Jeff Van Gundy is tired. Or at least he looks like he is. Take one look at his complexion and you will see a man with enough bags under his eyes to fill a shopping cart. I'd venture to say Van Gundy is the oldest 37-year-old on the planet. The man needs a vacation, although the way the Rockets season is headed, he could be in for a longer one than he'd like. Here's the thing about being an NBA coach. No matter who you are, at some point a team will begin to tune you out. Dave Cowens lost the Hornets. George Karl wore out his welcome in Seattle and Milwaukee. I don't think the Celtics ever listened to Rick Pitino. With a little more than a month gone in the season, all evidence points to Van Gundy being the latest in the line of coaches to have his message drowned out. And once that happens, there is no turning back. Yes, injuries have been a problem. Tracy McGrady has missed eight games with his chronically aching back, and point guard Rafer Alston hasn't played since Nov. 17 with a right leg injury. Bobby Sura, maybe the most undervalued player on the team for his defense and rebounding, hasn't played all season. No matter how banged up they are, the reality is that these injuries only serve to cloud the notion that maybe the Rockets have gone as far as Van Gundy can take them. Is the talent there? It was supposed to be. Stromile Swift was the most coveted power forward on the market in the offseason and he has been a veritable bust. Even when healthy Alston has struggled adapting to the Rockets' offense, which predictably has gone from the promised up-tempo to Van Gundy's classic dump and chase. Then there is Yao Ming, who, despite Van Gundy's best efforts, is looking less Shaquille O'Neal and more Rik Smits every day. What's stopping assistant coach Patrick Ewing from clobbering him in practice. Yao's development -- or lack thereof -- may prove to be the highlight of Van Gundy's tenure in Houston. Van Gundy is Yao's kind of coach, a slug-it-out game planner whose offense is designed to revolve around the center. He made a career riding Ewing, who for six years under Van Gundy was the focal point of the Knicks offense. If the Rockets run 75 offensive plays per game, Van Gundy would like Yao to touch the ball on 74 of them. But Yao will never be that kind of player -- he doesn't have the heart for it. It's not his fault, it's just the way he was raised. It wasn't until Yao came to America when he was teenager that he started dunking in games. In China, dunking is considered taboo because it embarrasses your opponents. How do you think trash talking and hard fouls, two components that made Ewing the player he was, were viewed on the mainland? Yao has 20 years of teachings to erase and it will probably take him 20 more to do it. The Rockets need to make changes, and not the small, albeit effective ones they made last season -- bringing in Sura, David Wesley and Jon Barry -- to spark a team that started 6-11. This year the Rockets need big changes. They need to make a splash, shake things up. The chips are there. Wesley, Barry, Derek Anderson and Moochie Norris are all free agents after this season, making them coveted commodities for teams looking to slash payroll. It's what they will bring back is the question. Houston needs a name like Vladimir Radmanovic or Peja Stojakovic. They need a bully like Danny Fortson or Kenyon Martin. They need a new identity, and pretty soon, they will probably need a new coach. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/chris_mannix/12/08/rockets/index.html
Stan's older than Baldie. I'm a bit shocked he's only 37. He's been around for a LOONNNGGGG time. Heck, he's younger than Mutombo!!
It got me excited for a minute. I thought the "Big Changes" WERE coming. Instead it's another article that's calling for the "Big Changes"... What else is new?
The only part that was really valuable was the list of names he put at the bottom of the article. Also, I didn't know JVG was only 37!
I looked for a bio, none give his birthdate, but from his graduation year in college, 85, that would seem to make him 42 or 43. maybe stan's only 37
You know I love Yao's humor. But the problem is not everyone gets it. He said this when he was a rookie as a joke. Alas, people still repeat it 4 years later like it's gospel.
You know the writer screwed up big time, just by reading the replies. Coz the only thing everyone noticed from that "insightful" read was that JVG is only 37
Yao mentioned this in his book. Yao said he stopped dunking while playing in China due to his fear of injury by intentional undercutting while in the air. Players play dirtier overseas than in the NBA.
Guys Van Gundy isny going anywhere as Head Coach of this team. The players have not tuned him out nor have they stopped playing hard for him. We are 5-12 after these next 2 games we will be 7-12 right back in the thick of the west race. We have finally found our best lineup I think in Wesley,Tmac,Bowen,Howard and Yao while bringing youth and scoring off the bench in Head,Anderson and Swift. We are going to be in the playoffs and we will turn this year around. BELIEVE!!! Go Rockets!!!
JVG is 43. I have no clue where he got the 37 years from. His articles sounds like he hread something 3 years ago about Yao. We've all seen Yao this year, and I think we can all say he has improved, and his numbers would be much better with TMax healthy.
Yeah, those STALE old chips sure are there. Nothings says SPLASH like dishing out stale old chips for promising young players with huge upsides. I am not holding my breath on that one.
Terrible article. I love it when people say 'yeah Mcgrady's been out but...' there is no but, Mcgrady was out, we struggled against the best teams in the league and folded in the fourth not because of anything other than the fact that our best player was out.
JVG is no doubt 43. This is his quote from last season. "I'm only 42. But I sound like 52. And I look like 62."
