CHRON: Van Gundy emerges as frontrunner for Rockets

good post stra

 

The main reason I prefer Van Gundy over Dunleavy is that hopefully they'll at least play defense. Also, I figure he takes less sh*te from his players; something they probably need.

 

Carlisle won 50 games twice in 2 seasons. I'm not sure if JVG ever won 50, but if he did, it wasn't twice in 2 seasons.

Aside from that, Carlisle is WAY more likely to improve his offensive strategies than JVG. Carlisle had 2 seasons with limited players, while JVG had 5 seasons with all kinds of talented players. Carlisle was known as the offensive coordinator for Indiana when they made the NBA Finals too btw.

 

That reminds me, I had a dream last night that we hired Dunlevy and JVG. (As kind of co-head coaches.) In my dream it seemed like a good idea. I'm starting to believe that I'm worring too much about this situation. Just a guess.

 

There has been an update posted to this article:

Van Gundy already has one high-profile endorsement and a possible assistant coach in former Knicks player Patrick Ewing.

"I enjoyed playing for Jeff," Ewing said. "It was great. Jeff is an outstanding coach. He'll do very well in Houston. They have an outstanding young big guy with Yao Ming, and Jeff is used to coaching big guys. He's a great person. He'll do a great job."

Ewing, who was an assistant with the Washington Wizards this past season, said if Van Gundy is named the Rockets' coach, he might be interested in joining him.

"We'll see," Ewing said. "Jeff is a great guy. I'm still under contract with the Wizards, but it is only a one-year deal. I probably would like to work with their big men. They really have an outstanding young big man and some great perimeter players."

Great. Patrick Ewing on the Rockets' bench. Maybe we could bring in Malone and Stockton as well. I don't think we have to worry about this with Dunleavy.

 

Hey! Don't forget about our other soon-to-be assistant coaches: Danny Ainge, Kermit Washington, John Starks, the entire 1995 Seattle Seahawks roster, Stephon Marbury, and Scottie Pippen.

 

If JVG is the new coach I really like the idea of Patrick Ewing coming in as an assistant coach to work with Yao and Griffin.

 

Can someone please tell me why people are prefuring Van Gundy to Rick Carlistle. I'm mean Van Gun did GREAT with the knicks but he did quit on him and Carlistle did more with less more recently and Van Gundy has not even look at a chalk board in awhile.


I think I need to start a Pick Rick campaign

 

dbigfeet...I have been commenting over and over again that we need to at least take a look at Carlisle, but it appears that he does not have enough experience for Les. From the beginning, CD and LA have maintained that they want someone with a lot of experience, and Carlisle's 2 seasons probably aren't enough for them.

VG coming in with Ewing as a big man coach for Yao and Eddie is exciting to me. Ewing is one of the few big men I put in the same league as Hakeem (even though I still get giddy remembering the way Dream treated Ewing in the finals). I think Hakeem would have more to teach Yao and Eddie, but if he was going to become an assistant, you would think he'd have done it by now.

 

Jodie Foster doesn't go for the dudes, so it was just as well that JVG didn't make a pass at her.

JVG was only at Yale for a year, anyway. He has wanted to be a basketball coach all his like (his father was one). When he failed to make the Yale freshman team, and knowing that his viability as a coach depended on him playing college ball, he transferred to a junior college in CA, where he could make the team and keep his coaching career alive.

Bottom line: Jeff Van Gundy regards coaching as a calling. His passion for the game, and his mind for basketball, runs circles around anyone else available.

 

Good thing we whipped up some good weather for JFG.

I'm sure he'll be impressed with the way the city shuts down because it floods every time it rains.

Maybe the rain clouds will hide the smog, though.

-- droxford

 

'95-'96: 13-10
'96-'97: 57-25
'97-'98: 43-39
'98-'99: 27-23
'99-'00: 50-32
'00-'01: 48-34
'01-'02: 10-9

He did win 50+ games in 2 seasons and 48 in a 3rd season. He made the playoffs every year (except the year he quit obviously) and performed better in the playoffs than Carlisle did. Did he have more talent? Debatable. But, he also played in a stronger conference. It is also generally recognized -- as it is with Carlisle -- that his team performed better than expected given the roster.

I think it is also to his credit that his track record spans 5+ seasons as a successful head coach plus many years as an assistent. Carlisle has had only 2 years as a head coach, which isn't much of a track record. If you judged Dunleavy on his first 2 years as a head coach, you'd think he was a genius.

 

The rain will clean all the dirt that covered our beautiful city and when the sun comes out any coach that sees the new arena will be in complete awe. OK, maybe not.

Anyway, JVG is coming tomorrow!

 

After apparently money being an issue in the Rockets not getting Larry Brown ($5 mil per year), I think there could be a hang up when Van Gundy is offered far less than the $7 mil he reportedly was seeking.

Les has shown that he is going to be a little tighter with the money after having dished our a good portion of Rudy's contract buy out. We clearly have not been mentioned to have been extending offers, is that a sign there is a budget that is not acceptable and the Rockets are not extending offfers b/c they do not want to be turned down.

Just b/c this is the best remaining opening does not mean we will get the best remaing coach.