On Christmas Eve 3 things we need to keep us out of the Lotterry

hes signed for 5 years, we still have to pay him if hes fired for 3 years

and were already paying rudy right now

we lose money and the rockets are poor biches so they wont do it sorry

 

AMEN! All I want christmas is Jeff Van Gundy gone!

I may not have started the Van Gundy hater's club, but I can tell you with assurance I hate him worse than any of you!

 

Firing JVG would be beneficial for the long-term, but might not keep the Rockets out of the lottery. The hole is dug, and even if help arrives, that ground needs to be made up.

 

I don't think we're still paying Rudy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, If you fire a coach, you have to pay them for the length of the contract -- but ONLY if they don't land another coaching position. The whole point about having to pay out the balance of the contract is that the person is still your employee, even if your not giving them any work to do. Once they sign to coach with someone else, they offically stop being your employee and you don't owe them anything.

Any agents or lawyers out there who can confirm?

 

It is true. BTW, JVG's contract is 4 years 20 millions, not 5 years.

 

Because Eric Musselman(fired because he was supposedly grating on his players), George Karl(fired because he's an idiot), or Sidney Lowe (NC State guard in '83. Need I say more?) would be great alternatives.

Everything thinks that if we fire JVG, Phil Jackson will be at our doorstep begging to coach. Please. When did PJ ever elect to coach sub-.500 teams? Teams that weren't on the verge of making a championship run?

Some of you guys (edc, I'm looking in your direction) don't seem the realize that it's not about whether or not we want a guy like Phil Jackson to be our coach; it's whether or not they want to coach for us (hint: They don't).

If we fire JVG, do you guys realize that the best case scenario would probably be hiring Del Harris at the end of the season, with Tom Thibodeau as interim?

Is Del Harris really that big an upgrade over Jeff Van Gundy?

 

You guys remind me of the mobs in the old westerns. You know the ones where the town folks are ready to lynch the sheriff. Usually the situation started because the town folks didn’t have patients or didn’t think the situation through properly.

Let’s give Van Gundy a little time to build a team around TMac and Yao. Surly no one thought that we were going to lose 3 starters and become a championship contender this year. It is going to take a while to find the right players and build chemistry. Van Gundy brought the Rockets their first playoff in 5 years. He has a proven record as a coach. Give the guy a chance to build a good team. If after a couple of years we are still in this situation then bring out the pitch forks and torches. But to whine about the coach during the rebuilding process is senseless.

 

i remember rocketrichnyc hating the hire from the start and people getting pissed at him. he also said that jvg had this bbs bookmarked or something. i'm not sure this is something jvg wants to read the night before christmas, oldman.

so lemme brighten it up a bit.

merry christmas (... or happy holidays for those who are offended), jvg.

 

(1) If the offer is not made, the Rockets will never know. Maybe he wants it, maybe he doesn't. If they cannot come to an agreement, then the organization moves on. However, I believe the Rockets are the best of the teams with an opening. Jackson says he is strongly considering working again, and IMHO this is the best fit both in terms of the coach and organization.

(2) Yes. At worst, Del Harris has a relationship with Yao, knows how to run an offense, and is a ROCKET.

Most people thought 50 +/- wins, and the fifth or sixth spot in the West was a distinct possibility. Most people agree the talent of the Rockets is better than that of the Lakers.

 

Just look at what Phoenix is doing with it's new coach.

You don't have to go with re-treads. There's talent out there.

The important thing is to build a good team. No one man is Fuher. You need an x and o coach, you need an ego coach, a motivator, a big man skills guy, a shooting guy, a dribble and movement guy, talent and scouting guys, - so on. The head coach is the guy that the all report to. That guy needs to be a good manager - not a micro manager. If he can't delegate, he's a hopeless loser, who will make everyone miserable.

Stay away from little dicatators. Even in the military - the guys who really achieve, build teams and relationships, not destroy them.

 

Probably none of you would have recommended getting rid of JVG last year. Now all the sudden you want him gone.

Too reactionary. Give him a chance to use his X and O prowess to build a roster.

 

Sadness fills the Rockets franchise and Rockets fandom as a step back in time shows JVG was not the right man for the job.

Van Gundy signed a four-year, $18 million contract, according to sources familiar with the deal. He needed a tour of homes and schools and a weekend of deliberations to accept the invitation to Houston, but Alexander needed just one meeting to know Van Gundy was the candidate Larry Brown, Mike Dunleavy and Paul Silas had to beat.

He said he could not be specific about how the Rockets, absent from the playoffs since 1999, will move toward that goal. He did not pledge to make them slow-down masters of low-scoring games as were his Knicks or to duplicate the half-court offenses he has used so effectively. He spoke confidently of the "core" of Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Yao Ming but said he did not know yet what he would consider the Rockets' strengths and weaknesses.

"I think winning crosses all boundaries," Van Gundy said, removing the importance of any particular style. "If you win, it's all good. If you lose, there's nothing good about it. There's no sense comparing and contrasting. In the end, all you want to do is have a good team you're proud of that wins big and conducts itself correctly. You do have a great core of talented players, young, that need to mature to win. You're talking about Steve, Cuttino and Yao; obviously, that is a team that has a chance to win.

"I think everybody, when you come down to it, would like to say every game is an exciting masterpiece. But the bottom line is to try to win the game. The way you have the best chance to win the championship is to be a balanced team; to have good balance between offense and defense; on offense to have good balance between a running game, a post-up game a pick-and-roll game; defensively to be able to affect a game in a number of ways so you can win a game in as many ways possible. If you limit yourself to only being an offensive team or only being a defensive team, it becomes much, much more difficult to win at the highest level. So what I hope you'll see is a balanced team."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/1948667

It does look like a 4 year deal, and the terms are not huge.

 

I did.

And stop calling me Surly.

 

Personally I would like to see us drop into the lottery, win a top 3 pick and get an awesome PF....

 

Most of the best coaches in sports controlled every aspect of the game. They are like generals in the military. Vince Lombardi comes to mind. It’s rare to find someone like Rudy T that is more of a players coach. Rudy is rare, most players do not respond well to a players coach. Steve Frances sure didn’t.

 

Are there any awesome PF's coming out next year?

 

I dunno, it seems like Francis played a heck of a lot better under RT than under JVG.

It probably depends on the player.

 

JVG's penchant to sign washed-up ex-Knicks is EXACTLY yet another strong argument for his firing. Let's get rid of him before he completely destroys the roster.

 

Absolutely untrue. Weak minds seek to control. Superior minds direct the talents they have in their charge - they allow freedom for their best charges to create. They try to maximize their players talents and abilities, and give them the tools and framework to succeed. They don't force players to be cannon fodder for a system.

Phil Jax, Chuck Daly, Laker Riley (not Knick Riley), Auerbach - real champions - they used the talents they had, they didn't box them in and force them to play un-naturally. Even lesser lights like Rudy and Pops know to give their superstars freedom to do what they do best.