Said they have an unbalanced roster between front court and backcourt. Would like to add to the frontcourt. Defense is hurt with Chuck having to play the 5. Would like to balance the roster out if possible.
Rafer shoots the 3 way above average. But he's not a good finisher on layups and that's what is setting him back. Wants him to keep penetrating because even if he missed Deke will be there to get rebounds and score.
JVG is worried about today, tomorrow, but not next month... he says they look at it game after game.... now talking about spanoulis
He wants frontcourt help?. well i hope it dosent mean we'll give bonzi away next to nothing for a overrtated scrub like mohamad.
VASILLIS SPANOULIS jvg- "billy is a great kid" "whoever he talks to gave him bad advice when telling him he can make immediate impact" "a low second round pick will have time to adjust" "he hasn't handled the situation well" "he is more focused on blaming others" "i have compassion for him- he has high expectations" "he needs to focus more on improvement- not whose to blame for his plight" "he should have the right to go back if he choses to" "most guys have ups and downs in careers" BONZI WELLS "bill walton talked about bonzi wells and JVG- so what happened when bonzi said lets talk everyday... (commentator immitates bill walton- very good IMO)..." jvg- "anything that anybody says, bill will look at something to pick at and make it negative.... i cant find anyone more negative than bill.... all i ever hear him do is knock and mock.... it is very hard to listen to his pregame and answer his question... for him to mock bonzi, it wasnt a pact that we didnt speak, just to help us with the frustrations we both felt. he followed through with it. my relation with bonzi often scrutinized. he still feels a great deal of frustration with his lack of minutes. unfortunatley 3 weeks ago or even more now, his back injury set him back.. it's been hard on him, but he's been great latley and he has dealt with it. bill w. should have been praising bonzi" TOYOTA CENTER & RED ROWDIES "those rocket rowdies have been awesome... not good, awesome... those players need to play better to get more people excited... from the first game through now, i didnt expect them to be that loud in that section... i really do think they have an impact on the game on the players... the new announcer is fantastic. better atmosphere... gotta continue to play well at home...can't say enough about the red rowdies, a great investment..."
Here's a recap. I missed the first minute due to someone in my office at work. Here's the rest: JVG says that bill walton gets 'off base' sometimes. Says SA's home losses probably don't indicate how they will playing in the playoffs, that they have another gear, that the Dallas/SA series last year was closer than people remember. On being considered a contender when Yao is back: Says do it rather than say it. We are confident right now, but he would rather it be quiet confidence rather than boastful. (Reminded me of the Sura/Berry 'hand gesture' in the playoffs 2 years ago and how JVG didn't like it) On a possible move for a pg: We have an unbalanced roster, much deeper in backcourt rather than the frontcourt... it would be nice to have a boost to frontcourt.. Deke, Battier, and Howard playing lots of minutes, concern there. Defensive slippage has somewhat to do with Hayes being undersized and playing lots of minutes at 5, no shot blocking there. When yao comes back, will Rafer play differently (not drive as much)? More misunderstood aspects of Rafer's game is above league average percentage 3s. What worries JVG is his basket finishing and 2pt shots. But it does create shots for guys around basket (referenced Deke getting a tipin last night off blown layup). (Lip service to Rafer, IMO) On last night's game being a big game: Have to play hard and well every night, going to SA has nothing to do with it. players in NBA realize how close every team is, no big gap between teams. On upcoming soft schedule: Take games one at a time, Portland has been playing well lately. Randolph is a handful. Doesnt look at it as an easy part of the schedule, could be huge trap if the players slack off if during 'easy part of schedule' Joked about the amount of ad time on 610 'which is more, talk time or memorized ad time?' On VSpan: Has there been a change in the last week? Says Billy is a great kid. Whoever fills his head about basketball info gave him bad advice when they said it would be easy to come to NBA and make contribution immediately. Euros usually have an adjustment period. His low PT caught Billy offguard. Billy didn't handle situation well..focused more on blaming others rather than playing better, which has led to self-pitying. JVG has compassion because VSpan has much pressure from fans back home. Thinks Billy should surround himself with more positive people and should just lock down and play harder. Says he has right to go home if he chooses. League is hard to make it, and you have to be mentally strong. ESPN commentators last night said JVG and Bonzi said they would talk daily (pact), and made fun of that. JVG: Bill W will always make things negative. JVG rarely finds anyone more negative than Bill W. He has rep as someone who builds NBA up, but its the opposite. His relationship with Bonzi has been scrutinized because it was strained early. Bonzi has handled himself well lately, practicing hard. Had bad luck with injuries and has effected his rhythm, but seems to be getting better now. Rowdies have been awesome! It's been a great investment. Not good, awesome. Also, our players have put on better performance that people get excited about. These 2 factors have helped the energy level, and has impact on players. Lower bowl fills up eariler and has more energy. New announcer is better. Better atmosphere to play in. If you play well at home, fans will respond with repeat business. Mentioned TMac contributing to the Red Rowdies, too.
That was the best interview Lance and John ever had with JVG. Lance was prepared and asked many of the questions people want answered. Sorry I can't recap. Got a splitting headache right now.
JVG is even better when he comes in studio. He's always pretty good with the morning guys and nightshift. The afternoons are another story.
My question is was it the Rockets that did that this summer when trying to get him to come over here? It wasn't like he was begging to join the team.
