Adelman reportedly interviews with Rockets

[Reality]

Adelman reportedly interviews with Rockets
You Yao haters can get ready.  While Tex Winters would have been my #1 choice to unleash the Yaowswer, I'll take Adlemans ball movement O.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2871861

[westkoast]

Yup Rick Adleman is going to take Yao and make him a leader, bonafide shot blocker, #1 rebounder in the league, and improve his stamina!

For some reason you just don't understand how much more important defense is then offense.  Not quite sure why.  Adleman will improve the flow of the offense but he has never been a defensive coach.  Houston lost in the first round not because they couldn't score but because they were not defending in the paint or on the perimeter all that well.

[JoMal]

Yup Rick Adleman is going to take Yao and make him a leader, bonafide shot blocker, #1 rebounder in the league, and improve his stamina!

For some reason you just don't understand how much more important defense is then offense.  Not quite sure why.  Adleman will improve the flow of the offense but he has never been a defensive coach.  Houston lost in the first round not because they couldn't score but because they were not defending in the paint or on the perimeter all that well.

If the Rockets are going to interview Rick Adelman, then they are of the complete opposite opinion to yours, westkoast.

What Adelman will give any team is offensive freedom within an extremely well-practiced scheme. Players will feel more comfortable in that scheme because Adelman always makes sure everyone knows and understands exactly what their role will be. Team morale will improve.

And some roster moves will be made to fill in the needs of his offense. Yao's passing and ball-handling does not strike me as up to par for Adelman's tastes. He will need a better frontline player to run his offense through.

[Lurker]

And some roster moves will be made to fill in the needs of his offense. Yao's passing and ball-handling does not strike me as up to par for Adelman's tastes. He will need a better frontline player to run his offense through.

Doesn't finding another frontline player who has better ball-handling and passing skills kind of cancel out any benefit of having Yao?   If Yao isn't the frontline player who gets the most touches then you are turning him into Franciso Elson with an additional 6" of height.

That is classic JoMal...

[westkoast]

Yup Rick Adleman is going to take Yao and make him a leader, bonafide shot blocker, #1 rebounder in the league, and improve his stamina!

For some reason you just don't understand how much more important defense is then offense.  Not quite sure why.  Adleman will improve the flow of the offense but he has never been a defensive coach.  Houston lost in the first round not because they couldn't score but because they were not defending in the paint or on the perimeter all that well.

If the Rockets are going to interview Rick Adelman, then they are of the complete opposite opinion to yours, westkoast.

What Adelman will give any team is offensive freedom within an extremely well-practiced scheme. Players will feel more comfortable in that scheme because Adelman always makes sure everyone knows and understa

nds exactly what their role will be. Team morale will improve.

And some roster moves will be made to fill in the needs of his offense. Yao's passing and ball-handling does not strike me as up to par for Adelman's tastes. He will need a better frontline player to run his offense through.

Jomal... to me it seems as if they are desperate to get rid of Van Gundy to improve the TEAM.  My comment was directed to making Yao into something he is not because that is exactly what Reality was speaking upon.  Hence the comment directed to the 'Yao Haters'  Out of all the quality coaches out there right now Adleman is pretty much the only one.  So I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that Houston wants Rick Adleman to make Yao into something he cannot be.  I think it would be silly to assume they would make a move strictly for one player.

Adleman will give the team a more fun to watch style of play.  That is for certain.  I also wouldn't be suprised to see certain players more happy because they will be getting more touches.  The one issue I have though, is the same are yours, which is who is going to be that interior passer that makes Adleman's offense so potent?  No one on that squad can pass as well as C-Webb or Vlade.

[Reality]

Lets try some Lakerese language.
Did Shaq and Kobe improve from Del Harris to Phil Winters?

Then why do you Lakers and Laker cousins (lurker) insist that Yao cannot improve under a better coach?
Yes, Yao improving along with the whole team.

[westkoast]

Lets try some Lakerese language.
Did Shaq and Kobe improve from Del Harris to Phil Winters?

Then why do you Lakers and Laker cousins (lurker) insist that Yao cannot improve under a better coach?
Yes, Yao improving along with the whole team.

The team as a whole got better.  Kobe matured and he too got better.  Shaq was already a pretty strong force in the middle but the improvement of the team is really what put them at the championship level.  One thing Phil pressed on Shaq was to be more of a presence in the middle like he was in college....that was defense, again.  Like I've told you many times, Yao's offense is not really a problem.  It is his stamina, inability to put a team on his back, and his defense of the paint. 

Yao cannot improve in the spots I mentioned because #1 Adleman has never been a defensive minded coach.  If Van Gundy, who is far superior to Adleman on defense, cannot get him to do it why would Rick?  #2 Yao is not a leader, point blank period.  Adleman is not going to turn him into one.  He doesn't have the personality or the killer instinct to put a team on his back.  Those are something that Adleman is not going to change. #3  Rick Adleman cannot improve Yao's stamina.  #4 Yao mentally takes himself out of games at times.  Van Gundy did not tell Yao 'don't patrol the paint and don't control the glass, just score' I am 100% sure he did just the opposite knowing his defensive mentality.

[Lurker]

I guess being a Laker cousin can be cool...I can claim all those titles for my team also.   


IMO Yao can improve two ways.  One is to be put into a system that will utilize his skills and motivate him.  That definately could change with a new coach...Adelman may or may not be that person. 

Second is to become more agressive...and that can't come from anyone but Yao.  He needs to take his height and weight and DOMINATE the paint.  Night in, night out.  Period.  Yao should be in the top 3 rebounders and blocked shots EVERY YEAR!

[westkoast]

I guess being a Laker cousin can be cool...I can claim all those titles for my team also.   


IMO Yao can improve two ways.  One is to be put into a system that will utilize his skills and motivate him.  That definately could change with a new coach...Adelman may or may not be that person. 

Second is to become more agressive...and that can't come from anyone but Yao.  He needs to take his height and weight and DOMINATE the paint.  Night in, night out.  Period.  Yao should be in the top 3 rebounders and blocked shots EVERY YEAR!

What a monumental occasion this is.  The Spurs/Lakers family has come together.  It is amazing how one family has been able to more or less dominate the league since 1999.  Since we are family I would like to request that you send us Tony Parker and we will send you Jordan Farmar.  It's all family right?!

Yao's shortcomings come from Yao himself and I don't see Adleman changing that.  Yao cannot improve his stamina, if he would have been able to he would have done it already.  His body is just too large and the game seems too fast for him at times.  As far as rebounding and shot blocking..that isn't really coaching so much as it is drive, aggresion, and determination.  He has to want to block every shot and grab every rebound.  He doesn't though.  Adleman is really going to have to sit and speak with him at length about it.  I know Van Gundy has and he didn't seem to be able to do it.

Reality just admit you were wrong about hyping him up as going down as one of the greatest centers in history.  Right now he looks like a  chinese knock off of Rik Smits.

[JoMal]

And some roster moves will be made to fill in the needs of his offense. Yao's passing and ball-handling does not strike me as up to par for Adelman's tastes. He will need a better frontline player to run his offense through.

Doesn't finding another frontline player who has better ball-handling and passing skills kind of cancel out any benefit of having Yao?   If Yao isn't the frontline player who gets the most touches then you are turning him into Franciso Elson with an additional 6" of height.

That is classic JoMal...

Not if that player plays power forward, genius.

[Lurker]

And some roster moves will be made to fill in the needs of his offense. Yao's passing and ball-handling does not strike me as up to par for Adelman's tastes. He will need a better frontline player to run his offense through.

Doesn't finding another frontline player who has better ball-handling and passing skills kind of cancel out any benefit of having Yao?   If Yao isn't the frontline player who gets the most touches then you are turning him into Franciso Elson with an additional 6" of height.

That is classic JoMal...

Not if that player plays power forward, genius.

Well, Einstein...if the ball runs through the PF hands how exactly does Yao still get his points?  Not to mention the effect of taking the ball out of McGrady's hands. 

And how does that change Yao's rebounding and defensaive shortcomings?

[JoMal]

Lets try some Lakerese language.
Did Shaq and Kobe improve from Del Harris to Phil Winters?

Then why do you Lakers and Laker cousins (lurker) insist that Yao cannot improve under a better coach?
Yes, Yao improving along with the whole team.

No, westkoast was spot on. Yao certainly has his own set of talents, but ball-handling and passing are not among them. The Rockets, in order to implement the type of offense Adelman prefers, will need someone else on the front line who can fill that void, and a huge problem exists in that, yeah, there are no Webber's or Vlade's out there right now who can do it.

One option, though, is to trade for Brad Miller and make HIM a power forward in the system. When both Vlade and Brad were on the Kings, Adelman did this occasionally and it worked okay, but I think it would be better if only one (Miller) passer was running things instead of two, though Vlade was amazingly open to second fiddle status in Rick's system, and that was the major reason it worked so well in SacTown.

[JoMal]

I guess being a Laker cousin can be cool...I can claim all those titles for my team also.   


IMO Yao can improve two ways.  One is to be put into a system that will utilize his skills and motivate him.  That definately could change with a new coach...Adelman may or may not be that person. 

Second is to become more agressive...and that can't come from anyone but Yao.  He needs to take his height and weight and DOMINATE the paint.  Night in, night out.  Period.  Yao should be in the top 3 rebounders and blocked shots EVERY YEAR!

You should add strength-training. Yao looks like a wet noodle out on the court at times and his upper body could use some muscle definition.

Adelman's true gift in coaching is recognizing (and getting) players with specific skills, and exploiting those skills to the max, while telling his players that is how he will be using them.

Yao, BTW, does not have to touch the ball every possession to score twenty points a night, but he will need to play along side a really good front court passer who does.

[JoMal]

What a monumental occasion this is.  The Spurs/Lakers family has come together.  It is amazing how one family has been able to more or less dominate the league since 1999.  Since we are family I would like to request that you send us Tony Parker and we will send you Jordan Farmar.  It's all family right?!

Are you guys pissing in the wind for distance or volume?

Yao's shortcomings come from Yao himself and I don't see Adleman changing that.  Yao cannot improve his stamina, if he would have been able to he would have done it already.  His body is just too large and the game seems too fast for him at times.  As far as rebounding and shot blocking..that isn't really coaching so much as it is drive, aggresion, and determination.  He has to want to block every shot and grab every rebound.  He doesn't though.  Adleman is really going to have to sit and speak with him at length about it.  I know Van Gundy has and he didn't seem to be able to do it.

Adelman is really good at finding a player's comfort zone on the court. Yao will enjoy how he is used if Rick becomes his coach, and his overall confidence will improve as well.

[westkoast]

Lets try some Lakerese language.
Did Shaq and Kobe improve from Del Harris to Phil Winters?

Then why do you Lakers and Laker cousins (lurker) insist that Yao cannot improve under a better coach?
Yes, Yao improving along with the whole team.

No, westkoast was spot on. Yao certainly has his own set of talents, but ball-handling and passing are not among them. The Rockets, in order to implement the type of offense Adelman prefers, will need someone else on the front line who can fill that void, and a huge problem exists in that, yeah, there are no Webber's or Vlade's out there right now who can do it.

One option, though, is to trade for Brad Miller and make HIM a power forward in the system. When both Vlade and Brad were on the Kings, Adelman did this occasionally and it worked okay, but I think it would be better if only one (Miller) passer was running things instead of two, though Vlade was amazingly open to second fiddle status in Rick's system, and that was the major reason it worked so well in SacTown.

Brad Miller would be an excellent choice and I am sure HOU has plenty to offer to try to pick him up.  Especially after he had an off year by his standards.  If Rick was able to get a quality passer in the post then I think Battier and Raef would benefit greatly.  Even Tracy Mcgrady would benefit from not having most of the offensive load being placed on his shoulders.  The movement will improve but will the additional movement exploit Yao's stamina weakness even more?

Don't get me wrong, I think Adleman would be an excellent replacement to Van Gundy.  Between Rick and the people he surrounds himself they bring alot to the table.    Both in terms of making players happy and making the fans happy (if he is given the right tools to work).   I just don't think he is going to turn Yao into something he is not.  He could however turn Houston into something it is not...a team that will go deeper in the WC playoffs.  Van Gundy has not been able to do it and if you are going to make a big change might as well grab a big coach.