This has been the same story with Van Gundy his entire tenure here in Houston. He's great at getting players open looks, yet they always shoot a poor percentage in his system. In the 03/04 season, Steve Francis got more wide open looks than any point in his entire career. Yet his field goal percentage was easily the worst of his career. Mcgrady’s field goal percentage has gone down the crapper compared to his days in Orlando. Same thing with Rafer Alston. At some point, you just have to consider, maybe Van Gundy is not getting these players open looks in a position where they’re comfortable shooting the ball.
I did a thread a couple of seasons ago entitled the "Shooters Graveyard." The thesis is that shooting percentages seem to drop under JVG. Why? The best answer given by another poster was that under JVG's system a great deal of mental and physical energy is expended on the defensive end. Right or wrong, that is interesting. I know this, I have followed TMac's career and maybe the numbers won't support this, but his jumpshot appears to have seriously declined. Maybe it's the back (doesn't appear to be), maybe something else, but his shooting accuracy is dropping like a rock. In Rafer's case, he just can't shoot the ball accurately from any distance. Had I been the coach, he would not have been playing, but I would have certainly stopped the infamous "tear drop," which he rarely made.
Rafer's eFG% was above his career avg this year, TMac's at his career avg, Battier's was the best it has ever been in his career, Yao's has been higher every year under JVG than it was under Rudy (though that was admittedly his rookie season), Juwan was basically at his career avg, Snyder's was above his career avg, Deke's was also above his career avg. Bonzi Wells had a big dropoff in his eFG% but that could have something to do with coming into the season as a huge ******, and giving 25% effort for 25% pay. Jake Tsakalides shot well below his career average this year in both Memphis and Houston. Everyone else on the team has only played for JVG, so there is nothing to compare it too. That means that at worst Jeff ruined the shooting of 2 guys, a third string center and a quitter. The rest of the team shot as well as or better than they have for their whole careers.
Good grief, that makes the James trade even more ridiculous. Why would you trade for a PG who can't shoot? Surely TMac's shooting in the last two months is not at his career average. He shot 39% in the playoffs.That's Rafer territory.
................ Seriously, this is the NBA, not the Bantam C team in some crappy, never heard about high school. If you get an open shot in your range, wherever the hell it is (right corner, left corner, top of the key), you BETTER be able to convert it.
This can be explained by other factors. McGrady's shooting % is way down because he doesn't drive the lane anymore. Same thing happened to francis once Yao began to operate in the middle. As a consequence they took more long range shots and their overall % went down. As a counterpoint - Rafer enjoyed a command performance from range (for him) this season.
The bottom line is this: we couldn't hit open shots in crunch time!! It's easier to fire the coach than the whole team. Nuff said.
That’s the problem. Van Gundy is too intent on running an inside-out offense where Yao clogs up the paint and the guards become strictly jump shooters. You could say he’s running a system that best utlizes Yao by putting him closer to the basket, but if the same system is forcing the guards out of their comfort zone, than it does us no good. You’re sacrificing the efficacy of the guards in order to make Yao more efficient. I don’t see how we gain much with that tradeoff.
This is why the team is stacked with 1 dimensional spot up shooters. Van Gundy probably envisioned Tmac and Yao wreaking havoc on the opposing team's defense and kicking it out to wide open shooters. Unfortunately, we now know for sure that this strategy doesn't work.
The strategy doesn't work when the shooters are Alston, JL3, Snyder, McGrady, Spanoulis, and Hayes, and when your best three point shooter totally chokes throughout the playoffs with his percentage falling by about 20 points. The strategy would probably be pretty good if you replaced McGrady, Hayes, and Alston with Ray Allen, Vladimir Radmonovic, and Damon Jones. Your 1 dimensional spot up shooters actually have to be able to shoot, otherwise they are zero dimensional scrubs, like Head throughout the playoffs.
Yes because firing a coach some how includes a new point guard magically appearing on the roster that wouldn't have otherwise? Alston is still the best pg on the roster right now. Not that we don't need some one better, we just don't have any one. Oh wait, Spanoulis the 53rd pick in the draft who is really a hall of famer if only JVG would play him
Alston's right the whole team deserves blame but unfortunately for JVG the head coach is a big target especially when he's already not that popular with the team owner. I agree you can't blame JVG for the players not being able to hit open shots or pull down crucial rebounds but that wasn't all that cost the Rockets this last playoff round. For most of the series, as much as it galls me to say it, the Jazz played better and Jerry Sloan out coached JVG. The Rox scrapped out three wins but the Jazz made adjustments. For whatever reason the Rox could not. Yes the players deserve blame for not executing but I don't think that means that JVG is blameless for not realizing that things were in trouble and figuring out a way to change things. I never was a JVG fan but I will agree he was a good coach and he did some very good things for the Rox but I don't think he was the coach to get Yao and T-Mac and the Rox to the next level.
i'm pretty sure it wouldve worked if our "shooters" could make shots....we bricked one wide open three after the next. In Game 7 Rafer ACCIDENTLY banked in a wide open three to give us the lead in the 4th
maybe a part of alexander was happy that we got elimated so he could fire JVG....everybody knows he hated the guy.....i doubt it but you never know....lets blame Alexander for the 1st round loss.....
"But if you love playing basketball, if you love to compete, then there is no better coach you could have than Jeff." i couldnt help but think of mac when i read that. but those kicking rafer while he's down and saying he isnt a solid pg are just nit picking. Is he a top notch pg? nope. But the guy is solid. At least give him that respect.
Calm down, MadMax. Your are in the ClutchFans forum right now. There are scary, demented people in here too, but you can't let them get to you.
