He was on for a long time on the Mike and the Mad Dog show. He said a number of revealing things but I was in the car and did not make notes. However here is some key points: - Cato would have started even if EG was here. He said Cato is like his Oakley - He want to reduce Steve min from 42 to about 38 because Steve will be working both def and off. He is much better defensively. - Mobley will not go to 42 min also. He said they acquired additional shooters so Mobes should not play as much. He mentioned Pike. - Mention Scott as an example of a quest to add shooters - Everything surrounds Yao and Wink - For two weeks there was serious resistance to him and his plan by the team as a whole and not just Steve; but everybody is on the same page now. - He said he sensed something was wrong with EG since he arrived. He is happy to see that EG has made a move to take his life in a different direction. -He did not say it but he hinted the team will surprise. He said if the team improves its record of games decided by 3 or less, it will be a fun season. He never mentioned top 4 in the west, however.
I think suprise in these contects means that the team may suprise some opponents. and that if we could just improve enough to win those close games it will be a fun season. fun as in a very good record and playoff goodness. not a suprise as in a splash
I have maintained all along that one of the BIGGEST benefits of JVG coaching this team is the Rockets will win a lot more of those games that they lost last year against crappy teams. Those night the Rockets just felt like they were "entitled" and just came out and mailed it in. Now under JVG the team will play hungry EVERY night and we will end up winning a lot of those games against crappy teams. That alone should add at least 4-6 wins to our total of last year. And as far as Cato goes, what an amazing transformation! Hard to believe he was public enemy #1 a few years ago. JVG has been very good for him. We can only hope that once Eddie gets straigtened out, that JVG has the safe effect on him.
If VG can 1) turn Cato into a quality Oakley style player that can effectively play both the 4 and 5. 2) Make the team take every game seriously so they dont take the weak teams lightly 3) Get the guards to run the offense effectively and play defense. 4) Play hard from start to finish He will officially be a success in my eyes. and if he can get Eddie to turn things around on the court, he will be a god! I really think the most important thing VG can do with this team is to get them to take every game seriously, there were too many games they lost last year by only a few points that would easily have been won if they would have played 3 full quarters of quality ball instead of 2. How many games did we come away saying that they played half the game good, and half bad?
Yao Ming's conditioning was also on his mind. He said we would like to get him up to 33 mins but was not sure that he can give that right now. Cato was going to take the other team's primary low post scorer to save Ming. He still wants Ming to go for paint positioning. Ming and Patrick have been going at it in one-on-one sessions. These sessions start off slow and then gets real intense and Patrick is full of pride. Ming tries to share the touches and he is trying to get Ming to understand that it is okay to get many touches in a row without feeling guilty. His concept about being an inside-out team goes beyond just low post touches for Ming. It includes off reb, driving, slashing, FTs. He said the rules dictate more 5 man sets/offenses which increasing the chance for more TO's. To reduce this they do have some 3 man sets and a few isos too. He is still not happy with the shooting around the big two and thinks that is very key. The team is commited to making people pay for doubling the big two. He said the weather in Houston was much better now but he still misses NYC. He does like it in Houston.
JVG should get the Rockets to take these games against weaker teams seriously. I would love for their attitude to change from, we should beat these guys to we will beat these guys. When he gets them to believe, then he can teach them to enjoy crushing the weak teams like they should have never stepped on the court with us. FEAR THE ROCKETS
I like Cato's game now. But to say that he's like Oakley is a bit overblown. Oakley was a good midrange shooter. He would make people pay if they left him open to double team his center. Cato, on the other hand. . . let's just say I hope he'll develop Oakley's midrange shot.
