Assuming we're actually down to 2 candidates, who do you pick?

Why are they taking so long? We are watching the coachs go to other teams...

 

I'd take Van Gundy. Primarily because he reminds me nothing of Rudy T, whereas Mike Dunleavy does. Not that it's a bad thing to be like Rudy T, but I just don't understand the point in getting rid of him (provided he was helped out the door) if all we were going to do is get a coach with a similar coaching style and demeanor.

 

While Brown or Carlisle would have been better choices (and I am glad the team at least considered Silas), between JVG and Dunleavy I go for JVG. Dunleavy just seems "re-treadish" to me. While he has a Houston tie-in, and has had success in POR and LAL, I think JVG would provide a more significant jolt to the franchise and get them headed in the right direction faster.

 

NEITHER - - NEVER ! ! !

I do not see either of them being an improvement over last season, at least not enough to expect a big difference.

The Rockets will make the playoffs simply b/c there are teams that were in front of them are not going to make the playoffs next season.

 

I like Dunleavy and Van Gundy almost equally.

If I were CD and Les, I would base my final decision upon who either candidate listed as their coaching staff. IOW, if Van Gundy can come up with a strong offensive coordinator or Dunleavy says he has a good shot at landing the NBA's next great defensive mind...that would be my choice.

Yes, Larry Brown would have been great for numerous reasons and that is unquestionable (at least for the short-term). But IMHO, the gap between Brown and MD or JVG can be significantly narrowed (dare I say surpassed?) with a great coaching staff.

I could easily live with something approaching the following scenarios:

Dunleavy with a Kevin O'Neill-type and 2nd assistant Mario Ellie

or

JVG with an Eddie Jordan-type and 2nd assistant Avery Johnson

(O'Neill was Carlisle's assistant at Detroit and Jordan is Scott's assistant at NJ).

 

Because Dunleavy's next best offer is Atlanta and they can't do anything until David McDavid officially buys the team...could be a month+ and JVG is under contract to the Knicks until July 31st and he probably would stay at TNT rather than go to Washington if the Houston job isn't offered to him.

Patience is a virtue...

 

Gater said it. maybe we wait till Nellie's situation is cleared up. Maybe we give Carslisle a call at least. No reason not to.

Both Dunleavy and JVG would pummel each other in a death match to get the job. That being said, right now, my vote goes to Van Grundy.

He is more of a hardass, which is exactly what we need. I just don't know if Francis and Mobley are ready to accept hardass tactics from Van Grundy. From Brown, yes. He has universal respect. From JVG, dunno. We need to find out.

 

Van Gundy is way overrated. We don't need an Eastern Conference cast off who hasn't even been sought after until just recently, and that's just because he is a "name". The guy isn't even a decent announcer.

Dunleavy seems like the best of the rest. That's not necessarily a good thing. he has Western Conference and Rockets experience. He is somewhat in tune with younger players (at least he has an NBA kid that age). Management obviously knows him. He won't have the baby sitting problems he had at Portland.

Dunleavy and a really good big man assistant could be a nice combination. Bring in Rambis and Jim Cleamons too...

 

Gater, please forgive my ignorance, but I keep hearing the names of Avery & Ellie from board members. What are their credentials (other than hard nose players) to be so "highly" regarded?

 

I'm with GATER in thinking we need a complete STAFF, no matter who gets the head coach job.

I think we should move Van Chancellor up. He is a hard-ass, a teacher, very smart, used to egos and whiners, and can turn on the charm when needed. He is a great, great assistant prospect.
Otherwise, everyone in the league wants to steal Eddie Jordan. Cleamons could be nice. Get someone.

I'd like a big man assistant. Bill Russell, Kareem, Mo Malone, Hakeem - whatever. Get one of them. Several want the Yao job.

I'd like a smalls assistant. Mario Elie for toughness, dirty work. Dennis Johnson. Avery Johnson. Good guys that understand the game, that can show guards how to win.

example :

A staff of Dunleavy, Van, Kareem, and Mario

would make me feel more confident we'd get player development, good game decisions, teaching, reasonable substitutions: a good chance to win tonight and a consistantly better team with each month.

 

Van gundy is the classic example of why the nba has so many low scoring teams. He micro-manages the game entirely too much. He calls every play from thesideline and his teams are most of the time poor offensively. I don't really care for the 2 candidates left.

 

I knew something like this would happen. Now that Brown's off the board, if you ask me, there are no coaches left that offer any real coaching improvement over Rudy T. So Rudy T just became the scapegoat of last season, and you'll see that the team won't make big, unexpected strides next season, meaning they'll have to make another scapegoat, so the team'll get dismantled. Watch as the house of cards crumbles.

Moonbus, Avery Johnson is considered worth his contract to Mark Cuban right now based mostly on his ability to assist the coaches, and not necessarily on what he does with VERY limited minutes on the basketball coach. Cuban has said he won't allow Avery to talk with other teams about coaching positions while he's still under contract with the Mavs. I don't know why people want Ellie back here, though. Last I checked, he had a chip on his shoulder about being on the trading block.

 

I guess, the way things are going, we'll take whatever coach might be left.

Alvin Gentry, I'll bet.

Actually, I'm starting to get that it's-always-been-Dunleavy-anyway feeling. Otherwise we would have really targeted Brown.

Unless CD and Les are unbelievably incompetent, hence, Alvin Gentry.

 

That's the style we need against the Mavs, Kings, Spurs, and Lakers...

The guy shouldn't even be talked about, let alone considered.

I agree, a staff approach is needed. NOT just one big name. I think Dunleavy and a good staff is a game plan. A big man coach, a tactician coach (maybe a Del Harris type), and a good defensive/smaller man coach (Cleamons).

 

MoonBus -
IMHO, every good coach has an ex-player on his staff to sort of "round things out". For example, at Philly, Larry Brown has former Rocket Mike Woodson. I'm making an assumption here that since Woodson went to Indiana and played for Knight, he has some idea how the game is played. Contributions at this level are easily overlooked but an important part of team chemistry.

Regarding Mario, I think it comes down to the toughness you mentioned. Mario is someone who is well travelled but has rings and an attitude you'd want around your team. Plus Mario has the obvious connection to the Rockets. The toughness and attitude is why I put Elie with Dunleavy.

Concerning AJ, in addition to also being mentally tough AJ is one first class human being and would have a strong presence in the community. Plus, AJ was a Point Guard and well versed in offense (why I used him with JVG).

If you watched the playoffs closely, you saw AJ (who did not make the Mavs playoff roster) routinely talking to groups of 2,3, or 4 Mavs during the timeouts. He is going to windup as an assistant somewhere...why not Houston? Heck, he still plays well enough to be on the roster! A player-coach on the IL?

 

leebigez-
Just curious...How would you feel about Van Gundy if he were hired and in turn he selected Cleamons as his offensive coordinator and handed over the offensive reigns to him?

 

Gater & pasox2, you both mention that Ellie is a good candidate because he is both an ex-player and hard-nose no-nonsense guy... how is that different from Mr. Mean? Almost everyone on this board feels that Larry is not a good coach/assistant coach, what makes you guys feel that Ellie is any better?

I'm not saying that Ellie won't be a good coach or an assistant, but if everyone praise them (including Avery) so highly just because they are ex-players (tough ones at that), then I don't buy it. To me, they are just unproven candidates.

Not every ex-players are good coaches, look what has Drexler and Tragic have done.

 

Observe that we did NOT have Elie (or AJ) as the #1 assistant...merely on the staff. This is a big difference to Larry Smith who was:

1) the #1 assistant
2) has no rings
3) was not a point guard
4) is almost exclusively known as a rebounder

These are subtle but important differences. Given a MD or JVG are tossed out of a game, we are not having Elie or AJ run the team in our schemes.