edc....just wait and enjoy the season! It should be a very interesting season.... And be sure to record all the Jeff Van Gundy radio shows on Thursday nights for us!
Just funnin' edc. Thank you very much for posting the radio uploads. I never needed them, but that was a quality thing to do. Hope you enjoy the new winning ways.
I posted this before, but: (1) Coaching change to JVG. Neutral to negative. I honestly don't believe the man is a "great" head coach. (2) We've seen that this club isn't the most intelligent. It will take them longer than most expect to adapt. (3) YM is practicing and playing all summer for the national team. Maybe he gets three weeks off before training camp. (4) Defense? Steve Francis? Yeah, right. (5) Moves? No FA signings on the horizon, and I don't see any significant trades. (6) Club Unity? I see that taking a hit too. RT is what kept these guys as together as they were. All that adds up to an additional 5-9 losses in the regular season, with a particularly rocky first half. I don't think "extremely critical" is correct. Between 34 and 42 wins, and ninth or tenth in the West may be pessimistic, but fifty wins and sixth seed is a pipe dream.
edc, time will tell. I think Van Gundy will really help some of our players that have the athletic gifts esp Francis improve on the defensive end. As Almu points out, JVG will really get on these players and help them develop. There is no logical reason why someone with Francis's athletic talent cant be a good defensive player; I think you have to just let this play out under JVG. We can keep going back and forth on this one, but I just dont see how this team is going to regress to a mid 30s win total; thats crazy imo. I am expecting 50 wins atleast. Keep this thread in mind next May.
Hell, no!! If we give them a pick at all, it better be one of ours having about a 7 year window for us to fork it over, with the Rocks deciding when to give it. That Chicago obligation is money for us in any potential trade.
EDC ... On a day when most people are trying to enjoy the GREAT news about Jeff Van Gundy's official wooing, even if what you smoked really was truth serum, why would you even bother to try and convince everyone otherwise when we're obviously trying to be elated? This is the kind of crappy attitude that brings the b****ing and moaning that pretty much makes the people that REALLY are fans try to do... SUPPORTING the team we love.. Sounds to me you like your own General Manager skills better than our Rockets...... Get your filthy pawzzzzzz off our silky drawzzzzzzzz and lighten up a bit... its not torture trying to find the bright side of things
No, He parked it behind the exhaust end of the engine on the Knick's team jet and was destroyed when the plane fired up. Strange but true story. Let's hope Jeff displays better judgement with coaching the Rockets than with with picking parking spots.
I'm almost giggling while reading the posts about Patrick Ewing. Come on. Mention Ewing in any other context on this board, and he gets slagged. But now, according to some, it's a miracle that our new doltish head coach couldn't win more with such a spectacular phenom... (pppsssst... he was never that good. pssst... he was past his prime when JVG took over)
Almu, Why are gasing up Gundy for so much, He has done nothing and will never win anything in the west. His style is dirty cheap shot tactics, Is that what you want the Rockets to be? Gundy is garbage and he will fired after half the season. This will be another wasted year for the Rockets...No playoffs again a sure shot. Rockets messed up and messed up big time, Van Dummy is an assistant coach who controls the defense. By no means is Van Quitter an NBA head coach. I just wish people would understand their limitations. If the Rockets would have hired him as a defensive coach great but the man is not a head coach get that through your heads Rocket fans.
Did I EVER say the word phenom in regards to Mr. Ewing? No. Patrick Ewing was not Hakeem Olajuwon, but he was a quality "borderline HOF" NBA center, on par with David Robinson. Further, Ewing was surrounded by veteran NBA talent. 43, 48, a .540 winning percentage (for the lockout shortened season), or even 50 wins are adequate, but are nothing special. The only well above average regular season performance by that squad was the 57-win season. Playoffs? Props for 1999, but it was the lockout-shortened year. Much more fluke-y than the Rockets run from the sixth spot.
EDC: So, what you're really saying, is that Rudy's coaching job from 93-95 was better than anything JVG's ever done? OK, even if I buy that argument entirely (which I don't necessarily), that doesn't mean that JVG isn't a better option now. At least you, unlike others, haven't brought up the tremendous "help" provided by Larry Johnson...
Costahater2, you sound alot like some guy from long ago that believed in conspiracies and (drexler85) stuff like that. Could be you making a comeback after all these years? And have you seen Gundy coach as many games as I did? You say your from NJ so you had to see him SOMETIMES. And am I the only one that believes he can coach or is there unanimous accord out there this side of Phil Jackson that believes he is very good and learned from a great coach himself? Maybe the team won't win the whole dance next year. But I tell you what. When I tune into the Rocks this year, I won't see anyone yelling "O-lay!" when someone drives to the basket. And even in their LOSSES, this team will be playing damn hard...unlike 50 percent of the time this year. (If you are the dreaded drexler85...and the old guys know who I am talking about...then you won't like any coach from a big market team. By the way, what did you think of the Pacers this year? Think O'Neal gonna leave?) GUNDY! GUNDY! GUNDY!
Well, apparently as a head coach, he went 248-172 which is a career percentage of 59%......not exactly 54%...
What I'm saying is that JVG is an adequate head coach, but nothing special. I see no reason for the "wooing," and think four years, even at the relative "bargain" of $4.5 million is too long. The most they should give this guy is two years with an option (for both sides) on a third. The fact I believe the organization is headed toward another lottery season (which, IMHO, wouldn't be the case under RT) is a separate argument.
I wish some people would read. JVG had a single (IMHO) "quality" season with the Knicks that skews the total winning percentage. Subtract that out, and the remaining four are more or less 0.550.
(1) Coaching change to JVG. Neutral to negative. I honestly don't believe the man is a "great" head coach. Does it matter that much, though. Personally, I don't think Poppovich is a great head coach either. Rudy was no amazing coach. Van Gundy, like Popovich for San Antonio and Rudy for our smart, veteran teams of the 90's, seems to be a good fit for this team. Like you, I think Dunleavy might have provided more of a balance, especially in terms of X's and O's, but I question if teh players would listen to him (2) We've seen that this club isn't the most intelligent. It will take them longer than most expect to adapt. Probably right, but this, imo, only strengthens the argument for a Van Gundy (who will force change) over a Dunleavy (who will wait longer for it to happen). In either case, they were stagnant in their current situation. (3) YM is practicing and playing all summer for the national team. Maybe he gets three weeks off before training camp. Same thing happened last year, except this year Yao understands the rigors of the NBA season, is on a Rockets endorsed training program, and will at least understand the NBA much better. In either case, how does it realte to the coaching change in question? (4) Defense? Steve Francis? Yeah, right. Again, how is this differenct from last year? Again, doesn't this strengthen the argument for Van Gundy, the defensive coach over Dunleavy, the guy who is decent at everything? (5) Moves? No FA signings on the horizon, and I don't see any significant trades. Again, what does this have to do with Van Gundy or his previous coaching record, or how this makes the team worse? (6) Club Unity? I see that taking a hit too. RT is what kept these guys as together as they were. Maybe, but when you can't get over the hump because of a lack of discipline and smarts, club unity can take a back seat. Everyone knows Sahq and Kobe aren't buddy buddy - they got the job done, though. Plus, Van Gundy has already wisely made it clear that Rudy is still a "part of the organization" All that adds up to an additional 5-9 losses in the regular season, with a particularly rocky first half. Actually, everything you've argued at best, adds up to them being in the same position as last year. I don't think "extremely critical" is correct. Between 34 and 42 wins, and ninth or tenth in the West may be pessimistic, but fifty wins and sixth seed is a pipe dream. Agreed, except I don't think its a pipe dream, I think it's optimistic. Realistic is 45 - 53 wins and a 6 or 7 seed.
That's why I give my prediction as 38 +/- 4. If all goes as well as it possibly can, the best I foresee is maybe equalling last year. Of my points: (1 and 4) JVG specific. Steve Francis' defense in particular comes into question because JVG's strength is supposedly coaxing defensive prowess from his players. (2, and 6) would be applicable to ANY change in head coach. Since JVG is the guy, they are his problems. (3 and 5) would be applicable to ANY head coach, including RT. Since JVG is the guy, they are his problems. Greater than 50 wins was elite in the West this season. No way, no how do the Rockets jump to that level. You think it's realistic that this club will adapt by early in the season. I don't. That's why they toss up the ball.
I don't completey disagree with all of your points, although I certainly don't agree with them, but you are failing to distinguish between why the Rockets will be bad and why Van Gundy in particular will be bad. Question 1 is your opinion, but Question 4 is the same question you can ask of any head coach that is in charge. As you correctly pointed out for the other questions, it is Van Gundy who is at the helm, so they are his problems. But if you're going to argue that he, specifically, is not the right coach for the job, you've got to specify how, applicable to Van Gundy, he will do worse at solving those problems. A good majority of your arguments imply you'd prefer we just kept Rudy - if that's your opinion, great, but its not what happened.
