The Tmac JVG had was just as broken down as what Rick has had or have you forgotten about the 05-06 season? Yao was coming off an injury vs. Utah in the 2006-2007 season and was not himself. In fact, the only season where both guys were healthy was 04-05 when the Rockets took the Mavs to a game 7 and that was with Ryan Bowen and David Wesley as starters. The Rockets win that series if not for the horrible officiating that may have actually been tampering by a ref or two. Don't forget JVG's first season was before the Francis/McGrady trade. Your bias against Van Gundy is worse than I thought if you honestly think Rick has done more with less.
I think they are comparible, you can have better role players as Adelman does, but if you don't have the two best players healthy you do not have the talent you need. JVG did have injuries too...no doubt.....but he also had a healthy Yao and Tmac for a playoff series and a 2-0 lead coming HOME.....and blew it. My JVG bias is there because he failed.....I am working on my Adelman bias but it take a few years of failure to build up. DD
i dont think either one has failed...they both have done a great job with what they were given to work with...head and hayes played for van gundy so the role players are much better now than they were then and the western conference is not nearly as good now as it was just a couple of years ago. adelman on the other hand did a brillant job with the team last year and continues to do so this year. we will be in the western conference finals because of his coaching and because we have so much more talent. yao and mcgrady responded better to van gundy but that is no knock because adelman did a great job with tough to coach guys like webber and drexler.
Agreed, denniscd.......but how can Adelman get through to both Yao and Tmac? Because the team won't go anywhere without them both on board. Adelman is a "Take your own responsibility" type of coach, whereas JVG is a strict "Do it my way" guy. Can Adelman get both of our best players to take individual responsibility and give maximum effort? DD
i think van gundy was more communicative with mcgrady always pumping him up behind closed doors and demanding of yao trying to strive for greatness. i think adelman is just different personality wise...i think he is less confrontational which works for him but what we have to wait on to see is if his approach works for mcgrady and yao. as we know, mcgrady is a different personality. someone at the rockets who would know told me that van gundy spent a huge part of each day thinking of things to say or stats to use or going to his house to motivate mcgrady....this guy thought it was funny that someone had to go to such lengths to motivate a guy making 20 million, but he said it was very impressive watching the videos, stats etc that they used to try and reach him.
I think that speaks volumes for how mentally weak Tmac really is....and how smart JVG really is... I never liked JVG because of his shortcomings in adjustments (particularly in the playoffs), but I think as a motivator of Tmac he is 2nd to none....of course his motivations don't work on all player types, but JVG knew that TMac buttered his toast. TMac is at a crossroads here, he either grows up, or he may go down as the most talented dissappointment in league history. DD
Nobody talks about the Elston Turner defensive schemes. All he has to do is turn on a tape of JVG from any season. I would have thought with Artest and Shane on the court there is no way you score from the wing. I will give Elston the fact that Shane is still hurt, however, we shouldn't give up to many 100 point games. I worry about the Defense since they come from Sacto, who wasn't know for getting stops.
Totally agree we have yet to show our defensive teeth this season, but... The assistant coaches rotate with each game as far as who game plans defensively. It's not Elston's plan every night... I don't think they let Rick's son do it, but Jack, TR, and Coach Dunn all get involved in setting defensive strategy / game plans
Da Da, Yao and TM should be able to motivate themselves at this point in their careers. They are vets. They know what it takes. Adelman has gone just as far as JVG in the playoffs. Finals but no ring. Adelman has one of the highest winning percentages over the past 2 decades. They need to respect his body of work, and commit to his plan; because the only way to a ring is by coming together as a group. With the chaos caused lately by injury, which has led to a underlying lack of faith in the medical staff; the refusal of TM to really run Rick's offense (anyone who says otherwise is blind) and with Yao having questioned our game plans in the past, I just wonder how much trust these two really have in their coach. They're gonna have to trust RA in the end if they want to take all of us on the ride of our lives next June.
