Didn't see this particular article posted, but if it was, please merge or lock. Didn't realize that Les and JVG were this unhappy with each other. And I don't know how an uptempo game would work with Yao as a center but I'm hoping this will be the best for everybody. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...YF?slug=aw-vangundy050607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Van Gundy out By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports May 6, 2007 Unless Jeff Van Gundy has a change of heart about wanting to continue as coach, he will not sign a contract extension and stay with the Houston Rockets, league sources said. This has been a decision that Van Gundy has considered for months, something he has discussed at length with his wife, Kim, and his closest confidants. Van Gundy turned down a contract extension in February, an offer which came too late considering how little confidence the organization showed in him after the 2005-2006 season. After that 33-victory season in which his team was decimated by injuries, Van Gundy associates said he was taken aback by a volatile meeting with owner Les Alexander, who blamed him for poor attendance and a doom-and-gloom attitude that made it difficult to market the franchise. Van Gundy would've signed an extension then, but he was told to enter the final year of his contract. Once he delivered a 2006-2007 season that made him a top coach of the year candidate, more than one extension offer was made, but he told management to wait until season's end to discuss his future. The Rockets' season ended Saturday night in a Game 7 first-round loss to the Utah Jazz. ADVERTISEMENT Now, Van Gundy has all but decided to leave the job after four seasons. His family is comfortable in Houston, and sources said he has no interest in pursuing other coaching jobs and moving again. His future could include a return to TNT as a television analyst. Van Gundy has had some heartbreaking playoff losses with the Rockets, including Game 7 defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and Jazz in two of the past three seasons. Nevertheless, Tracy McGrady has played the best all-round basketball of his career under Van Gundy, and 7-foot-6 Yao Ming has made significant strides toward becoming one of the league's most dominant forces. Houston hasn't drafted well, nor have they signed significant free agents in his four years as coach. Still, Van Gundy resurrected Dikembe Mutombo and Juwan Howard for productive seasons, and found a way to maximize the limited potential of Chuck Hayes, an undrafted player, as his starting power forward. Daryl Morey, who takes over for Carroll Dawson as the Rockets' general manager this offseason, told Yahoo! Sports recently that he had hoped to re-sign Van Gundy, and said that he believed it worked in the Rockets' favor that Van Gundy had "the best talent he's had in his coaching career" with the Rockets. "He's the best coach that I've ever played for," McGrady said after the Game 7 loss. "I have a lot of respect for him. I hope he's back." Van Gundy would be a sought-after free agent, but he recently told Yahoo! Sports that his wife and oldest daughter, Mattie, do not want to move, and Van Gundy said he has no interesting uprooting his daughter when she's so happy with school and friends. Considering that Morey's background is in statistics (he's a former colleague of Bill James), it would make sense for the Rockets to include Van Gundy as a peer when it comes to player personnel, but Alexander hardly seems inclined to do so. In fact, the Houston owner has told friends in the league that he wishes the Rockets would play a much faster style, like the Phoenix Suns. With Yao as his franchise player, and one of the most un-athletic rosters in the Western Conference, it's hard to understand why a coach would try that with the Rockets. As it looks now, Alexander will get the chance to find his man.
Interesting, so Les Alexander now wants Rockets to play fast ball like Warriors and Suns. So can I translate this: trade Yao. There is no way Rockets can play like Warriors or Suns when Yao is in the roster.
Players around don't have to stand around the perimeter like living statues. That's a reason why we haven't seen a no look pass to someone cutting to the basket since that last one to steve.
Give me a break. You don't trade the best center in the league unless he demands to be gone. That's it!!. You can still build a more athletic, quicker team and still have Yao manning the paint. I've said for three years now that the Rockets have been molding themselves after the wrong Laker dynasty. Instead of copying the Shaq/Kobe championship teams, they need to mold themselves after the Laker teams from the 80's. You put a team around Yao that will push the ball, use TMac's ability to see the floor and/or finish (ala Magic Johnson) and, when they don't get an easy shot that way, you pound it down low with Yao and run pick-n-rolls with TMac in the half court. You beat other teams playing BOTH styles and TMac & Yao would still get thier numbers. That's why a coach like Marc Iavaroni would be a perfect fit for this team if JVG is not here next season.
And what happens when the Spurs dismantle the "fast-paced Suns"??? The Rockets need to utilize a system that brings out the strengths in their players... if you have a tremendous playmaking PG, you run and gun... if you have a dominant big-man, you set up the half-court... if you have both of them, you do both (kinda like the Spurs do). Translation: Somehow get a playmaking PG, or guys who can shoot.
I like your idea. I was too young to watch the Lakers in the 80's so i don't really know what kind of plays they ran. All the highlights I saw were of Magic throwing no look passes. But, I'm assuming since Kareem was already old by that time, he couldnt keep up with the fastbreak; which would be similar to Yao's situation. Now all we need are Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, and James Worthy........lol
wow, to play like the suns, you cannot have slow players, so no yao/deke/howard, batteris not fast either you canoot have players cannot shoot, so no hayes that leaves us with tmac/alston/head/snyder/vspan/novak, we could do yao+hayes+battier for dirk+howard+dampier (if dallas want to change the direction) or gordan/deng/tyrus (if chicao cannot pass the second round)
I cannto belive. JVG is out...Looks like it's serious now We'll see our Rockets in the PO and Van Gundy will comment it
That's clear. He is not really putting winning as the first priority. Marketing is more important for him.
yao in chicago? i shudder at the thought of that happening. I don't really see why you can't have a fast paced defense without Yao. Suns are an excellent transition team that has alot of cutters. If we can play great defense and push the transition offense, there's your "fast paced team". So no, you don't need to let yao go for that to happen. Just get a PG who can push the ball AND finish at the rim.
How many years has the Rox tried to get a good PG? As a matter of fact, except for Sam Cassell, Rox has not had a good PG. Steve is not a good PG, though he scores well.
Sam Cassell wasn't considered as a "good PG" while he was here... more simply just instant offense off the bench. It also contributed to why he eventually was shipped off (in addition to him being one of our best tradeable assets)... Hakeem wanted the ball, and he always felt Sam didn't give it to him enough.
When we were firing on all cylinders was when we were actually playing fast ball. obviousely that was without yao. but i cant see why we cany have yao and play uptempo ball. with an offense like adelman, we could use yao and he's passing ability. lot of spacing and good passing. lots of free looks.
