This team is has Van Gundy's Imprint all over IT!!!

If Brown would have become our coach, we might have won a championship last year. But if we did win it last year he would just quit and sign as head coach for some other NBA team.

 

If Brown could have taken a team with Ryan Bowen as the starting 4 to the Finals, then he should have quit basketball forever and turned his magic powers to more pressing problems like curing the global AIDS epidemic or getting "Will and Grace" off the air.

 

I agree. Brown is a better coach than JVG, and his record supports it. However, JVG has proven to be a really good coach as well. If he stays in the league long enough and wins championships(which is a real possibility), he'll one day be regarded in the same light as Brown. He has the good combination of work ethic, youth(for a coach) and intelligence to become a great coach someday.

 

All of the reports that JVG is purely a defensive guy is silly. Clearly JVG has shown incredible amounts of adaptation just here with the Rox.

1. IIRC, JVG played small ball alot with Mooch as PG, Steve at 2, Mobley at 3 and JJ at 4. Not exactly a defensive juggernaut.
2. After making all our trades last season, our scoring avg went up 10 ppg while our points allowed increased ...but we were winning.
3. We've heard many times so far that JVG will be looking to run a lot more (and we've already seen it) this season based on the roster.

JVG obviously stresses defense but I beleive he'll mostly shed the reputation that he is a slow-it-down and pure defensive minded coach after this season is over.

JVG knows that defense is always important and must always be played. After that, JVG uses whatever stregths he has. If he has young run-n-guns guys, he'll run. If he's got Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Allen Houston to hit the outside J's, then he'll run a slower half-court game.

 

While it's still early in the preseason, the chemistry of this team appears to be intact and resembling that of last year's team. The "new" guys (alston, DA, Head, Swift) seem to all be comfortable in their respective roles.

Take the play of DA during the SA game for example. Even though Wesley had bricked just about every shot he had taken, DA continued to set him up for good shots, figuring that his shot would eventually come around (never did ) .

Judging from these few preseaon games, you can tell by the body language that JB and Wesely enjoy playing with DA. It's kind of the opposite of what we saw with Mike James (don't kid yourself, his teamates were not happy with him). That's not to say he was a bad player, quite the contrary. He just wasn't a good long-term fit for this team.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays when the entire starting group is in togther. So far we've seen bits and pieces but not the total package. I would hope to see JVG start playing his primary rotations during the next couple of games. I was a little disappointed in him not playing Rafer the last game. Even though he wanted to see what Head can do, the lineup for this team is pretty much set. Given the fact that Alston is new to the system and will be counted on as the primary ballhandler on a team expected to contend for the title, he should be playing significant minutes in every preseaon game. The Nov 2 Sac opener is not too far away.

 

brilliant. lol.

 

Prove those haters wrong, Ryan......Hate-minator

 

Actually I think this is Will and Grace's last season. I actually don't mind the show and watch it sometimes. Now it's like the OC that put me to sleep or whatever new primetime drama's they have playing on Fox or the WB besides Smallville. They just need to put Family Guy and the Simpson's on primetime everynight of the week. Now those shows are freakin sweet. lol

 

Zacatecas,

I agree. Van Gundy knows what he wants and got it. It helps that Yao and McGrady are here to attract free agents as well.

This roster not only is loaded with talent, but loaded with chemistry. The pieces were chosen carefully, no "knuckleheads." It's going to be an awesome season.

 

Nonsense. Larry Brown has won at every level. Mr. Van Gundy is a hard worker and a talented defensive coach, but that is it. He has yet to win anything of significance at any level.

If JVG does not deliver a championship before this contract is up, he will be free to go back to New York, New Jersey, or wherever the heck he would rather be so he "can breathe."

 

1. Why do you keep stressing that he's a defensive coach? Did you not watch last year or any of the preseason?

3. I'll agree with you about the championships. in 3 years, I atleast expect one. Hey, we agree for once!

 

JVG proved me wrong the second half of the season last year by opening up the tap on the offense so my respect for him has greatly increased. That said the proofs in the records. Brown after one year at Detroit took them to a championship and went back to the NBA Finals the next year. The Pistons team is a great team but I think at the start of the 2003-2004 season I'm not sure many would've considered them to necessarily be more talented than the 2003-2004 Rockets team. Prior to Brown Billups had a similar rep to Francis for being undisciplined and Wallace was very similar to Cato an underperforming big body. IMO Brown could've done a lot with Yao, Francis, Mobley, Cato and Taylor especially since in spite of his boneheadedness Francis plays hard and that's something that a coach like Brown respects the most in players.

 

As I stated earlier, I think JVG has shown that he is more than a defensive coach. And it looks like this season he'll blow the lid off the reputation cause this team is running like mad men this preseason. But in absence of good offense, JVG reverts to relying on defense. Thats a sound strategy, IMO.

I agree. With this squad, he better win.

 

I hate to repond to any poster in this way, but would you please use your mind and read my ******* post before replying?

Who said JVG is as good as Brown now? I said "if..., then...". IF JVG stay for a long time and wins championships, he WILL one day be viewed in the same light as Brown. This is a hypothesis, a ******* hypothesis!!! JVG is 22 years younger than Brown, for a coach his age, JVG has already established himself as a very good coach in the NBA, and who's to say that he won't achieve many things in the next two decades.

I know you dislike JVG and wanted Phil Jackson, but why do you have to argue with anyone who praises JVG??? Where are you from? Philadelphia? Assland?

 

How many years has Mr. Van Gundy been a head coach? The guy is not a rookie. That particular "old dog" has no more "new tricks."

Incidentally, you can give JVG 22 more years, 220, or 2200, and I don't see him being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

How many years had Brown been a NBA coach before he got a championship? And how many years have JVG been a NBA head coach?

I guess I could give you 22, 220 or 2200 years, you still would argue with anyone you can find about how horrible a coach JVG is.

 

Not only has the team grown since JVG has arrived in Houston, but JVG has also become a lot better. JVG is a hard worker who worked on both his offensive and defensive coaching skills, and it seems to have paid off now that he also has the talent to make a Championship caliber team. Nicely done, JVG.

 

Mister Van Gundy is entering his tenth season as an NBA head coach (yes, not all of them were complete). Zero Division Titles, Zero NBA Titles, Never coach of the year.

Larry Brown had an accomplished career as a player, won coach of the year in three of his first four seasons as a professional coach, won his division in two of his first three seasons as a professional coach, and had an extensive run (including a title) as NCAA head coach by a comparable point in his career.

 

Phil "Big Chief Triangle" Jackson........is that you?