Last year it was clear the Rockets had some issues to address coming into the offseason. Mainly to get more speed on the perimeter and guys with a competitive pit-bull style of mentality to augment Yao and Tmac. So, CD and Morey set out to revamp the roster with very little cap space to work under. The traded our first pick plus a malcontent Swift for a consumate team player in Battier. They tried to get Mike James - and almost had him but ultimatly he chose to go to Minnesota. So they then go out and get V-Span, and Synder, and get a bonus by bringing in a proven NBA talent in Bonzi Wells. The roster was complete, it had been revamped, lots more speed on the perimeter and various attacking the basket abilities to compliment our 2 stars. Battier was going to play a lot of the PF position, and Juwan and his horrible +/- was going to the bench. So, what happened? JVG gave it a cursory look (about 3 games or so) then blew up CD's plan and went back to the tried and true.... CD gave him an attacking PG, a strong SG with the ability to finish around the rim, a post up 2 guard that can rebound, and an undersized PF to stretch the defense. What did JVG do? He abandoned it, and went with what he knew in a contract year. JVG knew that he could win a fair amount of games playing the traditional style of ball. The problem is that those players are still just as flawed this year as they were last year, and by not playing the new players, JVG was sacrificing the entire year to get a contract extension. This year was a waste of time, it could have been so much better if the coach was less stubborn and had the ability to develop the talent around him. Plenty of teams are playing undersized 3pt shooting PFs or Centers in the league and with great success......plenty of teams have attacking 2 guards and PGs...... The Rockets have them too, they just withered on the bench....... CD gave JVG the options, he just chose to ignore them. DD
Although I agree with you, that's a lot of what ifs. As much as I was pro using them, they didn't show enough while they played to convince all fans that they were the answer. Admittedly this was partly because the equivalent plan and plays to use them weren't really created but I dont think this was done purposely by JVG. At least, by putting it down like this DD , you might convince some more people that there WAS a plan for this roster that was not the plan that was used and maybe it deserved more of a chance.
I know, and I honestly think that CD or Morey should have forced JVG to stick to the plan for the good of the franchise, but the situation with CD leaving and Morey being new really hurt them, IMO. If they would have stuck to the plan, the team would have made the playoffs, may have still lost in the first round, but at least they would have some good evaluations of players and whether or not they are part of the long term plan. For example, we still don't know: Can Battier play PF? Can V-Span get comfortable in the NBA and play PG? Can Snyder get more consistent at SG? Could Bonzi have played a bigger role? How many other coaches simply ignore what the GM has done to improve the team? How many would get away with it? DD
My whole point this year was that the team was not good enough last year to really compete, despite the injuries, and CD/Morey added pieces to help make them competitive in the future. The problem is that an entire year has gone by and the team still doesn't really know if those pieces are any good, or not. IMHO, this was almost a completely wasted year...... DD
ok I agree with many things you said but JVG has said many times (and I also reported it here when I talked first hand to Morey at the Spanoulis party) that at the begining of the season playing Battier at the 4 was his plan then he changed his mind because of the wear and tear it would put on Shane. I think it is hard to argue with the way the starting five played this season. I will agree that it's JVG's fault for not playing Billy at point and it's JVG's fault for not playing Shane at the 4 at certain points in the game thus making room for the bigs 2 (Snyder-Wells) but with the way Yao rebounds the ball starting Hayes was a smart move IMO. Late game rotaion Yao Battier T-Mac Snyder/Wells Alston/Billy would of been better than Head and Hayes IMO but I still say start Hayes.
We're going to have a new GM and head coach next season, let's see what these 2 can do before we write the Rockets off again...
I hope you are right about the coach, Morey is a new GM for sure.... I just think CD did all he could with limited cap space etc, and believe that JVG should have given the plan a better chance at success. DD
Good points, but all refuteable. To be fair, all of those you mentioned really killed their own spot in the rotation. Vspan couldn't stop throwing the ball away. I don't care if no plays were created for him. The fact was that when he tried to play point, he was throwing the ball away like Yao did in the playoffs. That's not what you want from your PG. Bonzi killed himself. 'Nuff said. He's crazy. Always been, always will be. Snyder played nice in spurts, but ultimate, he's yet another borderline bonehead. Good for the spectacular once in a while, misses assignments and spots too much to make up for that. Still I'd argue that he would've made a difference in the Jazz series. Novak...well, I'd argue that even with Novak's piss-poor defense and reboundng, he'd still contribute more than what Luther did with his shot alone. Tell me you can put Novak on AK47 on defense and just let him take Luther's shots on offense?
JVG was told to start the season on a positive note and be more optimistic. He agreed with management that the team he was going with in 2006 is the best constructed team he has had and that this team can win games even if Yao or Tmac went down due to injury similar to what happened the previous year, and then we heard Tmac agreeing on the optimism and calling Novac the best shooter he has ever seen. Then the season started and JVG could not hide behind the optimism anymore, and went back to his own self- picking on guys, calling them out in the media, letting his ego become bigger than the team and here we are at the end of the season we do not know if the pieces that we have are worth anything or not.
what freaking team are you talking about? no one on this team not named tmac can consistantly attack the basket with any effectiveness. wake up and smell the roses....this team isnt good enough. an attacking out of control rookie pg from europe that is more of a sg than a pg. the dude didnt even start on his greece team. Snyder...i have high hopes for him too but lets be realisitic he still has a long way to go to be a good player and "sick dunks" dont mean he is one. i do admire your homerish views though at least you are a fan. The problem is that you views on the players, as is, is just wrong.
Who knows if that team is good enough, it never got a chance to leave the launching pad. The whole point is that WE KNOW THE CURRENT TEAM IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH *(as I have been saying all year)!!!!!! So, the team should have been trying players for the future. Who is asking him to start? Just get him 10+ MPG to find out if he can be part of the rotation going forward. As it is right now, we have a few games of data where he was playing out of position at the 3 pt line.....worthless data. He is more athletic than anyone on the Rockets and that is something the team desperatly needs. The problem is that I am speaking of the future, and how the Rockets still have the same problems they had at the end of last year, and there are components on the team that may or may not solve some or all of those problems, but because JVG chose to ignore those problems and players, the team is no better off this year than last. And, by now, the team should have known whether Snyder, V-Span, Novak, JL3, Bonzi etc.....are part of the future....but they don't because JVG ignored the plan the GM put in place. DD
The didn't start in his greece team is a joke reason.... Euro basket doesnt deal with starters and bench players in the same way. Greece in particular just plays players depending on the opponent. Theyre all pretty much at the same-level. Theo Papaloukas (FIBA player of the year) doesn't even start in CSKA does that mean he is NOT the best PG in Europe right now (hint: he is) Even if they were treating teams like the NBA with 5 starters, 6th player and bench, the reason he is not starting is because the Greek team has the luxury of also having the aforementioned FIBA player of the year and Euroleague MVP PG Papaloukas and the 3-time back-to-back Euroleague Defensive player of the year PG Diamantidis... And he is a Rookie in the NBA but has played serious basketball for a while now in the Euroleague and one of the toughest European leagues along with being part of the Greek team in several major competitions
Of the top 10 teams in the league, only PHX and Dallas play the non-traditional small ball with any regularity...and Dallas for all it's small ball history has evolved into a much more traditional team. And while Golden State has caught lightening in a bottle, there was alot more going on in that series than 1 v 8...g.s. was supremely motivated and confident which goes a long way when you play the same line-up for 7 some odd games... if anyone thinks that g.s. will make it past the wcf they seriously need to get their head examined.. as far as the bench was concerned... the bonzi situation, first off, does not even warrant discussion as the circumstances surrounding it were (imho) on bonzi, not JVG... but I do agree JVG could have done a better job of developing a deeper bench...Vspan, Snyder and Novak could all have developed an effective niche given some semblance of consistant playing time... that being said alot of the shortcomings of these players are self evident, and I have to agree none of them warranted big minutes...but some minutes would have been nice. going forward I think it is pretty safe to say that 3rd scorer we are looking for isn't going to come internally... head for all of the flashes he has shown...is what he is, and still needs alot of polish just to become a consistant bench player... Vspan can be taught to lower the TOs, but he is by nature a distributor, not a finisher... Snyder for all his athleticism is mentally a child, and has no clue how to use his strengths effectively right now. he is young, but you have to wonder why he has been shipped around to 3 teams in 3 years... JL3...he is at best a career garbage man. While at times his penetration can be effective, more often than not he is simply awful... Novak is a one trick pony, but alot of big men with his build struggle their first year. his shooting ability is intriguing, but with a ceiling comparable to matt bullard, he is never going to set the world on fire... suffice to say, it isn't the end of the world. building around t-mac, yao and battier -- with intriguing young talent that we have locked up for another 2 years -- is something alot of teams would kill to have... I honestly belive this team is one or two shrewd moves away from a championship...
fair enough. but using another unproven guy to prove a point on another unproven nba guy just isnt very strong. i think billy will be a decent nba player and has potential to become a good one, but lets look at it in broad terms. When a guy is drafted in the late first round they usually dont play much. When they are brought over from europe, or where ever, they usually dont play much the first year. i know...i know..what about tony parker? etc etc. exceptions, not the norm. hell nash didnt get the amount of time his rookie year that v-mac got.
very good thread. losing is not the worst, losing and WASTING time is the worst part. after 3 years of yao/tmac under jvg, what we have now? tmac and yao, battier maybe, all others are question marks.
JVG was told to start the season on a positive note and be more optimistic. He agreed with management that the team he was going with in 2006 is the best constructed team he has had and that this team can win games even if Yao or Tmac went down due to injury similar to what happened the previous year, and then we heard Tmac agreeing on the optimism and calling Novac the best shooter he has ever seen. Then the season started and JVG could not hide behind the optimism anymore, and went back to his own self- picking on guys, calling them out in the media, letting his ego become bigger than the team and here we are at the end of the season we do not know if the pieces that we have are worth anything or not.
I completely agree with this point. The team just needs to get the chemistry right, I think they have 3 good players in Yao, Tmac, and Battier that can be the core of a championship team. The question is whether or not V-Span, Snyder, or Novak can be a significant part of that team. I do think Luther & Hayes could be decent bench players, especially Hayes, but Luther needs to work on his handles or he needs to be shipped out as Novak is a bigger version of Luther. The main thrust of this tread is that the organization had a plan for this year, now whether or not that plan would have worked is up for debate, as JVG never gave the plan a real chance. JVG went with the tried and true, and had too many flaws in his current cast of players to really make it work. DD
we had an all star sf3 and cat plus yao before he came here, young cato at least could be counted as a 'half piece', jj was also decent.
