I think that OLD MAN ROCKS' truly angry about 1 thing. How Jeff threw them to the dogs, and complained about them not playing well to the media. This is the one thing that I agree with him most. Even memphis had Damon S., Play the point for half of the second half. You need leadership on the field and none of those guys were ready for that role. OT: Did you guys see the suns/sixers game? I thought it was funny that they didn't even mention the main reason the suns lost that game. Amare had like 5 turnovers...but this wasn't even mentioned. He was really rusty...because I saw no problem with his physical ability. He's injured no more.
Throwing them to the dog is a bit extreme, JVG needs to see these young guy in game situation and want to see how they do, these games don't matter so he put them out there, I don't see anything wrong with that at all
So would it be better for one of the youngsters to not get a chance to earn their way onto the team? I'm sure the best thing for talent evaluation would be to plug them in one at a time with the starters. But the main reason for preseason is to get ready for the regular season. The best way to get ready for the regular season is to play like it's the regular season.
So, let's not filter anything then. Where are we going to get a backup PG???? Name the possible player acquisition that is going to bring us a PG. You have to filter guys like JVG and be able to see that it is just talk. He knows it, we know it, and the players that get to know him know it. It just gets old after awhile. Like I said, I've worked for several people that I developed a deep affinity for them personally, and for their honesty. But, every one of them had moments when they didn't tell the truth in an attempt to motivate their underlyings to outpeform. And that is where it becomes BS. I've had coaches pull that crap and when you are new to the team, it works. But after you've established yourself, that stuff don't work, and most coaches know it doesn't. That's why they don't do it to the vets and pull it on the rooks. And you're talking about guys with guaranteed contracts. They know they gonna get paid dude. So, if they get cut, they can go practice and work on their game, get into the NBDL, and still take home their jack and wait for the next phone call. Truth and Lies. He's a great, honest guy. (But every once in a while he still tells a whopper.)
Here's the problem ... Some here have this picture of JVG they’ve formed through reading and seeing the newspaper/TV and brand JVG one sort of way. There's a reason why some don't understand why a player would love JVG while everything they think they know says they should otherwise... the players see and hear him first hand while outsiders only see the tone of edited quotes. Word of advice …Stop using the tone of quotes as means of making conclusions on how a person is.
Jeff said it best right here. Let this end all discussion. Players that can't take this kind of heat have no business playing in the best basketball league in the world, and making a minimum of $700k per year. And it's not even much heat. Anybody who wants to improve is willing to hear what they need to change. And if they don't want to hear it, they have no place on the team. Plus JVG is fairer and more honest than most (didn't coddle Francis or any of the stars). That fairness makes it easier for his players to accept his criticism.
He does, but this isn't one of those whoppers, not even close. I doubt any player involved is actually upset by it.
JVG wants to find one of these young guys that is ready for a leadership role. One other thing you should think about... there is not one of those "young" guys that would have wanted to sit on the bench so a "leader" who already has a roster spot could play. If there were any young guys like that I'm already ready for them to go.
Jacobsen sucks, he's a Ryan Bowen type 15th man player on a non playoff team. He was so bad at times with the Suns it was awful. Jacobsen, Bowen, Haryasz, Azuibuke are complete scrubs that will be lucky if any of them makes any NBA team.
Aha, So it was you that read into his statements that you smelled a trade for a vet pg if these guys don't get it together. I don't see it. This is who we got and we wouldn't have given those guys contracts unless we felt that they would be up to the job. Remember, we signed them AFTER we lost out on MJ. So, really all the talk from JVG regarding our pg situation at this point is just empty rhetoric. There isn't anybody out there. It's the PG abyss right now. So, he knows and they know that both sides are stuck for the time being. They are going to have to play poorly for a much longer period of time before something can be done and is done. And I do agree with you, I doubt those guys are upset about it. They want the criticism at this stage of their careers. They want to get better. They are not the typical multimillionaire vets that make up the vast landscape of the NBA. They are trying to start and build careers in the NBA. So, while the words were honest, the implication behind them was not. Ain't nothing gonna happen to these 2 guys. They are a part of this team. Everybody knows it. Now, maybe and probably one of them gets sent to the NBDL. But not both of them at the same time. At least one of them will be in uniform opening night, barring injury. Name me one possible acquision for a backup PG that makes sense. You brought up Head for Duhon. That would maybe make sense on our end, but why does Chicago do it. Duhon would be fighting Rafer for the starter's job here. He's a much better defender. Dude in NJ is not an option.
We were much weaker in big men than the Grizz the 2nd half. Teams have core meltdowns at times and this rotation seemed to not work well together - brought out each others' weaknesses at least for this 24 minutes. JVG has another couple weeks to figure this out with Morey. JVG will always shoot his mouth off this way. His right. He won't change - he was born this way. Read Lonsesome Dove. And some of us will take him to task for it. Our right. This is a discussion board. Sets up this whole love/hate thingy between the Rockets & the coach/team. Sorta like dating a girl you like to get intimate with but she has a big mouth and drives you nuts when you're not in the sack with her. I am personally interested in seeing whether Novack, Lucas and Span suck when they get to play with the big boys. Hayes had/has a lot of deficiencies but got the opportunity to contribute and showed where his strengths were. These guys need time to show both - the good and the bad. Then VG and we can figure out if they have a ROLE to play with this team. And I am sure there will be a diversity of opinions.
people in houston just aren't used to a coach who airs his dirty laundry to the media. media folks love it (jeff) old rudy fans hate it (old man rock). I personally think there is a line that van gundy crosses all the time. people also loved when he took francis to task, because most people were fed up with francis and crew by that point, but to me some of that crap should stay in the locker room. if players air their feelings about a coach or organization to the media, he is immediately hung. I understand that the spokesman for the team is the coach, but if negativaty or honesty, whatever you want to call it, ruins a locker when it comes from a player, why do some of you guys don't think it would ruin it when it comes from a coach. bottom line, the honesty of a coach should be appreciated by fans and media, but the coach has a responsibility to his team, and I don't think the approach of getting his message across through the media, which is how jvg operates, is always best.
Well said, and I agree. It's not New York. I like JVG's candor on occasion, but sometimes he overdoes it. These youngsters need alot of encouragement, hope. Yes, they looked horrible, but like OMR said, they were set up to fail. I would have prefered a mix of vets and rookies to help them out. He threw them to the wolves (or bears to be precise).
Actually, I don't love it. In fact, mostly it's annoying. But, that is how JVG operates and there are arguments to be made for and against it that are logical. I agree that players who rip other players or coaches are villified by the media while coaches are often praised for being tough. Personally, I think there is a time and a place for all of that stuff. Since every indication is that his players love playing for him and have no problem with his media rants, I don't have an issue with JVG and what he says. Now, when Phil Jackson does it and players get blindsided and rip him back, obviously, that becomes an issue. It's mainly about consistency to me. JVG is incredibly consistent in how he approaches things. Personally, I don't like it and I don't consider it the best way to handle things, but I'm not the coach.
Now, you've got it. When it comes from the boss, it's honesty. When it comes from the employee (player), it's negativity. How would we feel about TMac and Yao if they came out and said that JVG needs to upgrade his offense and let them run more, or that he is weak coaching the fast break? It would be honest. And I really think JVG has a mandate from the organization to not be so negative about his players all the time. He's pretty much told us that. Mom used to tell us kids, "If you can't say something good, then ........." I'll let you guys finish it. I'm sure you heard it from your parents. It's all about balance. Any winning organization or company has to have balance. They have to have the ability to look at what they do well and do more of that and they have to be able to figure out what they ain't good at and either quit doing it altogether or find a way to get good at it. Leaders that are blindly negative lose the respect of those they are leading. It may take weeks, months, or a few years, but it happens. And leaders that are just cheerleaders, that never critique themselves or their organization in an honest manner and simply vomit all this positive rah rah ree stuff, lose their following and their people are clueless and unprepared and fail miserably when the heat is on. JVG will have to do a better job of maintaining that balance this year.
I have no problem with the way JVG choses to motivate this team. I believe the reason JVG is so beloved by his former players is because I believe JVG is one of those coaches that you want to do anything to earn his respect and approval, and then once you get it...he's 100% on your side. This is JVGs strategy. When players become professionals and get the big money, it's hard to motivate them outside of gaining the next big contract. So he motivates them by using the insecurity that everyone on the face of this earth has: Being wanted. And the reason why it doesn't effect the young guys he rides so hard is because in that locker room, i'm sure they see the way he treats the TMac, Dekes, and Howards of the world. They've witnessed how he has "his guys" from the Knicks and how he still shows them love by offering them positions on his staff. It's the same formula Bill Parcells uses. Trust me - it works...and players like Head, Billy, Novak, and JLIII will be better for it in the end.
That's it right there. There's a reason why he's so highly regarded by a good number of his former players.
I think you will be better served going to the Houston Rockets website if you want a positive spin on everything the rockets do. I personally would prefer to know that the coach is seeing what I am seeing. If I am disgusted after watching the players perform in a game, I want to know that the coach is just as troubled. I don't see anybody calling him a liar. What you just want is a PR guy for the rockets and they probably have one. Good luck finding his comments.
Haha I just remember reading something to that extreme from OMR's post. Im not suggesting a 4 "acclimated players" to 1 "first year player" ratio, but more of a 1 to 4 ratio. I know these games don't matter, but the goal should be to win every game. True, but not playing one night doesn't gaurantee that they will not get minutes on another. Leadership takes time to develop. Finding a leader out of a bunch of newer players is difficult.
well one thing is for absolute certain, jvg haters are some of the biggest pu$$ies i've ever seen and should probably stop assuming that the rocket's players are as thin-skinned as they are. what van gundy said isn't remotely hurtful or demeaning. you think JL3 and spanoulis were happy with their second-half performance? you think any nba coach coddles players after a performance like that? nursing them along like some of you want does nothing to help their future. van gundy is trying to develop them. i also don't understand why some of you act like whatever van gundy says in the media is his only communication with his players. there's a reason players love van gundy and it's probably not because he has a tendency to publically "rip" them.
