A lot of Van Gundy hating came out of my mouth early this season. When the Rockets hired him, I knew he was a smart coach and that was confirmed last year. However, I didn't like him because I didn't think he related to the players well enough for them to like and respect him. I never thought he'd be able to get the most out of his players. I'm glad I was wrong. He's really done an outstanding job, and deserves to be here for the long-haul.
I've known that Van Gundy was the real deal since his Knick days, after hearing about how his players would find him asleep at his desk after spending the night preparing for the following day's game. I'd watched him take an 8th seed Knicks team to the finals... and who knows what would have happened if Ewing didn't get injured. In the following years, he seemed like the one genuine thing left in a franchise that seemed more and more concerned about selling the tickets than trying to win a championship. After he came to the Rockets, I was among those who thought blowing up the team and trading away SF and Mobs was a bad idea. The Rockets went through some tough times this year and at one point, it seemed his job was in jeopardy. I give him props for sticking with it and believing in his plan. That takes some guts. You da man, JVG. If not this year, I predict multiple championships coming soon.
I really like Van Gundy, but I have to say, he did bail ship mid-season when it was clear the Knicks were not going to make it to the playoffs. Might not be his fault, but gotta be fair here.
Can I have your signature please? PS. It is a shame that Dadakota has the guts to even post rubbish in this thread. Your bias is so transparent that if I were you I would skip this thread. What is the meaning of too fragile? Take a look at VesceySux signature and consider bathing in acid or hoping the earth opens up. I bet you are hating all this winning DD - I will bet my mortgage on that.
Yeah, but they were 48-14 the season before. They went like 8-18 after he quit. I don't blame the guy, no one could have won with the team he had that year.
LOL! You guys are PATHETIC!! (Well, not all of you ) It is too late to bandwagon now, you either get in during tough times and stay faithful, or bail out and be banned for life from the JVG fan club. Guess which category most of you fit? Seriously though, should have taken my advice earlier in the season (December) when I told you to keep the faith in JVG, because he I knew his track record and how great a coach he was. His reputation is rock-solid, and those who didn't believe in him early on were too asking for instant gratification, and not account for all the obstacles the team had to face earlier on in the season. But, all forgiven, welcome to the JVG Fan Club
i always supported you jvg... although i was worried 20 games into the season! given this team's ability to be coached and overall modesty and unselfishness, i think he is the perfect coach for them.
tigermission, you can't accuse me of being a latecomer to the club. Ask anyone in the chatroom how hard I was defending JVG when we were struggling just to get to .500. I was responding to all kinds of stupid comments and insults on JVG, really wasting my time, but I couldn't let that mess go without a response, it really drove me nuts. Anyone who expected the Rockets to go 15-0 out of the gate or something with an almost brand new team was just silly. It takes a little while for players to get accustomed to each other and to the coaches. This season had a lot of change, but with each change made, we seemed to improve. And when we had little bumps in the road, the team stuck together and bounced back, and that is a huge credit to the man that both T-Mac and Jon Barry have called "the best coach I ever played for."
Not eating crow. Just pardon the momentary lapse of manners while I recall what I was stating when we were 6-11... * Trip to China * Early tough road games. * An overhauled roster. * Recognition that in spite of the losses, we were a good transition team. * Not being able to explain why Juwan's money mid-range game had vanished. * That we lost to LAL when Mihm's foul on Yao was not called, that JJ's offensive pick vs MINN was a horrible call and that Jamal Crawford was very lucky. * That Sura was injured. Anyone with an open mind isn't surprised that Rox are in the playoffs. Van Gundy, CD, and the players all deserve credit. It'll probably get lost in the hoopla, but this team has always had good chemistry...even when they could have folded, they toughed it out. VG deserves part of the credit for that. Jeff Van Gundy and the current roster have put forth an effort that should make us proud to be Rockets fans.
Life is good. Still want him on the first plane back here to NYC? How's that Jackson fanclub going? And was that Dunleavy on the sidelines? The same one that would turn a team around better than JVG? Nah. I have to stop it with the Coronas.
Ultimately, I think the Rockets positioning in the playoff seeding is the best of all scenarios. We would not have to play SA until the West Finals. That's the best time to play them anyway because the rockets would be so confident in themselves at that point anyway. The Rockets have proved to beat Phoenix twice already and with with regards to the Mavs. I have this feeling the Rockets will win the series because JVG is going to outcoach Avery Johnson. The big thing is how our PFs step up on offense.
