This excerpt came from another thread, but I thought the conversation might be worthy of another thread title. I do not think coach Van Gundy is trying to make Yao Ming something that he is not. Yao is very capable of doing what coach is asking of him. He is also very capable of doing an array of other things as well. He passes, shoots with range, and sets picks very well too. The biggest misconception here is that many expect Yao to back down defenders with ease and run over them like O'Neal. But the reality is, and to put it in a crude manner, is that being in the post ain't that simple. Nobody in the history of the NBA has been able to do what Shaquille does and I do not expect any different from Yao. Being in the post is a constant battle for position. Yao needs work and time to grow in this facet of the game. But many times, from what I've seen the ball is simply not there. Yao, although he needs to work on gaining post position, has position in the paint quite often as well. Again, the ball is not getting from point A to point B at the right time. Much of the time, getting the ball to point B is the best thing for this team and its players. As a NBA League Pass subscriber I watch all of the Rockets games. But as any subscriber will tell you, while watching the games you also get an unbiased opinion of the Rockets players and their play, as the game's commentators, much of the time, are the opposing team's. This constructive criticism, if you will, gives one another perspective of the ongoings on the court. As expected, many of the commentators rave about Yao and his size, shooting and passing ability, and vision; and Francis, and his quickness and change of direction and ability to get to the basket. But what I've also noticed is that opposing teams commentators also mention that our guards fail to get Yao Ming the ball at the right time. There are multiple times throughout the game where lob passes and pick and rolls are not utilized effectively. It is understood, that Yao cannot get the ball every time, but I find it particularly sad that commentators are pointing out, specifically, three and four times throughout the course of the game where Yao is wide open and no pass is made. Whether on the pick and roll or in the post, the ball is not there. That type of play is not a fault of coaching, but rather a problem of the personnel. Somewhere on this site I read a "proposed" NBA scout's view of the Rockets and Yao Ming. The report focused on Yao's weaknesses. But it also asked the question to the effect of, can Yao bring a championship to Houston? And the answer was "yes", but if he's surrounded with a great supporting cast. Which leads me to the question; has there ever been championship team that didn't have a "great supporting cast"? I can answer that question in one word: NO! One player does not win you a ring, but rather, a great team. O'Neal never won a championship untill being surrounded with a great mixture of supporting players. Hakeem for that matter as well. The Spurs of last year also had that great recipe. When I look at this roster, I do not see the right combination of players, and it is painfully obvious while watching. For myself, it starts with the eighty-"six million dollar man". Yes he has astounding athletic ability, but does he complement the very player that scouts, management, and fans alike, agree gives Houston an opportunity to envision championship glory? My response to that is resoundingly, again, NO. In the near five years I've seen of the Francis era, and what has become of it, I would be willing to try and spend that money elsewhere to try and build a successful team. But I wouldn't stop there. Everyone on this team should wonder if they are going to be in a Rockets uniform at the end of the season. It's not about making it to the playoffs; over half of the teams make it that far. It's about finding the right combination of players that will bring the much sought after rings for themselves, and for the fans, the pride that comes from the unveiling of the banners that will hang from the rafters for years to come. Maybe coach Van Gundy is not the offensive mastermind that is Don Nelson or Rick Adelman, but as Greg Poppovich has proven, does he need to be? And I have, on a side note to Francis and his leadership, a proverb: He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.
I didnt read your post man its wayy to long but all i gota say is, how long can Les sit back and watch the underachiving group, underachive? I mean we gota new arena new colors and new unis, still no fans... I mean how long can he just sit back before pulling the trigger, a year, a month, a day, a min, ect?
I've been thinking about that for a while. The Rockets are obviously missing something and he hasn't done anything about it. We got the coach, the new arena, the new uni's. The guy gets all of Houston ready for the "Big Splash" and the guy lies out of his ass. That's what pisses me off. The Astros pick up two of the best pitchers in the league (for a big price too), and McLane even lost millions last season. My point is that McLane knew something was missing and he went out and got it, didn't really say anything about it either. Les needs to do the same, and Les....don't try to hype it up (Big Splash), just FU@#ING DO IT.
I think it's both. If you think about it, Van Gundy probably was busy before the season began drawing up ways to use Yao in the post. He has been pretty adamant about that. Van Gundy is very stubborn from my observations of his coaching style on the court. He never uses zone, and he keeps going to the same offensive game plan even though the opposing team may be defensing it very well. Even in the scouting article, it said Yao's skills were not down in the low post. It emphasized the excellent shooting range and passing skills of Yao. It did say he has the POTENTIAL to be good in the low post due to the size of his lower body. If Van Gundy really wants his own guys, then he should trade Yao for his kind of players. I think PJ Brown and Stacey Augmon come to mind. Maybe Brian Grant would also be a Van Gundy guy. There are problems and there are solutions. If Yao is a problem for Van Gundy, then he can also be a solution too by trading him.
The Rockets switched from Rudy to JVG and the W/L results are relatively the same. It's time for a personel change IMO. I have a feeling the Rockets are looking to make a personel change but there is nothing available right now that would significantly upgrade the roster. I think that's the problem.
I think a lot of people this summer felt the way I do... Let JVG try and work things through with this crew, but if they're still lazy by the all-star break, a big splash is needed. We need to seriously upgrade a position without weakening our others.
I think so too. The attendance is low which means fan indifference is high. Win-loss record is trudging along last's year pace. The time is near for a major trade to happen before the deadline.
That is a bit vague. Don't you think? That seemed to be the problem that we faced last year as well. That is why Rudy was asked to step down. Out of curiosity, just how many coaches would we have to go through before you realize a personnel move has to be made?
The GM and coach have to MAKE the personnel move happen. If they can't or they won't, then they have to go. I simply don't think Van Gundy's coaching method is working though. Either he needs to adapt to the personalities on the team to try and get the best out of his players, or the coach and/or some players have to go.
I have to respectfully disagree with what you have said here. I have a feeling you are watching and listening with a biased view. I also have league pass and get the same commentary. 95% of the time, the commentators talk about how great the defenders on their team are doing denying Yao the ball. I have heard a couple times when they question how much Yao gets the ball and that is usually on the game where Yao hits 3-4 shots in a row. They wonder ... "Why don't the Rockets go to that every time? I would!" I have also heard just as many commentators talk about how Francis has sacrificed his game for Van Gundy's system and how they think he should be taking more of a selfish stance for the team as well. It has certainly gone both ways in more of a 50-50 fashion than the 3-4 times a game that you are talking about. The bottom line is that I don't think we should use the opposing teams commentators as judgement on what the Rockets should do. They see the Rockets for one game and it is not nearly enough to make judgements as to what the Rockets should be doing.
This is the most intelligent post that I have seen lately ... very nice from someone who does not post much but watches the games, like myself. thanks.
JVG or Rudy T. This year's team is not as talented as last year's team. Last year, Rox has EG and Posey. Both of them are starters. This year, JJ was a backup on the King's team. Cato was a backup center. If we have Posey and EG, we will be much better. I guarantee you if EG did not have the off-court problem, he will be the most improved because of his rebounding and block ability.
By the way, both Rudy T and JVG have problems with zone defense. They can't figure out how to beat the zone, which is understable. Both of them are old-timer. IF JVG can adjust against the zone, Rox will be much better
the problem is as long as yao is going to make the rox money without having genuine success les will cut back spending as much as he can.
Only one problem here, that's CD. He hired JVG, signed all those supposedly good players on the Rockets, drafted EG, and give him to New Jersy for nothing. This Rocket team needs a trade badly. Remember when Sacremento was an up and coming team with JW and barely making the playoffs, and then they traded him for Bibby. Wham, NBA contender. Stevie remind me of JW, flashy and explosive with horrendous TO problems at times. But Stevie can play the SG position. I hope the Rockets get a real pg soon or else this season is lost.
This is why I think a point guard for a championship caliber team doesn't have to be a flashy dunker. Mike Bibby might never get voted to the All-star team by the fans, but he will always be considered as a reserve because the coaches know how his fundamental play is so important for the Kings. If I had to win a 3 on 3 tournament, I'd take Steve. If I had to win a NBA championship which is 5 on 5 basketball, I'd take Bibby.
