http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22119.shtml
Rockets: Doug Christie Breaks Down Rick Adelman
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
May 29, 2007, 09:28
Doug Christie spent five seasons playing for Rick Adelman as a member of the Sacramento Kings. There aren't too many players better qualified to talk about what Adelman's impact on the Houston Rockets might be. Christie thinks Adelman will be an excellent fit in Houston, particularly because of his reputations as a players' coach - something he sees as a big positive.
"Rick is by far and hands down my favorite coach that I've ever played for in the NBA," says Christie. "You know they put a stigma of 'player's coach' on coaches and they say they can't win, but I think that Rick's record has proven he is a winner. He teaches basketball. He understands the game, the players, and the things player go through as far as giving them days off and time off. But when you come in he's constantly teaching. I think you can see it in the way his teams have played; he's had great teams. He's molded mediocre players into great players and taken great players and turned them into All-Stars. That, in itself, is the ultimate compliment in showing that the coach is worth his salt by what he does with his teams. Rick has done fantastic things. Just being under him and learning from his tutelage was something that stuck with me. I didn't know what I was getting into at first, but once I got to Sacramento and I got to go to practice I was really impressed. He's awesome."
One of the reasons the Rockets chose to go in a different direction with their head coaching position was because they want someone who can move the team's offense into the current era of run-and-gun scoring. Jeff Van Gundy was a defensive specialist, and had the Rockets among the top teams in the NBA on the defensive end of the court. The hope is that Adelman will be the man to get them going on the offensive end.
"Obviously players like Shane Battier and Tracy McGrady are really going to excel in Rick's system, even Rafer Alston, because it's passing, it's cutting, you're getting a lot of shots from 18 to 20 feet," explains Christie. "You're going to get a lot of open three-pointers. On top of that, you put a guy like Yao Ming in there and now you can compare them to what the Lakers used to do. The offenses are similar. The Princeton offense is similar to the Triangle offense. You're entering the ball in to Yao instead of Shaq and you're getting the ball close because the wing players are getting the ball in very aggressive positions. They're getting it in positions where they can do something. Everything is predicated on the movement of the ball and the movement of the players. If you can get yourself open, now the defense has to respond. Tracy's catching it at the elbow, he's turning around getting ready to shoot it, and now all of a sudden the entry to Yao is no problem. He closer to the basket, so he becomes more of a threat, and when the double-team comes now he can kick it out to Shane in the corner for a three or Rafer at the top for a three or Tracy on the wing for a three. I think that's a very good fit for him. He has two All-Star players in Yao and Tracy and the players that go around them - obviously you need rebounding, defense, and ball handling, and he has all those things. Juwan Howard is a great rebounder; Chuck Hayes goes after the ball really well and he's always looking to set screens and things like that. Those are the intangibles that you need to have a good team, especially for a guy like Rick."
Adelman has gotten somewhat of a bad rap as some pundits analyze his selection to be the Rockets' next head coach. While much of the focus in Adelman's gameplan revolves around offense, he is also tremendously concerned with defense. After all, he had a great deal of success in both Portland and Sacramento with teams that excelled on both ends of the court.
"Defense is something that's instilled in each player because it's totally an effort thing," explains Christie. "If you look at the Kings teams, when we were really healthy, most of that onus would come on myself and Bobby Jackson as far as sticking the best player, but we had systems as far as forcing certain guys certain ways and you have to play defense to win basketball games. You have to score the ball, too, but Rick's defensive philosophy is to identify the opponents' strongest suits and take away their strongest suits. Then we're going to focus on ourselves and figure out what we need to do to win the game. Those wins over the years show that he knows what he's doing. Yes, he's an offensive coach because that's what he fine tunes and that's what basketball is, is scoring, but at the same time his philosophies on defense allow you to slow the other team down and stop them. No, he's not a Pat Riley defensive slow-it-down type of coach, but I think he's taken the old school and the new school and mixed them together and it's worked really well for him."
Another factor that came into play was the Rockets' use of Vassilis Spanoulis. Actually, it was his lack of use that the bigger issue. Former GM Carroll Dawson was very high on Spanoulis, but Van Gundy simply refused to use him or to help him adapt his game to the NBA. Adelman has a great deal of experience in this area, having worked with the likes of Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, and Vlade Divac while coaching the Kings. Christie feels Adelman is just the coach to help Spanoulis become a factor for his NBA team.
"I think Coach Adelman will be fantastic for Spanoulis because that's one of the things he does, he teaches basketball as far as passing and cutting and getting open and all of those things. The onus is then placed on the players and how bad they want it. Once he shows you what to do the work is on your own time, when you can really fine tune things and get it how it goes. In practice you're going over it again and again - you're learning basketball and understanding what it is. Then you have to put that out there on the basketball court. So I think Rick will be a fantastic coach for him, helping him understand the professional game, understanding where the NBA is now as far as scoring and angles and different things. You're going to get that tutelage from Rick."
Finally, there's the Bonzi factor. Bonzi Wells played outstanding basketball for Adelman in Sacramento two seasons ago. He was a part of an exciting team that pushed the San Antonio Spurs to the brink in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 23 points per game to lead the Kings. Van Gundy could never quite come to terms with Wells, but Christie believes that Adelman's ability to relate this his players and see them for who they are will once again make Wells a solid performer - this time in Houston.
"That's a sign of a good coach, when you understand that this player does this, this, and this. Not every player is able to play the way that, for instance, Tracy plays and do all of the things that a superstar can do. Rick evaluates players and he puts them in the position where they can be most successful. If your thing is 18-foot jumpers, you're going to get the ball about twenty, take a dribble, and there you're going to be. If your strength is the elbow or the post, that's where you'll get the ball and he can formulate the offense to get you in those right positions. I think that's what happened with Bonzi. He understood that Bonzi is a little bit more isolation, a little bit more post-up, so he got him the ball in those positions where he could be successful and help the team without maybe understanding the offense. That's something that you pick up as you get comfortable and into the flow of the game. I think that's where the relationship evolved. He saw that Rick wasn't trying to take anything away from him. He was trying to teach him, trying to help him, and keep him in his comfort zone while also asking him to learn some new things along the way."
Doug Christie's career was cut short by a series of injuries that eventually forced him to retire while he was playing with the Dallas Mavericks two seasons ago. But Doug was relentless, believing he could overcome his injuries and again find his way to the hardwoods of the NBA. Last season he had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, but didn't see much action. All it did was serve to whet his appetite for the pro game.
"I will be back," promises Christie. "I will say that as a basketball player, I love the game of basketball. I've studied and I've worked on my game and I think that people are going to see a better basketball player. Even though I'm 37 years old, I'm better in a lot of ways. I'm fast, I'm all the things I want to be out there on the court to make myself confident to play. I'm excited about getting back out on the court. I'm working out at least four hours every day. To reunite with Coach Adelman in Houston would be a dream come true because I know he's going to be successful and I know he could help the team. I have a bunch of teams in mind, but more than anything I want to get out there with a chance to win. Where that's going to be, I'm not sure, but definitely Houston is one of the top teams, for sure."
The Houston Rockets could certainly use another player who is familiar with Adelman's system and is as committed to defense as Christie has been throughout his career. He may not be in the prime of his career any longer, but he is certainly determined to contribute and be a part of a championship team. He might just be that intangible piece that helps the Rockets get over the top.
Rockets: Doug Christie Breaks Down Rick Adelman
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
May 29, 2007, 09:28
Doug Christie spent five seasons playing for Rick Adelman as a member of the Sacramento Kings. There aren't too many players better qualified to talk about what Adelman's impact on the Houston Rockets might be. Christie thinks Adelman will be an excellent fit in Houston, particularly because of his reputations as a players' coach - something he sees as a big positive.
"Rick is by far and hands down my favorite coach that I've ever played for in the NBA," says Christie. "You know they put a stigma of 'player's coach' on coaches and they say they can't win, but I think that Rick's record has proven he is a winner. He teaches basketball. He understands the game, the players, and the things player go through as far as giving them days off and time off. But when you come in he's constantly teaching. I think you can see it in the way his teams have played; he's had great teams. He's molded mediocre players into great players and taken great players and turned them into All-Stars. That, in itself, is the ultimate compliment in showing that the coach is worth his salt by what he does with his teams. Rick has done fantastic things. Just being under him and learning from his tutelage was something that stuck with me. I didn't know what I was getting into at first, but once I got to Sacramento and I got to go to practice I was really impressed. He's awesome."
One of the reasons the Rockets chose to go in a different direction with their head coaching position was because they want someone who can move the team's offense into the current era of run-and-gun scoring. Jeff Van Gundy was a defensive specialist, and had the Rockets among the top teams in the NBA on the defensive end of the court. The hope is that Adelman will be the man to get them going on the offensive end.
"Obviously players like Shane Battier and Tracy McGrady are really going to excel in Rick's system, even Rafer Alston, because it's passing, it's cutting, you're getting a lot of shots from 18 to 20 feet," explains Christie. "You're going to get a lot of open three-pointers. On top of that, you put a guy like Yao Ming in there and now you can compare them to what the Lakers used to do. The offenses are similar. The Princeton offense is similar to the Triangle offense. You're entering the ball in to Yao instead of Shaq and you're getting the ball close because the wing players are getting the ball in very aggressive positions. They're getting it in positions where they can do something. Everything is predicated on the movement of the ball and the movement of the players. If you can get yourself open, now the defense has to respond. Tracy's catching it at the elbow, he's turning around getting ready to shoot it, and now all of a sudden the entry to Yao is no problem. He closer to the basket, so he becomes more of a threat, and when the double-team comes now he can kick it out to Shane in the corner for a three or Rafer at the top for a three or Tracy on the wing for a three. I think that's a very good fit for him. He has two All-Star players in Yao and Tracy and the players that go around them - obviously you need rebounding, defense, and ball handling, and he has all those things. Juwan Howard is a great rebounder; Chuck Hayes goes after the ball really well and he's always looking to set screens and things like that. Those are the intangibles that you need to have a good team, especially for a guy like Rick."
Adelman has gotten somewhat of a bad rap as some pundits analyze his selection to be the Rockets' next head coach. While much of the focus in Adelman's gameplan revolves around offense, he is also tremendously concerned with defense. After all, he had a great deal of success in both Portland and Sacramento with teams that excelled on both ends of the court.
"Defense is something that's instilled in each player because it's totally an effort thing," explains Christie. "If you look at the Kings teams, when we were really healthy, most of that onus would come on myself and Bobby Jackson as far as sticking the best player, but we had systems as far as forcing certain guys certain ways and you have to play defense to win basketball games. You have to score the ball, too, but Rick's defensive philosophy is to identify the opponents' strongest suits and take away their strongest suits. Then we're going to focus on ourselves and figure out what we need to do to win the game. Those wins over the years show that he knows what he's doing. Yes, he's an offensive coach because that's what he fine tunes and that's what basketball is, is scoring, but at the same time his philosophies on defense allow you to slow the other team down and stop them. No, he's not a Pat Riley defensive slow-it-down type of coach, but I think he's taken the old school and the new school and mixed them together and it's worked really well for him."
Another factor that came into play was the Rockets' use of Vassilis Spanoulis. Actually, it was his lack of use that the bigger issue. Former GM Carroll Dawson was very high on Spanoulis, but Van Gundy simply refused to use him or to help him adapt his game to the NBA. Adelman has a great deal of experience in this area, having worked with the likes of Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, and Vlade Divac while coaching the Kings. Christie feels Adelman is just the coach to help Spanoulis become a factor for his NBA team.
"I think Coach Adelman will be fantastic for Spanoulis because that's one of the things he does, he teaches basketball as far as passing and cutting and getting open and all of those things. The onus is then placed on the players and how bad they want it. Once he shows you what to do the work is on your own time, when you can really fine tune things and get it how it goes. In practice you're going over it again and again - you're learning basketball and understanding what it is. Then you have to put that out there on the basketball court. So I think Rick will be a fantastic coach for him, helping him understand the professional game, understanding where the NBA is now as far as scoring and angles and different things. You're going to get that tutelage from Rick."
Finally, there's the Bonzi factor. Bonzi Wells played outstanding basketball for Adelman in Sacramento two seasons ago. He was a part of an exciting team that pushed the San Antonio Spurs to the brink in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 23 points per game to lead the Kings. Van Gundy could never quite come to terms with Wells, but Christie believes that Adelman's ability to relate this his players and see them for who they are will once again make Wells a solid performer - this time in Houston.
"That's a sign of a good coach, when you understand that this player does this, this, and this. Not every player is able to play the way that, for instance, Tracy plays and do all of the things that a superstar can do. Rick evaluates players and he puts them in the position where they can be most successful. If your thing is 18-foot jumpers, you're going to get the ball about twenty, take a dribble, and there you're going to be. If your strength is the elbow or the post, that's where you'll get the ball and he can formulate the offense to get you in those right positions. I think that's what happened with Bonzi. He understood that Bonzi is a little bit more isolation, a little bit more post-up, so he got him the ball in those positions where he could be successful and help the team without maybe understanding the offense. That's something that you pick up as you get comfortable and into the flow of the game. I think that's where the relationship evolved. He saw that Rick wasn't trying to take anything away from him. He was trying to teach him, trying to help him, and keep him in his comfort zone while also asking him to learn some new things along the way."
Doug Christie's career was cut short by a series of injuries that eventually forced him to retire while he was playing with the Dallas Mavericks two seasons ago. But Doug was relentless, believing he could overcome his injuries and again find his way to the hardwoods of the NBA. Last season he had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, but didn't see much action. All it did was serve to whet his appetite for the pro game.
"I will be back," promises Christie. "I will say that as a basketball player, I love the game of basketball. I've studied and I've worked on my game and I think that people are going to see a better basketball player. Even though I'm 37 years old, I'm better in a lot of ways. I'm fast, I'm all the things I want to be out there on the court to make myself confident to play. I'm excited about getting back out on the court. I'm working out at least four hours every day. To reunite with Coach Adelman in Houston would be a dream come true because I know he's going to be successful and I know he could help the team. I have a bunch of teams in mind, but more than anything I want to get out there with a chance to win. Where that's going to be, I'm not sure, but definitely Houston is one of the top teams, for sure."
The Houston Rockets could certainly use another player who is familiar with Adelman's system and is as committed to defense as Christie has been throughout his career. He may not be in the prime of his career any longer, but he is certainly determined to contribute and be a part of a championship team. He might just be that intangible piece that helps the Rockets get over the top.
