Evaluate JVG: Not Bash him.

The theme of this thread seems to be that JVG is a good coach, but not for this team. This is pretty much the way I've felt since day 1. I don't think he deserves all the blame for this year, but with that being said, I would like to see us go in a different direction next year.

BTW, it's nice to read a thread full of well thought out, well reasoned opinions about JVG instead of the usual 'fire him because he sucks!!!!!!' comments. Good thread.

 

I think JVG is a very good coach. If he's right for this team remains to be seen however.

IMHO, JVG should be a given a pass on this season given the significant injuries. Every team goes through injuries - not every team has significant injuries to their two cornerstones. How good would the Suns be without Amare AND Marion or Nash? Probably .500 level, but only because they have 3 stars (Amare, Marion, Nash) so even if 2 are out, they still have some kind of offense on the court.

Last season I think JVG did a fantastic job, guiding the team to 51 wins after a HORRIBLE start. I think after the continued horrible start this year, the Rockets are finally recognizing their problem and trying to get younger. Bogans *should* be kept, Wesley brought back as a backup if the price is right. Hayes should be brought back, Deke/Sura/Bowen should all be replaced, if possible.

This off-season will prove just how valuable or worthless the JVG/Dawson tandem is. They need to find a leader, athletic swingman (2/3 type), and a backup 1/2 guard in that order. They may also need to evaluate who they should start building the team around. Yao has come on strong after the break, while Tracy has continued a sub-par year. Usually teams have to pick athletism or shooting ability, as it's rare to find both now days. Rockets going after shooters to me would be a sign they understand Yao's improvements and want to work with him moreso than Tracey in the offense. The Rockets as they stand lack athleticism and shooters.

JVG Grade? I'll tell you after next season.

 

I don't give him a clear pass. He's got to adjust by next season and quit running his players into the ground and exposing them to all sorts of injuries. There's a consistent theme with Van Gundy teams and it's not just coincidence. All Van Gundy's teams have major injury problems. That's got to stop and he needs to get out of the gate well next year. It wears on players too much to have to play .800 ball just to scrape into the playoffs and get whacked because they are at a distinct disadvantage being hurt, overplayed and fatigued, and playing the top seeded teams because they had to come from behind and barely squeek in the back door to make the playoffs. That .... gets old.

 

As I understand it (I'm not a doctor), medical people draw a sharp distinction between a diagnosis and a treatment. A diagnosis determines what is wrong: do you have cancer, or is the swelling in your foot only a sprained ankle? Then comes the treatment: surgery, radiation therapy, or just an ice pack? The point is that diagnosis and treatment are very different things and require different skills.

JVG is very good at diagnosis, but only mediocre at treatment. He clearly sees what is wrong with the team, but is too much of a one-trick pony to effect a cure in most cases. He is like a doctor whose only tool is the surgeon's knife. Cancer? Surgery. Chest pains? Surgery. A cold? Let's open up your head and have a look inside.

The Rockets need a coach who is good at both diagnosis and treatment, someone who sees what is going wrong in a game and is able to adjust immediately. Pat Riley is one these rare coaches, and Phil Jackson is another. Neither of them is available, unfortunately. Are there any others? I will have to think about it.

 

Some good stuff here and it seems to be striking a common thread - Gundy has some strengths but they are counter-balanced by his blind spots, also he may not be able to adapt to changing players & circumstances - always trying to make everyone fit into HIS system.

jopatmc agree 100% on the injuries and wearing people down. Wesley should have been pulled/limited in the Suns game. last year Wesley and Sura were shot by the playoffs - too many minutes. Clyde said it during the Suns game: "fresh legs!"

Especially in back to backs Gundy should expand his rotation and give his bench more minutes - either in the first or second or both depending on matchups. The Suns were an excellent example - we don;t match up well at all so maybe the best you can do is keep throwing fresh legs at them - esp. in the 2nd half. But Gundy didn't anticipate it and didn't recognize it when it occurred.

That is where his fixed way of seeing things seems self-defeating.

 

nah i say bash him. i would hate to play for someone so damn negative all the time. he doesnt seem to be very motivational, all he does is yell and act like someone ****s in his cereal every morning. Rudy T seemed like a loveable coach. i say bring back Rudy or bring in Calvin.

 

Good planner, subpar improvisor -

JVG's is more apt at working off the court than on the court. Also, he experiments a lot of lineups in the offseaon, but only stick to the one he likes the most in the regular season, barring injuries.

One dimensional strategist, complex tactician -

Always the same overall strategy on O and D with many intricacies in tactics. The one dimensional strategy is a one trick pony. The complex tactics have merits and downfalls. It baffles the opponents as well as our players. It slows down games - a thing of which the value depends on circumstances.

Taking experience, hustle, loyalty and obedience over talent and performance -

This is a rehash of what is already said.

IMO his stubborness is mainly shown in these areas.

 

I'm not going to dog him. IMHO he gets a complete free pass this season due to injuries to his key players.

He apprenticed under Pat Riley. I read an interview with JVG soon after he became our coach-he described part of his job as Riley's assistant. Game prep for Riley included detailed stat analysis and film of the upcoming game- much like any team would, but in much more detail. Planning, preparation ad nauseum.

I'm sure this would shape anyone's view of the world being inundated with all this minutia. You know- swallow a camel, but choke on a gnat.

From an earlier poster:

"Gundy has some strengths but they are counter-balanced by his blind spots, also he may not be able to adapt to changing players & circumstances - always trying to make everyone fit into HIS system."

I will not rehash anymore. I support him.

I will treat him with more respect than many here treated Rudy.

 

If our backcourt could hit an open jump shot all these types of threads would be irrelavent..

I know this much based on my observations in all the games:

1. JVG is a very prepared coach

2. Contrary to popular belief he makes very good in game adjustments

3. His defense is ALWAYS tops in the league

4. He has completely retooled this team and is still missing a few key pieces (i.e. a SG who can knock down the open jump shot, a penetrator to the paint and quickness in the backcourt to stop dribble penetration)

5. Contrary to popular belief he has done an outstanding job developing Yao Ming

6. Although he appears to have a sour demeanor in front of the media I would bet money its just a game to him. He makes subtle comments about the team but so do other top coaches such as Popovic, Larry Brown and The Big Tuna and players all openly say they love playing for these guys including
JVG. I believe that quality players respect a coach who keeps it real like JVG and recognize his passion for excellence and wanting to win and respond well to it

7. Its easy to sit in a BBS and complain and critcize about players and make "why don't we get him" comments but clearly you must realize that is a bit more difficult then that

8. If our back court was shooting better then 25% from the field all of this would be a mute point

 

Very true but the Rockets were in every game except game 7.

 

If hitting open jump shot is the key for our team, then JVG is wrong. His biggest gripe about the team is "intensity" "effort" etc. I have said it many times. How much effort do you need to hit an open jump shot?

Actually, what makes a shooter hit shot is almost the opposite of intensity. Most basketball players will tell you rhythm is the most important thing in shooting. And to have rhythm, you need to play loose. You can't be worrying about making mistakes. You can't be winded when you set to shoot. All these are the opposite characteristics of a JVG team.

Is it any wonder why many good shooters suddenly can't hit when they join our team? Is it any wonder why JVG's teams always have poor fg% (at both ends)?

 

It's nice to see Derek Anderson is washed up and having difficulty fitting into the Heat's system. And we got back a PG who has added so much to our team! (sarcasm)

On Monday we should hear from Jon Barry if he is going to the Nuggets to hit 3's, coach for Gundy or go home to Atlanta. If he goes to the Nuggets I am sure Gundy will be proven right again. (sarcasm)

There just doesn't seem to be any room in this organization for some competent offensive role players.

 

The JVG you see in the media is NOT the JVG the players interact with in practice EVERYDAY.... that's the general sentiment I've seen from every new player who was interviewed here after they got to Houston.... "I didn't know he was such a funny, easy-going guy... you don't see that in the media."

Thus, there's no way his "attitude" could be wearing on the players... whatever he says to the media, the players probably already know without him having to say it. Does this team seem to "pack it in" sometimes on nights when their shots aren't falling, their man is torching them on defense, and the refs seem to be against them.... yes, they do.

The main issue I've had w/ the Rockets during JVG's tenure has been a talent issue... not a coaching issue. The Rockets have far less overall talent than the average NBA team because of the fact that they have so much invested in Yao (who is still learning how to be great night-in/night-out, but still has exposable weaknesses), and T-mac (who, when healthy is the MVP... but he's not healthy).

They struck gold with Sura... but he was gimpy. Barry was great at his role before he pulled up lame. Juwon has done a decent job at hitting the wide open jumper, but most good team's "3rd best player" brings more to the team than he does.

JVG did a lot with these guys last year that none of us had seen since 1997. I think plenty of us are forgetting that feeling we had throughout the second half... where JVG was a saint, and we felt like we were going to win EVERY game down the stretch.

Thus, I can't evaluate him on this year... too many injuries, the new players were busts, and not enough talent to overcome this all. I figure he's got one more year with this nucleus either way... if they are healthy next year and still underachieve, everybody will be tossed overboard.... if they are injured next year too, there's really no point in keeping those guys around anymore (Of course, I'm mainly talking about T-mac here).

 

Great thread. Except for one or two, everyone honored the request to simply evaluate JVG without bashing him.

JVG the coach
(A-) for defense. Results don't lie. Great interior defense. Usually decent perimeter defense (except against the Suns).
B for offense. Injuries have killed us. Sorry outside shooting has killed us. Otherwise, his offense does work when we have a full compliment of players. Our offense usually completely breaks down when either of the two stars is out. This is very troubling to me.

JVG the GM
C-: Wasted the MLE on Stro. Got nothing out of DA. Let Padgett go. Rafer may be the PG we've been wanting. Luther was a good draft pick where we got him.

JVG the motivator
B: He hasn't lost the ear of the players. They obviously still respect him and the win over the Nuggets shows he can get still them to put out a good effort.

Overall grade: C
He deserves another year. This summer and at the start of next season, the heat on JVG will be intense. We better get a new SG and PF or I might join the crowd calling for his ouster even before the season starts. If we start out next season very slow again, the vast majority of fandom will be calling for his head.

 

I totally agree with this.

After reading the responses on the first page, particulary smoothie's and mcable's, I sat and thought for 5 minutes tryin to add something to them....but couldnt. So I settled for agreeing with you ...and by association, with them.

Makes me think that just maybe this forum isnt totally trashed and I can continue visiting it.

 

I'm not sure about that. The Suns also have a system. That system not only made all of their 3 stars better, but more impressively, made their role players play like stars. Look at Raja Bell. Look at Boris Diaw, a non-factor even in Atlanta last seaon, just had a tripple double in the win over Dallas today. The Suns are playing just as good as last season even without Amare Stoudemire. Without another star? Yes they won't be as good. But I don't see them as bad as losing 8 straight.

I don't have enough basketball knowledge to judge Van Gundy's coaching. For defense, we are good in general from the stats, and you might be able to blame players' execution in games like the last one with 76ers. But comparing with the Suns, our offense system is obviously not at the same level. We all know "hitting the open man" is one of the fundamental basketball gods. JVG's system does create open shots, but the Suns' system creates far more open shots in a more efficient way. The shots are more "open" too. We've been blaming our role players for not hitting open shots; but if they have more and better looks... While it might be true that defense wins championship; I guess a team can't go too far if their offense is far less efficient than the others.

Just my 2 cents.