221 replies to this topic

[PKM]

the only thing we have in common with denver is the pace at which we play. denver has no star they are built around players who are boederline stars. we on the other hand are built around a star(harden). as for coaches who could coach a ring around mc hale? either van gundy jeff or stan(even though getting stan would not be good for a howard run) nate mc millian and brian shaw just to name a few. fact is mc hale couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag with one end open and a knife in hand. this is the main reason the rockets can not close out close games. if you look at the wins we have very few are in close games because when the game slows in the last few minutes he is unable to get the team in position to execute set plays. we simply fall on harden to iso more often than not. he has no plays we can execute at the end of a quater, half or end of games. trust me their are plenty of options when it comes to coaches. i'm not saying we should make an in season move, but end of this year........yes. it's time to stop babysitting mc hale and get a real coach.

Jeff and Stan clearly aren't interested in coaching for now, McMillan as a slow it down, grind it out guy is about the worst possible choice for this team, and while it necessarily isn't Shaw's fault persay, I don't trust Phil's proteges and the triangle at all after living in Minnesota and watching the utter disaster that was Kurt Rambis.

And going over my recaps and what I've seen, even if you ignore the fact that every team that isn't coached by Pop has this gripe about "the team doesn't execute down the stretch", Houston's losses generally haven't come from some failure to execute. More often than not, the team falls behind in the first quarter and tries to play catchup for the rest of the game. It happened against the Clippers, during the losing streak, and against Denver. From my perspective, a lot of what you're complaining about McHale is sound and fury, which pretty much every annoyed fan will gripe about their coach.

[Ostrow]

You know which coach might be great for this team? Rick Adleman....

[rockets best fan]

PKM:
if you like mc hale just say it I don't. I am not the average fan just gripping about a coach. I have been watching basketball for over forty years and I know a good coach when I see one. sorry to say mc hale is no coach, but a fact is a fact. he may be ok for player developement, but in game coaching? he stinks. fact is if he didn't have some pretty good coaches next to him on the bench he would probably already be gone. mc hale is simply a bridge to our next coach. it's time to upgrade that position at the end of the year(IMO) as for our loses on the year...............houston is one of the few teams with a winning record overall and loosing record in games decided by 5 points or less. this means we can not execute in the clutch. that falls on a coach more than any other stat (IMO). it's his job to figure out how to get his team in position to close a game. sure there will be nights the other teams star gets hot, but more often than not it's about who is better able to execute, run a play, and play tough defense. iso ball will win some games, but live by the sword die by the sword. iso ball limits a team and makes things easy for the defense. any real coach knows that, but it appears that's all mc hale knows. we probably have less structured plays than any other team in basketball. the pick and roll is very nice, but we need to be more than a 1 trick pony. that is why denver beats the sock off us every time they see us. at the end of a game they have several plays they can go to for the win. we only have harden on iso and the pick and roll. they know what we are doing and have us guessing what they are doing at the same time. we will never beat the top teams on a regular bases until we expand our game closing offense. sure part of that is adding another star player, but not all of it.

[PKM]

You know which coach might be great for this team? Rick Adleman....

It would have been nice if he could have stuck around and I definitely like him more than McHale, but I think it's fairly apparent from his Minnesota tenure that he basically wanted to run a team, and that wasn't happening. Oh well.

@Rockets:
I'm just fairly "meh" on McHale. Not good, not bad, but okay. I don't think firing him and hiring say, another average coach like Mike Brown is going to make that huge difference towards the season. That aside...

houston is one of the few teams with a winning record overall and loosing record in games decided by 5 points or less.

This is simply not true. We have had six games this season decided by 5 points or less. We beat New Orleans, Chicago, the Lakers, and Minnesota, and lost to Portland and Dallas. 4-2 record. Furthermore, even if we were say, 4-5, 9 games would be far too small of a sample size to determine something like late-game execution, much less 6. Combine that with the fact that late-game execution just frequently comes down to just making tough shots anyways, and I think it's irrelevant. Portland, for example, has had way too many games where they just come from behind and pull off another victory out of their rear ends. I don't attribute that to superior coaching from Terry Stotts, I attribute that to luck. Which can be demonstrated by the fact that they haven't been doing it as much recently, as demonstrated by another comeback which fell short against Phoenix.

[Mario Peña]

In the same way that chemistry is essential to team on court performance I also believe there is something to be said for chemistry among a coaching staff and specifically how the head coach leads the organization. I believe running plays are important but at this stage in the Rockets development other aspects of coaching are more important. I agree with what Phil Jackson said in an interview with Jack McCallum here and I believe it illustrates that you can get some good X's and O's guys on staff when a team core is in place and you are playing big games with big moments but until then it is just prologue.

SI: A final obvious question: What do you miss about coaching?
Jackson: What you might expect. Being around the other coaches, being around the guys. It's what I talked about in my book [Eleven Rings]. Coaching is about, "How do I get these people to play at their peak level?" Yeah, the X's and O's mean something, but you can get people to do that. And a lot of those guys have been hired. The Lawrence Franks and the Frank Vogels. Mike Brown was one of those guys. That's not a knock. Those guys know how to coach the game.
But coaching is much more than that. It is a spiritual quest. And if it's not that, you don't have a challenge, you don't have a mission. Forming a brotherhood and trying to move it forward, that's the part that I miss.




And to address losing close games well that is to be expected of young teams who are unfamiliar playing with each other.

[rockets best fan]

well let me expand that thought. maybe decided by 5 or fewer is the wrong phase. when we are in the forth period in a game within 5 points either way, because we lose many of these games by more than 5 due to execution.

[Kade]

Damn, Kade is 0/2 with only Coach McHale left in this thread. I seriously doubt Leslie Alexander and Daryl Morey are going to "fire" Coach McHale after just 1 strike shortened season and the second season with practically a completely new roster and oh yeah, some guy named Harden joininge Rockets AFTER the pre-season. My prediction thus is Kade will end up 0/3. Does anyone know how many practices the Rockets actually have during the regular season? Very, very few and the ones they have are important. Kind of hard to put in a complete new system once Harden joined the Rockets without much practice time. I think Coach McHale and his staff have done an outstanding job so far with the new roster et al.

0/2? I said White, Morey and McHale need to be canned. Now, will that happen? Given the history of Houston sports teams usually they can people many years down the road than they should (go back to Oiler years as prime example all the way to present Texans and Rockets).

White is a bust and won't even last as a Rocket for long. He's in the d-league. Bust.

Look will Alexander smartly fire Morey and McHale? Most likely not but that doesn't mean by keeping them and extending their contracts = they will be successful. So far the only reason why he should is because he disregards the past and relies on "HOPE" that things will deviate and change.
Successful teams never employ this approach and you can separate the winners from the losers across all major sports. It's not a coinsidence that Houston isn't a winning city when it comes to sports. From the media to majority of fans, they don't expect and demand for winners. Instead, they look towards the future.
FYI: In the NBA the worst thing to have is a young across the board team. That's a common mistake from many fans that having one of the youngest teams is actually a bonus. It's actually the complete opposite.

On another note, I'm a huge Harden fan and wished last year watching him in the postseason that we could get a Harden like player. Make no mistake Morey was given a gift because of the screwups of other teams. This wasn't Morey working his magic. Any one of us could have been the GM and still got Harden.

Finally, anyone can rip my thread but the facts are smacking you in the face, Morey and McHale haven't been winners once since they have taken office or as a coach (or both). Rebuilding each year is the sign of a organization who are clueless. If you want to turn it around and say they are doing this to get the pieces they want and have to do this year after year then you either haven't followed the NBA or don't want to come to grips with reality.

Think of this, Lakers are having an epic all time worst season and they are only a handful of games back. Even getting in the postseason we are one and done. Will Houston throw a parade if that happens? Given the history I bet they will.

I love my teams but I won't stick up for them when they aren't running the teams I pull for the right way or the way you have to in order to win.

[PKM]

well let me expand that thought. maybe decided by 5 or fewer is the wrong phase. when we are in the forth period in a game within 5 points either way, because we lose many of these games by more than 5 due to execution.

I'm...fairly confused about that statistic. It sounds like you're saying "If you ignore all the games where we blow out opponents, which we do a lot, then this team's record isn't very good." That's well, common sense, and doesn't McHale get credit for those games where we do blow out the opponent?

[Kade]

Anyone who defends McHale should immediately hand in their NBA card or go check yourself into your nearest hospital. You are either nuts, delusional or stopped watching the NBA after her retired as a player and was a die hard McHale fan.

[Kade]

I don't think any of us want him fired in the middle of the season(with the exception of Kade). But you're right that there aren't many big name guys available. Phil's retired. Sloan is kind of old to relate to players(although we saw how much BETTER his system made D-Will and Boozer). Mike Brown would get our defense in order, but has severe offensive liabilities(I wouldn't mind them hiring him to be a d-coordinator, he's a great defensive mind). So, we would have to put our trust in Morey to find a better coach.

sort of like never wanting to fire Cheney and have Rudy T come in during season...oh wait, yea, no reason to ever fire a HC until after the season is over

[Kade]

PKM:
if you like mc hale just say it I don't. I am not the average fan just gripping about a coach. I have been watching basketball for over forty years and I know a good coach when I see one. sorry to say mc hale is no coach, but a fact is a fact. he may be ok for player developement, but in game coaching? he stinks. fact is if he didn't have some pretty good coaches next to him on the bench he would probably already be gone. mc hale is simply a bridge to our next coach. it's time to upgrade that position at the end of the year(IMO) as for our loses on the year...............houston is one of the few teams with a winning record overall and loosing record in games decided by 5 points or less. this means we can not execute in the clutch. that falls on a coach more than any other stat (IMO). it's his job to figure out how to get his team in position to close a game. sure there will be nights the other teams star gets hot, but more often than not it's about who is better able to execute, run a play, and play tough defense. iso ball will win some games, but live by the sword die by the sword. iso ball limits a team and makes things easy for the defense. any real coach knows that, but it appears that's all mc hale knows. we probably have less structured plays than any other team in basketball. the pick and roll is very nice, but we need to be more than a 1 trick pony. that is why denver beats the sock off us every time they see us. at the end of a game they have several plays they can go to for the win. we only have harden on iso and the pick and roll. they know what we are doing and have us guessing what they are doing at the same time. we will never beat the top teams on a regular bases until we expand our game closing offense. sure part of that is adding another star player, but not all of it.

Come to Houston where people who should never be head coaches can and as a bonus the delusional/clueless fans will defend to the end. Kubiak and McHale we welcome you to run our teams and wonder why nobody else wants them. Oh well there's always next year where we are going to kick the SOB in, right Bum? Nope!

[rockets best fan]

I'm...fairly confused about that statistic. It sounds like you're saying "If you ignore all the games where we blow out opponents, which we do a lot, then this team's record isn't very good." That's well, common sense, and doesn't McHale get credit for those games where we do blow out the opponent?

i'm not saying that mc hale doesn't have good days because he does every now and then. overall he is not the right man for the job. it's a pattern I see in him. he doesn't make good decisions in clutch situations. that's my point why he should be fired end of season unlike what Kade is calling for.

[PKM]

@Kade: At this point, I'm not even sure what your complaint is. I mean, Morey's bad because he's not a "winner?" You state that having a young team is a bad thing...while your earlier posts were advocating that the Rockets should tank year after year until the next Lebron or Olajuwon falls into our lap. You state that Morey didn't do anything great by getting Harden because other teams screwed up, while say praising the Lakers, a team who basically did the same thing to get Pau Gasol.

And let me also clarify one more thing: are you suggesting that a New York style media is a good thing? To have Stephen A. Smith or the New York Post doing their...stuff?

[rockets best fan]

Kade:
welcome back...........I thought that morey contract extension news had chase you off while we don't always agree I look forward to some spirited discussions

[Mario Peña]

PKM, don't mind Kade. He thinks all of us normal Rockets fans, the informed majority that is, are "nuts" and that we will "jump on his bandwagon" someday, pretty delusional. You can't debate with him. He is a Rockets fan so I give him credit for that.

[thejohnnygold]

Funny stuff. Kade, it's not your opinion on the matter I mind--it is the "solid" reasoning you support your stance with. Nearly everything you say in defense of your point is contrived or flat-out wrong. We are passionate about the Rockets too, but most of us need evidence beyond, "I told you so", to be convinced of something....this is my challenge to you, sir.

I watched the Chandler Parsons video interview that was posted a few days ago. It was ok. What was interesting, and relevant, is he talked about the Rockets' offense and, specifically, how it is being coached. He went on to say that they intentionally do not employ a "system" or many set plays because that way the defense has no idea what they are going to do at any moment and cannot "set up for it"....of course, when it falls apart it can look terrible, but that is the logic being employed by McHale and the Rockets--like it or not. Parsons, for one, seems to genuinely like it.

I can see how, as a player, working in a system like this would be way more fun than executing set plays over and over and over. Basketball is at it's best when it flows like jazz music--improvised and created out of years of experience and practice where the synergy of the players makes magic.

Referring to the Phil Jackson quote ST posted earlier, I think he nailed it. Hire those X-O guys when your team is ready. Losing a few games this season due to ineffective late game play is not the end of the world. After reading that snippet I like Jackson a lot more as a coach.

[timetodienow1234567]

Who thinks the Spurs assistant coach would be a good fit(Budenholzer). He's coached well in Pop's absence and the Spurs are a GOOD offensive team that plays defense. That's the kind of guy we need to go after. Pop's proteges succed in the NBA, unlike Phil's. Say what you like about Mike Brown, but he can coach some defense. Vinnie Del Negro has coached the Clips to a good record(albeit CP3 has a lot to do with that). Avery Johnson took a team to a finals(got run off by coach killer D-Will and Lopez being injured). Coach Williams with the Hornets looks good so far. So I think getting the assistant coach for the Spurs would be good. He's learned under Pop, but he's also been there during the transition from defense to offense oriented teams and so knows how to be flexible to fit his personnel.

[timetodienow1234567]

Funny stuff. Kade, it's not your opinion on the matter I mind--it is the "solid" reasoning you support your stance with. Nearly everything you say in defense of your point is contrived or flat-out wrong. We are passionate about the Rockets too, but most of us need evidence beyond, "I told you so", to be convinced of something....this is my challenge to you, sir.

I watched the Chandler Parsons video interview that was posted a few days ago. It was ok. What was interesting, and relevant, is he talked about the Rockets' offense and, specifically, how it is being coached. He went on to say that they intentionally do not employ a "system" or many set plays because that way the defense has no idea what they are going to do at any moment and cannot "set up for it"....of course, when it falls apart it can look terrible, but that is the logic being employed by McHale and the Rockets--like it or not. Parsons, for one, seems to genuinely like it.

I can see how, as a player, working in a system like this would be way more fun than executing set plays over and over and over. Basketball is at it's best when it flows like jazz music--improvised and created out of years of experience and practice where the synergy of the players makes magic.

Referring to the Phil Jackson quote ST posted earlier, I think he nailed it. Hire those X-O guys when your team is ready. Losing a few games this season due to ineffective late game play is not the end of the world. After reading that snippet I like Jackson a lot more as a coach.

He's a great coach. I think he's the premiere ego massager. But I rank him second all-time behind Pop.

[thejohnnygold]

He's a great coach. I think he's the premiere ego massager. But I rank him second all-time behind Pop.

That's cool. I wasn't comparing them. I was only referring to him regarding Houston's current situation and the Parson's interview.