I think there WOULD be trouble if this was their first coach in a competitive situation. But years of Rudy has obviously made this squad open to more discipline and accepting other ideas. Francis, Rice, and Mobley have made the "Rudy was different comment, and they've also said how JVG's style could be good for them. As for chemistry, I've been saying this for a while now. We will have to rebuild chemistry, if there was any (there had to be SOME), so if the concern in any trade proposal is chemistry, then I think we shoujld putt hat aside and go for it, because this will be a radically changed team anyway.
chemistry really means everyone doing their job. they don't have to like each other one bit. also, i don't believe that francis will have a problem with JVG. i think they both want to win badly- they will find common ground here. the question is more about breaking old habits. francis is used to playing a certain way- can he change?
I agree that the chemistry that our guys already have is important. They all got to learn where Yao needs the ball to be effective and most importantly, they gave JVG a lot of tape to show him where his players are at their best. Hopefully, JVG will see EG out in front of the pack on virtually every fast break and will condition the guys to get the ball forward on the pass rather than by dribbling. That alone will add 4-8 fast break points per game. In addition, JVG has experience dealing with personalities as strong as our guys (Ewing) as well as guys who have historically been ball hogs (Sprewell). I envision a tightly structured 18 second offense with the last 6 seconds reserved for a playmaker (Mobley or Francis) to create something if the system breaks down. This would be much like the Bulls during the course of MJs career (not a triangle, just a highly structured offense with the last 6 seconds reserved for the playmaker). However, the focus of this team will be defense. JVG will encourage the guys to step it up and hustle on the defensive side because defense wins ball games, playoff series, and championships. Dallas can put up all the 120 point games in the world, but if they can't get a stop when they need it, the other team is going to win 122-120. JVG will bring the defensive attitude and intensity and we will see the playoff this season. If either Boki or EG steps up to have a breakout year, we could even see the second round.
JVG is not as rigid a coach as people think. he just insists that players find a way to help the team. guys will get playing time based on merit. our defense was actually pretty good last year. our offense sucked- and was ugly. i think the irony is that our offense will have to show the greatest improvement if we are to make some noise in the west. the lakers have shaq- meaning they can score whenever they want. ditto the spurs with duncan. dallas and sac come at you from all angles. we have got to find a way to put the ball in the basket easier. it was so much work last year.
