edc, I've learned not to argue with you do to its futility. But, without any sarcasm, could you please explain to me, what would make you a "happy" rockets fan again?
I'm convinced D&D posters who know nothing about basketball, should be, how do you say? Disposed of. Harry Potter spoke, and it was written.
Who is arguing? If you like Mr. Van Gundy and his approach, good for you. I think the Rockets would be better off with a championship-caliber head coach, preferably one who played the game, and ideally who has some history with the organization. Tilman Fertita buying the organization from Le$ might be a good start.
Incidentally, you may notice that JVG is a Riley CLONE. The only reason Riley had a "showtime" Lakers team was because of Magic. As soon as the NBA started evolving into tougher/stronger players, and he no longer had the most talented PG to ever play the game, Riles adopted a style based solely on half-court execution and balls-out defense. If you compare any of Riley's past teams, and the current Rockets, you'll notice virtually exact same plays, same end-of-game situational strategies, and the same trap/help defensive schemes. You can say "don't blame the players" all you want, but the fact of the matter is, we've had to piece together a team full of rusty spare parts... albeit, some of them were supposed to be shiny (Swift, Alston), they haven't turned out that way. Of course, you can blame JVG the GM if you want... this team is full of rusty spare parts that wouldn't be getting significant playing time on any other playoff-calibur team... besides T-mac and Yao.
What argument? There is no question Pat Riley has won rings. There is also no question that the absolute best coaches with the best teams will only win 80% or so of regular season games. Championship coaches are made in the playoffs, and do not blow 2-0 leads (with 3 at home), or lose game seven's by record amounts.
A Xerox, perhaps, but hardly a "CLONE." Like all photocopies, even one generation removed from the original is enough to reveal flaws and introduce new errors.
