A good audio link to some talk about the Rockets, as Lopez rates them. Select the podcast to listen. Surprisingly he said that Gundy doesn't like V-span but I think it was recorded before the last 2 games. He says Battier Yao Tmac Synder Alston As starters, with Hayes, Bonzi, Howard and Novak as bench contributors. DD
Good find Dada. I cannot imagine van gundy doesn't like V-Span. I think he said Van gundy calls him out a lot, but i think he does like him overal. Ofcourse he makes mistakes, and van gundy will call him out. But Spanoulis is such a hard worker, and good defensive player Van Gundy should like him.
Probably just being extra tough on him as he has the biggest learning curve right now of anyone on the court...
Wonder if JVG's opinion has come up significantly on V-Span after these last two games? Takes a lot to get Van Gundy to like rookies or European players. V-Span has the luck to be both.
He has to like his toughness on D (our best perimeter defender IMHO) and his court vision. 2 of his turnovers last night were charging calls (aggressive is good) and one other was a nice little lob to J-ho that if J-ho even jumps a little he gets a layup. V-Span will set the table all the other players have to do is eat. DD
My coaches always used to say that if they were yelling at me, then I should not to be too worried because that meant that they thought they could make me better and I was worth the effort. If they were not yelling at me then I should worry because at that point I'm not even worth coaching so what is the point of waisting their time yelling at me. I think I heard Bill Parcells say something in a press conference like, that if he is always being nice to you and never says anything negitive about your play its because he no longer sees you as part of the team so there is really no point in being an ass to you.
Another Chronicle hack starting something when he really doesn't have all that much info to begin with? Is Lopez trying to become the Richard Justice of the Rockets? Yea, JVG hates V-span... because he yells at him in practice. Is it a wonder that every sports writer looks like they never picked up a bat/ball/glove/pair of sneakers in their life?
I think JVG is being hard because you knows he can be with VSpan. You think if he hadnt, Vspan would have performed the way he did the past 2 games. He has the largest learning curve to deal with, and he knows he can handle JVG being hard on him. All in all, he's still a rookie in the league, and he knows he has to do much better in order to play well against starter level talent once the regular season comes around.
i agree. JVG has had nothing but praise and encouragement for billy. sure he's said that he needs to learn to control himself and his to's. that doesn't mean he doesn't like him, just that he feels he needs improvement. btw, when a coach cares enough to try and make a player better, he likes him.
I can't imagine JVG not likely what he sees in VSpan. Good grief, I see enormous potential. He has great court vision, excellent passer, tough-hardnose defender, deceptive quickness, and so on. Not a lights-out shooter, but probably as good or better than Alston. Plus, the guy finishes well under the basket, and has a better "court presence" or "court charisma" than any other member of the team including TMac and Ming. He has tough demeanor that makes you account for him, notice him. I wager that many other coaches in the league would be glad to trade for him. If this is true, then JVG is not as good a judge of basketball talent as I thought he was.
The play that caught my eye last night was the one in which, after being fouled on his way to the basket, VSpan threw a no-look bounce pass between his legs to the trailer on the fast break. Not only does he have good court vision, he is creative with the ball, gets into the lane with the best of them, and has the ability to make pinpoint passes. The lob to JHo was a good example. If that had been a lob to Yao, TMac, Battier, or Wells, it would have been a monster jam. VSpan has a steep learning curve, but he plays with reckless abandon and once tempered by good coaching, he will be a very good NBA player.
The Chronic has the worst writers---Lopez talks about the rockets? I'm surprised! I didn't think there was one Aggie on the team!
The Houston Chronicle is a very poor newspaper for the true Rockets Fans. The Reporters make up so much and the others are saying just what the Rockets want you to know [party line] . There is limited investigative reporting and too much speculation. If the Astros baseball games were being played at this time , the Rockets would hardly get a mention! Read the Chronicle, believe less than 50% and make up your own minds.The Clutch BBS is a much more reliable source !
JVG says "Billy" a lot in practice. That doesn't mean he doesn't like him. JVG loves him so much. Read the quotes.
100% right. I would believe what is written here before I would be believe what it written on www.rockets.com
So, I suppose Lopez thinks Rafer Alston is going to play 48 minutes a game? Where's the backup PG in that rotation?
Worrell and Drexler were talking about the same thing last night iirc. Worrell put a different spin on it, saying that Van Grumpy was hard on Bill because he sees how talented Bill is and expects so much out of him. I prefer that version. Just seems to me that Bill is JVG's kind of player (hard nosed, plays tight defense, shows no fear).
That would mean McGrady has to be on the court whenever Rafer isn't on the court. Unless they're both playing well over 40 MPG, that wouldn't be feasible.
