Well, that's exactly why the Texans didn't draft Derek Carr; they didn't want what would appear to be David 2.0, another Carr being booed mercilessly every game, and their front office probably looks foolish passing on him (twice) considering the numerous QBs that have played in games for the last 2 years.
And they were wrong for doing so. Hence why I said it was dumb to say JVG wouldn't consider taking this job simply because of what happened between his brother and DH.
And McHale was fired (without any evidence of the team being better)... how's that turning out for everybody?
The game has passed him by. He's a defensively obsessed coach who wants to slow the game down to have the least amount of possessions as possible. This NBA has evolved. Plus Morey aint gonna give up control to a real coach no way
Defensive play isn't outdated or some kind of strategic devolution, it just doesn't put butts in the seats (or dollars in the TV revenue jar) like flashy offensiveplay.... better to be decent/good and win 105-100 than to be really good/decent and win 80-75, if you're the owner. The game hasn't passed him by, fans who care more about high scores, fast paces, and offensive highlights have taught owners to have less respect for such tactics than they deserve. He would be great with a team like this. They need the discipline, have the offensive talent and athleticism we need, and would play much better Defense. Ain't gonna happen, and all the haters would jump on the wagon the first bad play they ran or tough loss they suffered. P R Debacle. Oddly enough, Thibs would be welcome, but he's nowhere near the yes man this organization seems to want. I love the JBB benched the whole starting lineup. Dude's got nothing to lose. He will earn a job somewhere standing up for what's right with this team.
It's so funny reading about some fans wanting JVG back when so many back then wanted to fire him so badly. "Can't make it out of the first round. Please fire him". And don't even tell me "Well, I didn't think that!". Trust me, there were a LOT who called for his head, too.
Not if he wins... I'd rather have a coach who gets results and wins, vs. this day-to-day crap-fest. Or, they'll be in purgatory-limbo again for 3-5 years. If they don't get a established/respected coach in here (and last I checked, there's nobody of note lining up to take this job)... I don't see them going very far with this nucleus.
Tell that to JVG. He doesn't think like you do. Oh, and that's a pretty horrible analogy. I was saying JVG wouldn't take the Rockets' job based on what happened to his brother. You are talking about how a team would make draft decisions.
JVG (on the broadcast): Tough time to be a coach. It's hard to know now how you're judged. Even when you win now, you can lose your job. It's a difficult time to be a coach. Every time there is trouble, the answer for many of these organizations is the same: get rid of the coach. If that's the only change you make when you hit what you believe is tough times, there will be no change at all. It always comes down to the players & changing their habits. Changing coaches, you're telling the players he was the problem, not WE were the problem. If you're ownership, how patient are you with the guy you just brought in? You blame the next coach. They just keep blaming the coaches. If you don't have a direct line of communication with your owner, if I was an owner, there's no way I'd have the GM translating what the coach feels. I'd have direct communication with my coach. Too often, when you have competing agendas, you'll have dysfunction. When you have one goal and clear chain of command, you have a chance to achieve to your potential.
This is spot on and we have to look no further than the Rockets. This board and most of the fan base have been blaming McHale for our issues since he was hired, but we saw him get fired and the same **** is still happening. I hope at some point the organization will realize we have to start holding the players accountable because at some point we have to realize they are the ones not getting it done on the court.
JVG may tease some owners from time to time to keep his profile up, but he will never coach again. He's gone the way of Cowher and Gruden. He has a great job and doesn't need the stress.
People here have the tendency to sh** on every coach, same with Adelman and others. They forget about it after a few years and only remember the good times, then scream for them to come back.
Probably because the current version of this team is dog ****. They don't play hard, they don't care... I want a coach who can fix that or blow the whole damn thing up (GM included).
Part of JVG's interview with Woj W: You're a strong believer in when there's a coach in place, you do not have conversations with that management. You'll push them off. Money always changes some peoples thoughts on what is acceptable behavior. If there is a coach in place, even an interim, there is no place for anyone to be talking to anyone on a team or with an organization about a possible opening until there is an opening. ... If it costs me opportunities, I'm more than fine with that happening. W: Over last couple of years, you started to talk with teams when there's been openings. Has your appetite to want to get back in grown over the last 2 years or so? Is that itch back? Timing is different. My oldest daughter went to college. When she graduated, my appetite didn't change but the timing was much better. There's not many availabilities every year. Every team has different thoughts on who they want. I don't know if it'll ever be where there's a team that wants me and I want them simultaneously. By stepping back and not participating, you got to realize that's a possibility. I acknowledge that and am fine with that but the time out has hurt my ability to be a viable candidate in many people's eyes. W: I think what you're looking for is fit. I'm not sure you have the desire or energy to go somewhere and have a different vision than management or ownership. If you could find someone you really want to work with, that's what's appealing to you rather than market size or what the roster looks like. No doubt. That's much more important to long term success than the roster. You obviously want as good a team as possible. More importantly, you want ownership-management-coach togetherness and the ability to have togetherness when you're going through adversity. That's the hardest thing for people & teams to achieve. The ability to stay the course through difficult times. My brother Stan is so fond of his job. He feels like his ownership is without question one of the tops in the league and loves working with his GM Jeff Bower. They have unity to their vision & plan. Does that mean they're a great team? No but they're making strides & improvement. A lot of it starts with that synergy and great ownership. You want to be somewhere with a person you trust and admire and see the game similarly with. W: Since you left Houston, has the dynamic in the league changed? Has the coach/front office relationship, maybe the pendulum has swung towards the front office. They're dictating style of play, lineups & personnel. What the coach was in this league has changed. I guess you have to ask how do I fit into that and do I want to fit into that? It has changed. In some places it's changed. In some others, the others that have allowed their coach autonomy while being ?? of information but allowing that coach to make decisions he feel is best after gaining all the info, those situations are the best. There are some places where there is coaching going on from management. They're not putting their name as coach but it's not just sharing of information to give the coach the best possible info they can and then allowing him to make the decision that he thinks fits his team. It is different. Those situations, regardless of how good the roster is, being dictated, that wouldn't be so appealing to me. Others would be fine with it but if I was to get back in, after sharing back and forth of ideas and information, that ultimately the coaching staff would be the one to make decisions on who played, how much and in what style. W: In what ways might you look at things differently or might do the job differently? You think about that all the time. You have to be true to yourself and authentic. From a basketball standpoint, I'd have to be a lot better offensively. I know the coordinator type of ideas have become something a lot of NBA teams developed. Not only would I have to get better, I would make sure I surround myself with good people that had the most up to date ideas on where the trends offensively are going. Practice standpoint wise, I still believe in practice. That will never change. I know there's been a lot of trending towards rest. We may have gone too far that way. Nothing, if trying to get better, should replace practice. Practice matters. Your habits matter. There's a lot of info you can share back and forth but what's important at the end of the day, you don't have to see everything the same but you need certain things that you're in agreement with like playing hard is important, coaching hard is important, practice habits are important, mental & physical toughness and establishing that is important, player improvement is important and on and on. How you do those things, there can be much discussion about but there has to be a basic agreement on your core values and things in what you believe in. There are many things I would do different. Coaching offense would be the most important aspect but in general, I believe in work, in habits, togetherness & toughness. W: Player development? I learned a lot about player development in my time from watching Tom Thibodeau, Steve Clifford & Andy Greer working with our players. It wasn't just working with our players on offensive skills. It was how to perform better defensively, how to study film, S&C component, life skills, preparation to get ready to play, how you rest, how you eat, how you study your opponent, how you can take in scouting report info and help you help your team be the best. What you're trying to do is develop those skills to better the team. How to set a good screen at the proper angle, re-screen, dribble hand off, developing a post move if you're a guard, look at how Wade's post game has improved. There's a lot that goes into it. It's all-encompassing. It's not just 1-on-0 offensive drills so you get better. That's a part of it but not the whole part. W: What's important from an assistant coach? It goes back to Coach Pitino & Providence. That's where we were always on the floor with players. That had a great impact. I wanted to have a staff of workers. We wanted to be the 7-11 open 24 hours a day, 12 months a year. Coach Riley made me believe in myself as a coach but also shaped what I would look for in coaching if I ever had the privilege of being a coach in the NBA. ... Riley told me NBA players don't care if you're short or tall, black or white, played in the league or didn't play in the league. They cared if you were competent, sincere, reliable & trustworthy. If you were those four things, NBA players would allow you to coach them. The most important was being competent. They had to believe you gave them an advantage in the game, you had them prepared and knew how to run a NBA team. That really helped me grow in confidence that if I ever did get an opportunity, I would be prepared. He really narrowed down what was important and thus, that's what I look for. I'll say this to the end of time: no one has been luckier in their staff than myself. Tom Thibodeau, Steve Clifford, Andy Greer & Patrick Ewing - I had those four guys. I learned so much from those guys. You need a strong staff. In Houston, I had the strongest staff anyone could have been fortunate to be a part of.
Thanks J.R. Probably the most important part of the interview Indicates well why Tom Thibodeau would be a good coach for James Harden
