[JVG on Tsakalidis] "It will give someone for Billy to b**** to"

Those of you laughing at V-Span should be ashamed of yourselves, you don't know what was or wasn't promised to him before he came over this season.

Maybe you should think about it for a bit....what if CD did promise him a prominant role? How would you take it? Would you sit quietly by and play the game, or would you be pissed off that you left your country to come play on a team that promised you a prominant position only to have that promised reneged on?

Now, I am not saying that is what happened, but if it did, I can certainly understand V-Span's frustrations.

DD

 

I think Spanoulis should have realized that there is no such thing as guaranteed playing time in the NBA, especially on a contending team. Guaranteed playing time only happens on crappy teams where the coach has a directive from management to play their young players, and even then if their young players play poorly, their minutes are cut (see Rudy Gay for example).

Regardless Spanoulis complained about JVG through the media first. He's a random Euro drafted in the second round, therefore he doesn't have the right to complain like that. Whatever he gets now is his own damn fault, because he let the cat out of the bag.

 

It isn't more like the second. It is the second. JVG is a slithering snake with a decent basketball mind. Some will say it was just a joke. He obviously hasn't let go of Billy's comments and his snide remarks are just the tip of the iceberg. But we will never know the half of it because as good as he is at developing defensive strategies, he is even better at manipulating the media.

 

So what do you think of Phil Jackson then?

Kwame = "Butterfingers" or earlier "a p***y"
Radmanovic = "space cadet"
...
Kobe = "uncoachable"
Shaq = "always out of shape and not a hard worker"

He has 9 rings to show for his coaching methods.

 

^ Don Nelson is even worse. I heard an interview he did with a local radio program (Tom Tolbert hosting), and his comments towards his players were scathing.

 

And that is the key difference. Jackson is a proven winner with his methods. JVG hasn't won anything and is just being petty in all this. Same thing with bonzi all over again.

 

Billy's gotta man up and force his way back into the rotation. The ball is in his court, so to speak.

If he plays smart and effective in garbage time and busts his ass in practice then he might see more minutes at backup point again.

JVG has to be on the short list of Coach of the Year candidates so far.

 

Remember when Jordan called Kwame a-and i quote-"flaming f*****"?

 

He didn't complain about JVG he complained about playig time. ANd he didn't do it to the US media he did it through the Greek Press. Which probably would have never gotten back to the US if not for this board. His was an innocent mistake probably more out of frustration and in all probability true. Everything JVG has done is deliberate with specific intent and malice.

 

I'm appalled at the way some people here turn on players. During the summer it was yeah vspan rocks. Now it's all he's a bum. Also, when we got bonzi it was all, yeah bonzi chose us, he'll put us over the top. Then it was all bonzi is fat and sucks. Tmac has a bad november and everyone is like trade tback. Now it's all tmac for mvp. Yao has a great start and it's all Yao for mvp. Now it's man we're better without yao, he slows us down, we can run more without him. Granted it's not everyone here like that, but it's amusing to see how fast some people turn on players here.

 

For me, it is a stupid comment to make in public. We pay millions of dollars for JVG not for this kind of sense of humor.

 

2 wrongs do not make a right....JVG is the guy in charge here, he has the power, he also needs to try to get something out of V-Span.....

Now if it is a joke and V-Span is in on it....ok....but right now it seems classless to kick a guy who can't fight back.

DD

 

This is becoming hopeless. I think this is all about the beard of Billy. Jeff wants them on his head very badly.

Billy should consider shaving..

 

why must people overreact to something that was obviously said as a joke.

is there some truth to it? maybe, but most good jokes do have some truth in it.

plus, why dont people pay attention to the fact that jvg stated, and has stated before on numerous occasions that he does really like vspan?...ohh right, then that wouldnt be message board fodder. silly me.

 

The thread about Yao coming back in around 2 weeks has only two pages (which is understandable since there are other threads)... and yet another V-span thread has SIX pages in less than a day (despite there being endless other threads about v-span).

Seriously... get over him... there are plenty of other better/more pertinent stories regarding this team.

 

Who hands out PT? The coach, so if one is complaining about PT, one is complaining about the coach.

In the age of the Internet and instant information, did Spanoulis really think that his comments wouldn't get back to JVG? If say Yao said "JVG sucks and should be fired" to Sohu or Sina, it would be back over here in a heartbeat. Besides, if Spanoulis really wished to keep it secret, he wouldn't talk about it to a Greek newspaper like that. It would leak out through friends like it usually does when a player wishes to discreetly express that he wants more PT.

"Specific intent and malice" got Jackson 9 rings. This ploy by JVG doesn't hold a candle to what Phil Jax has done with his players in the media, but somehow Jackson got his players to win 9 championships for him.

Some people have said, "even if JVG wins a ring I still hate him and think he sucks." I guess Phil Jax has 9 rings and people still say he's overrated...

 

Most of those are blind JVG lovers who treat every word out the Snakes mouth as undisputale fact. The silent majority of Rockets fans aren't so easily manipulated and see it for what it is. Sure Bonzi should have come to camp in better shape and sure Vspan should have kept his mouth shut but JVG made it personal and showed his snakeskin. It's ironic how the guy preaches that the players need to put the team first and he always puts himself ahead of the team.

 

I'm baffled people are making a big deal about this. Maybe I'm just not empathizing enough with V-Span's position.

To me, it just seemed like a light-hearted comment which makes light of a situation that could potentially have been much more damaging to the team's chemistry. If a player is going to "b****" about playing time the way he did, it isn't off limits for him to get razzed about it.

Perhaps the best two coaches in the league, Phil Jackson and Greg Popovic, tease their players all the time in the media. To say that for them it's ok because they've won championships is just a nonsensical double-standard.

 

Touche. I never heard all of you ripping Van Gundy for being mean-spirited when he was making fun of Rafer's shooting.

 

If Van Gundy "putting himself ahead of the team" results in an undermanned team going 33-18, I say so be it.

"Snake?" Gimme a break. What did he ever do to you?

You and your "silent majority" must not have much to say since the team has been playing so well.