adelman. JVG would never have allowed this to happen.

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lakers/celtics would never lose this game

We have a completely healthy team and even against a horrible wizards team we sleepwalk through the game and can’t pull it out in the end. The Celtics or Lakers would have taken this game over in the second half and found a way to win even with a bad first half. God this game sucked to watch!!!

I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby

by kdog on Dec 29, 2008 10:16 PM CST reply actions

they were 1-11 on the road

up until they won tonight.

by Tom Martin on Dec 29, 2008 10:17 PM CST reply actions

And no Caron Butler

by goingforthecorner on Dec 29, 2008 10:39 PM CST up reply actions

Wow. I’m speechless. Unreal.

It’s actually hard for me to say anything without it sounding like a gross exaggeration.

For now, I’ll just say – I still don’t like the Adelman hire, never have… and they still seem destined to lose in the first round again.

www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Dec 29, 2008 10:41 PM CST reply actions

sadly

I am starting to agree with you. This team reeks of disappointment. First round disappointment to be specific.

by grungedave on Dec 30, 2008 7:34 AM CST up reply actions

Just found your website. It seems great and is a nice alternative to Clutchfans, which has sadly been overrun by nothing but completely negative idiots. But, I digress.

Im a Red Rowdy and it was really hard to swallow last nights game. I have to agree with your post. If those guys brought you back into the game, let them finish it. I know Rick Adelman knows more about coaching than me, but some of his decisions last couple of games left me scratching my head…

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1995!

by Mike Kerns on Dec 30, 2008 8:17 AM CST reply actions

Adelman

I used to watch the early 2000s Sacramento Kings play whenever they were on TV, and it seemed that they were unstoppable at times. Ever since then, I’ve considered Adelman one of the premier coaches in this league. But maybe that team was more of the talented players and less of the coaching.

If you want a Houston comparison, he and Gary Kubiak could be placed in the same boat. Both of them are offensive masterminds with a lot of experience, and while they can make plenty of smart decisions over the course of the game, they always seem to make a few boneheaded calls in nearly every game that just don’t make any sense, whether it’s Adelman replacing our bench players in crunch time with starters who are ice cold, or Kubiak calling back to back pass plays on a 4th and 1 with Steve Slaton in the backfield.

After a while, the magnifying glass is going to hover over the mistakes Adelman makes and not over some of the better plays that he calls. It’s sad, because I think he’s a great coach, but there’s no denying that he has cost us a few games this year with decisions that he made.

by Tom Martin on Dec 30, 2008 10:02 AM CST up reply actions

not to hedge but...

Lee is more of an Adelman fan than I am.
I started to believe Adelman’s system would work in January of last year. But Yao, T-Mac and Artest have basically abandoned everything that is fundamental to Adelman’s offensive sets (no movement, nothing but isolation plays in 4th Q, no fancy ways to get Yao the ball).

I miss JVG

by grungedave on Dec 30, 2008 10:05 AM CST up reply actions

I didn't think I would but I miss JVG too

Everything that the Kings did involved constant movement, whether off-ball when Vlade or Webber got it down low, or by means of getting Peja open for a three. You hear commentators all the time use the word “stagnant” when talking about the Rockets, and it’s true. We pass to one guy and basically watch him try to beat his man.

by Tom Martin on Dec 30, 2008 10:18 AM CST up reply actions

Let's be very clear

I like Rick Adelman, I think he has been a very good coach in the NBA. I LOVED JVG, there is a difference.
Adelman is doing a poor job of coaching this year. I don’t expect that to last though. He’ll figure it out. If he doesn’t he’ll be fired

by UofTOrange on Dec 30, 2008 9:48 PM CST up reply actions

and thanks for the comments Chuck, keep reading and bring your friends

by Tom Martin on Dec 30, 2008 10:03 AM CST up reply actions

You got it, BBN

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1995!

by Mike Kerns on Dec 30, 2008 10:14 AM CST up reply actions

Seems like a good place to say it

I am a HUGE fan of the Rowdies. I think you guys and gals do a fantastic job. I got to sit by y’all once this season and it was good clean fun. Thanks for doing what you do and keep it up!

by UofTOrange on Dec 30, 2008 9:49 PM CST up reply actions

My ClutchFans account

I had a link to The Dream Shake in my signature. Then Clutch or another one of the mods deleted my sig for whatever reason. I guess they have to make sure that ClutchFans is the only place you can go to discuss the Rockets! Then they later banned me when I didn’t say anything meriting a ban. I’ll continue to make more accounts once it’s allowed again, but those mods really piss me off.

by goingforthecorner on Dec 30, 2008 10:24 AM CST reply actions

I respectfully asked Dave Hardesty if I could announce our move

He still hasn’t responded. There is clearly a place for both of our sites.

I cannot stand about 1/3 of the posters over there though

by UofTOrange on Dec 30, 2008 9:50 PM CST up reply actions

ClutchFans

is slowing morphing to the ESPN message boards.

by goingforthecorner on Dec 31, 2008 10:42 AM CST up reply actions

how do you make a signature?

I still don’t know how :(

by Tom Martin on Dec 31, 2008 7:57 PM CST up reply actions

Did Adelman give a reason yet for staying with Landry over Yao?

Obviously he didn’t want to take Ron Ron out when he was hot like that, but Yao on an off night is still better than pretty much anyone else in the league.

by pantslessyoda1 on Dec 30, 2008 11:40 AM CST reply actions

I watched that game, and we were so flat and lifeless I pretty much knew from about the 2nd qtr it would be a loss. Honestly, I do think Adelman is sleeping a lot, but I understand his move in the 4th. Here’s what I think – the bench came in, kicked ass, played with maximum effort and got the team back in the game. When Adelmann took them out I think he thought, and I know I thought, that the 2nd unit was basically gassed from catching up.

So he puts in the starters and probably says something like: “Ok, the bench got you back in a game you had no business being in, maybe you can muster the effort to win it, eh?”

And they couldn’t. Which is fine by Rick, i honestly believe he thinks long term, and is looking towards the end of the season. He knows we won’t see Washington again this season, he knows that a loss like that can have value. He’ll use that as a stick to beat them with as the season goes on, along the lines of “Oh, you want to do it your way? Like you did against Washington? That turned out well, didn’t it? Why don’t you try my way? I’ve been coaching longer than you’ve been alive.”

by Xiane on Dec 31, 2008 8:00 PM CST reply actions