He is a solid coach, but I just feel he is the type of guy who gives you decent winning percentage, goes to playoff every year, but get kicked out in first or second round. He is a winning coach, just like Flip Sanders, but hardly a championship coach. He is indeed better than 80% of coaches in the league, but if given a opportunities to pick between Phil Jackson and him, I will pick Phil 10 of 10 times. BTW, why is Phil Jackson hated so much?
Well I'm happy for JVG. But is it just me or does a one year extension for a coach that's signed for the next two seem strange? It may be the PJ stuff, it may be JVG's fine and criticism, and I think it's a nice gesture on Les' part. But unless a coach wants to retire, or is a lame duck, I've never heard of a one year contract extension.
Hey if you prefer a head coach who can only instill enough "heart" to get the worst game seven loss in NBA history, feel free.
I like to think of him as a coach who took a bunch of unfamiliar players to a 51 win season after a 6-11 start. You only look at the negatives because it suits your agenda.
I think b/c he's cocky as hell. Yes, he's won and won plenty, but I lost a lot of respect for Pat Riley when he ditched the Lakers to go to NY, and same goes for PJ. Bottom line is PJ is a GREAT coach no matter what anyone says, but I admire a coach that builds from the bottom up and PJ has yet to do so. There are many different types of coaches, (buiders, refiners, etc.) but IMHO, the greatest coach ever was Red Auerbach. He understood the game better than any coach in today's society ever could. He based player's bonuses on playoff performance (not dunk competitions, or all-star competitions). I read his biography and remember him chastising B. Russell for working on his long jump shot. He said WTH, Let the guards shoot outside, they've got a better percentage than you'll ever have. And, the bottom line is that he's right! WTH, do we want Yao shooting 20' jump shots when we have T-Mac, Barry, DW and James. Even on a bad night they will forever outshoot Yao at that range. Anyway, in answer to your question, I think most people hate PJ B/C he jumped ship to the most talented team in the league at the time.
That's really persceptive knowing Yao looks at loyalty...by re-upping with Gundy, Yao can rest that Houston is the type of organization that isn't going to trade him the second Amare says he'd be interested in playing in Houston. I'm Glad Les decided to deliver the message to everyone that Gundy is the man. A classy move that once again shows how classy this franchise is.
I've been wondering the same thing. I don't like him really but if you have 9-time championship coach running your team, you have to feel pretty good. I just think some let their hatred get in the way of their perception. Besides, does the extension really matter in this day in age? If this team under-achieves or continues to flounder in the first round, Les will make a change regardless of how much is left on the contract. I like JVG, but this extension is nothing more than a reward for the hard work he has put in and a silencer to all the Phil admirers.
He has already been past the second round, twice. He has been booted in the first round twice. He has been to the NBA finals with a #8 seed. Your feeling does not mesh with reality. As for why PJ is hated, it is because he never coaches teams that are not loaded. The worst team he coached was the Jordan-less Bulls in 1993-94. 1 season he did not have a player that was arguably the best in the NBA. He is hated because people give him so much credit for winning with the best team, something any halfway decent coach should be able to do. you give JVG the '97 Bulls and he will win the championship too.
I'm willing to give JVG an extra year. It's not like Les gave him a 5-year extension or something.....
i don't want phil jackson. i remember two seasons ago in the playoffs when jvg was yelling at big chief triangle on the sidelines and i thought "that's freaking awesome, let that jacka$$ have it." i'd feel like a traitor to just dump a great coach cause jackson is available. i think van gundy is every bit his equal.
“When I hired Jeff two years ago, I said that wanted to bring in a championship-caliber coach,” Alexander said. “Jeff has done a great job for us over the past two seasons and I wanted to reward him for his hard work and dedication. Jeff has a unique ability to get the best out of his players and I believe he has our team poised on the verge of returning to our championship form.” Here is EDC's line-by-line interpretation: 1. “When I hired Jeff two years ago, I said that wanted to bring in a championship-caliber coach,” Alexander said. EDC-SPEAK: Notice that Les didn't say, "...championship-caliber coach LIKE MR. VAN GUNDY." Did you all notice how he left that off? He never implies that JVG and CCC are the same. 2. “Jeff has done a great job for us over the past two seasons and I wanted to reward him for his hard work and dedication." EDC-SPEAK: Did anyone else notice that he said "over the past two seasons" but didn't say "and into the playoffs" following this? Read between the lines? You just KNOW Les is secretly fuming about our recent playoff performances! And how come he didn't say "for his hard work, dedication, AND SUCCESS"? Kinda funny how he left that word out, huh? I know what Les is really thinking! 3. "Jeff has a unique ability to get the best out of his players and I believe he has our team poised on the verge of returning to our championship form.” EDC-SPEAK: Again, conspicuous for what it doesn't say. "Unique" ability? It's very clear what this really means: Unique=Different Different=Strange Strange=Bizarre Bizarre=Macabre Macabre=Evil So, what he's really saying is "Jeff has an evil ability to get the best out of his players." Then, he says, "I believe he has our team poised on the verge..." I stopped reading at that point. God, isn't it obvious? He didn't say, "I am certain" or "I am supremely confident" or "Without a shadow of a doubt" or even "I know." He said, "I believe"! We all know what that means! And what about "poised" and "on the verge"? Why not "fully ready" and "right in the thick of..."? Honestly, if you CVG- ClutchVanGundy- fans can't see the forest for the trees, if you can't see that this is Les Cochran's- oops, I mean, Alexander's- obvious attempt to railroad JVG out of Houston, there's nothing I can do to help you.
(1) Le$ is free to believe whatever he wants to believe. If he doesn't care that his team produced the worst game seven loss in NBA history, that is his business. (2) I'm glad you recognize that any ability JVG has comes from the dark side of the force, which is why he's never won anything
Exactly. And he had a big ego. And he is a manipulator. And he coached the evil empire to 3 championships, and was quite cocky about it. I am willing to give him the credit of being able to coach talented teams to win it all. But maybe it's just me. Winning is not everything for me as a fan. I want to root for people whom I like. I don't want to root for people like Phil Jackson, or Kobe, or Pippin, no matter how good they are. I want to root for good guys like Rudy and Yao and Mario and Dream. I didn't like JVG much. But I've changed my view since January. The very thought that Phil now is interested in coaching the Rockets makes me angry. It just reinforces the notion that he is the biggest opportunist of all time.
Better that then a coach who couldn't even get to game 7 against Detroit even with the two best players in the game.
You tell them, edc! I mean, c'mon! Drexler, Barkley, Pippen (*shudder*), T-Mac. Those are the kind of moves an owner with no desire to win makes!
Look at the only other team he's coached: Knicks. Compare the talent he had on that team to what he has to work with now. Houston, Sprewell, and a Larry Johnson who could no longer jump and camped at the three point line. Oh, and an old useless P-Ew. When we fill in the pieces we need via draft, FA, trades, we will have talent that JVG has never before had the luxury of coaching. I can't wait to see what he does with it. I smell chapionship.
