Now we are 2/3 into the regular season, I suddenly realize that the only bench player we "developed" was Bonzi, whos a proven entity. Does it take that much time to develop the rookies, (Novak, Billy), or it is just JVG's 8 rotation limit, or it is because of the Win now thing? I feel particularly sorry for Novak, the kid has been put into inactive for a couple of games now, I heard his BBIQ is not that bad, is it that hard for him to adapt? Now envision the team after Yao's return, it will primarily be Yao/Deke, Tmac/Bonzi/Battier, Howard/Hayes, Alston/Head, with Snyder getting spot minutes. If nothing major happens, this will be our main rotation next year (Snyder probably will take Bonzi's position), I understand there are only so many minutes per game, but what about the rookies, just rot? It is too bad if Billy can not put Alston back to the bench, I was kind of hoping he can be a player close to Deron Williams...and Novak, supposely he should compliment 111 the best due to his outside shooting... Thought we could run a Yao/Novak/Battier/Tmac/Billy (providing the rookies pick up their game) but now it looks it will be the same old next year. I am happy about our current ranking, but looking at the rookies deserted makes me blue...Comments?
Well it's really nothing new about rookies bench-rotting in a JVG system. The only way that they'll get minutes is if injuries such as last year were to repeat itself. For me, I'd rather have them rot than TMac and Yao go down in injuries. Plus, from what I've seen through the extremely limited minutes Novak gets, it seems like the kid is lost for the most part. VSpan is too erratic and all over the place.. he needs to calm down a little IMO.
In the West, every win is very important. The way JVG coaches, he doesnt allow for players to learn on the run. That is why you will never see any of the bench players playing. I wish he would at least give them some minutes, because if someone were to go down, or the foul trouble forces someone to come in, I would like to see them have some experience before playing.
Yeah, I'm totally stunned that a 2nd round draft pick that 30 teams passed on can't get significant minutes on one of the best teams in the league. He's a game-changing 2nd rounder! I also wish JVG would play young players. Guys like Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, and John Lucas will never get minutes on a JVG-coached team. And yeah, 2nd round V-Span should be just as good as top 3 pick Deron Williams. It's all JVG's fault!
Screw bench development. I want wins. The better we play, the more time there will be for bench development in blowout wins. With yao out, we can't afford to toy wit the line-up and sacrifice our productivity for bench development. Once Yao gets back it will be easier to get minutes for everyone because with Yao and Mac on the floor, the game is easier for everyone. Right now though, I want the top 7 or 8 guys playing and doing their best.
How about developing the regular rotation? With absence of Yao, Mac, Wells, Chuck, and Snyder, the Rockets had to try hard just to give the regulars enough time with each other to mesh. I think this is more important than developing some fans' pets.
I don't mind sitting Novak and V-Span on the bench but at least give Snyder some PT, he's a great kid.
You must be kidding. Swift was #2, KBrown #1, EG...? And the Howard from Mavs, Manu at Spurs, you know, they were drafted toward the bottom of first round. If it tells you anything, draft doesn't tell you everything. As I said, I am happy about the current situation, but the thought of having Howard and Alston as starter next year, or the next few years, bites me hard as they are not getting any younger, or better for that matter. I think we need to develop some young players, is that too hard to understand?
the bottom line is that we don't have too much talent to develop to begin with. hayes and head play major minutes. snyder plays here and there but i don't think he has too much to develop. he is a solid player. john lucas has the talent to be the 3rd pg on a team, not more. somebody with random playing time. and that's what he is right now. that leaves us with spanoulis and novak. novak simply isn't ready. he has to find a position, he has to bulk up and he has to understand the defense (in other words he has to work his butt off in practice, not in games). when he played he didn't shoot too well so it's understandable that he's at the end of the bench at the moment. spanoulis has proven that with his style of play he's uneffective in the nba. he has to become a different player to help this team. and that won't come within a season, especially when it's the rookie season. the bottom line is that our bench isn't that good. much of it has to do with the poor play of bonzi and yao being out so that backup players play to long and out of position. but our bench is generally not that good people here are thinking. we still lack one veteran backup pg (someone like chucky atkins) and an athletic backup pf/c (someone like melvin ely, steven hunter or the likes). because of this everything has to be perfect for this team to make a serious playoff run (and i'm still speechless that over 70 % of this bbs would call this season a disappointment if we didn't get at least to the conference finals. wow!).
Of course it doesn't tell you EVERYTHING. But it tells you a lot. And if people were expecting our 2nd round picks to be serious contributors, especially in their first year in the NBA, then they were delusional. 2nd round picks are taken because you believe they might develop into something over time. Sure, some teams get lucky and you find a gem like Mobley. But more often than not, they don't last in the NBA. To blame JVG for not playing these types of players, especially when we're very consistently winning, is absurd. Suggesting that you wish we could occasionally play a lineup with TWO 2nd round picks that haven't shown anything in the NBA is beyond absurd.
They will need to replace Howard and Alston at some point in the next few years, but you can bet it won't be those guys doing the replacing. It will come through free agency or trade.
That is what puzzles me. If you feel their progress is not coming alone, why not trade them + Sura for a backup PG so that we are totally in a win now mode? If you fill the holes with free agency, the rookies will rot anyway.
Development of players is still one area that Van Gundy lacks. He doesn't believe in it. He believes that playing young player that need to develop costs coaches wins and gets them fired. The only, only, only reason that Luther played his rookie season is because we were so injury depleted last year that JVG did not have a choice. Otherwise, Luther would have road the pine and would just have been given spot minutes this year. He would have basically had JLIII's role this year, spot minutes here and there. I don't mind JVG not developing players. It does bother me that he doesn't develop a player when we have a need, and we don't have a veteran to play the role. Such as the backup point guard role. We have exactly two point guards on this roster. JLIII is an Earl Boykins shot taker. Luther is a 3 point shooter. Luther cannot handle at all and JLIII cannot see the court and distribute. They are not point guards. The only point guard on this roster besides Rafer is VSpan. What happens if we lose Rafer to injury? Does anybody really want to see teams double the ball away from Tracy and then watch Luther chase the ball down the court as he tries to beat the 8 second count? All game long? What about when TMac needs a blow? Then what? We should have either traded for a point or developed VSpan, one of the two. Since we didn't make a trade, that leads me to believe we should be developing VSpan. But, it won't happen, until a major injury to Rafer, and then JVG will try to patch other players in that aren't point guards. And our offense will bog down. All because of the hesitation to develop a rook. I'm not saying all rookies should play. Novak has been absolutely horrible in his limited minutes. He can't defend anybody. He's a gigantic soft spot in our defense. And we don't need him. We've got plenty of players to take minutes at the PF position, and we've got plenty of distance shooting in Luther, McGrady, Battier, and Rafer. So, there is not really a need to develop Novak this year. If McGrady goes down, we are going to play Battier with Juwan at the forward spots, and Luther in the backcourt with Rafer, with Bonzi and Snyder lurking in the wings. If Battier goes down, we move McGrady down to the 3, and move in Luther and give Bonzi more minutes. There's no need for Novak. But if Rafer goes down .........................as mediocre as he is, as bad as he is at finishing and midrange shooting, we have no replacement at this point. VSpan has not been developed. It's been obvious from preseason on that VSpan is a pick and roll point guard. But, JVG gives him spot minutes and the vast majority of those minutes has been sitting in the corner taking 3 point shots. What? That's not developing anyone. The time for VSpan to improve his 3 point shooting is in the summer, not during games. Why would you put a player in a position to perform a skill that is not a skill that he has? Just to kick him in the rear, break his spirit? Kinda like breaking a wild colt? I do not understand that at all. It makes no sense. If you are going to play him spot minutes, at least put him at the top and let him run off the picks at the top of the key, not catch and shoot 3 point bombs from the corners. And then use his poor shooting number as an excuse not to play him or use the fact that his turnovers are high in those spot minutes, when he's playing with teammates that aren't expecting his passes and can't convert or have fumblitis on the pass. That's why I wonder and I have to think that JVG is trying to humble this kid. What other reason would you do that to a player? You wouldn't tell Shane Battier that he had to be a point guard and distribute. That's not his game. You wouldn't tell Novak that he had to post up and send him in the game in scrap minutes and have him posting up. You don't send in JLIII to be your defensive stopper and slow down Nash or Iverson when he can't play a lick of defense. You don't put Deke 20 feet from the bucket and tell him to dribble drive. If you are smart, you don't tell Bonzi to hang out at the 3 point line and spot up for the 3 point shot. You don't have Rafer try to back down his defender on the post up ala Chauncey Billups. Why would a coach tell VSpan to spot up in the corner? Besides, he doesn't want to play him and he doesn't want him to look good. He doesn't want to have to mess around with VSpan this year. He thinks it could cost him games when the truth is not developing VSpan could wind up costing him a championship. There has been plenty of opportunities to give VSpan quality minutes at the point this year without costing this team any wins. When he has played, he has played 75% of his minutes at the 2 guard, not even his natural position. Developing players is an area that JVG is unbalanced in. In the Dallas game, one of many, it was so obvious that we needed a penetrating attacking point when they are putting 2 guys on McGrady and even denying him receiving the ball. But all we got was chuckers and a point guard that can't finish. When your team has a weakness, and you want to win a championship, you either have to make a trade to cover that weakness or you have to develop a talent on your roster. We didn't make a trade. JVG should be developing VSpan in light of that.
Those that like an 8 man rotation is fine for the playoffs but come on during the reagular season you need to give your starters quality rest not during some damn once an while blowout. This is the NBA, players do have pride to not allow themselves to be blown out. The bench needs to help out the starters get rest and by the way JVG is using his is pathetic. You can not risk your starters that many nights on the minutes he makes them play, it does not make any sense, during the playoffs I have no problems but damn it play Jake to spell Deke, play Snyder against the athletic teams, and play VSpan some time at the point(he may be erratic but how else will he calm down and get experience without quality game time play).
Come playoff time most teams go with an 8 or 9 man rotation. Yao, Tmac, Howard, Alston, Battier, Head, Wells, Deke and Hayes will most likely be the rotation JVG goes with. There is really no sense in trying to develop Novak or Billy unless the game is a blowout. I would, however, like to see Snyder get a little more action especially against athletic teams such as Atlanta or Dallas.
Once Yao's back, the players who will be playing substantial roles coming off the bench for us will be Head, Hayes, Bonzi and Mutombo. That's four bench guys, with hopefully Snyder as well. I'd say that's bench deveopment.
Although as a fan I am a critic of JVG, I do not hate him! JVG had his limitations as a coach! If you are not exactly what he thinks you should be you are going to languish in your basketball NBA development. This is not a good thing for our future because while he is the coach, why would good players (free agents and trades) want to come to play for the Rockets just to take a seat on the pine. The last game was a good example of the poor stratergy of JVG's coaching-both Battier and Head were having horrible games. He should of switched McGrady to guard Johnson and brought in Snyder to play instead of Head. The team has a problem in as much as JVG has refused to develop a back up Point Guard, even with all the mistakes and errors JVg has failed to see that Head is not an able Point Guard. He is an undersizerd spot up Shooting Guard. At this point in time JVG does not know how to use specialist role players, so Steve Novac won't be developed and his talent as possibly the best three point shooter in the NBA will just languish. If you don't mix it up a bit, teams will be able to learn how to defeat every defensive and offensive move which JVG has in his play book. a fan I am a critic of JVG, I do not hate him!
