The start of the season was so terrible, I have to confess I wanted Van Gundy gone. Hell, I was a week or two away from lotto rooting. I just could not believe a team with McGrady and Yao could be that inept offensively. We have scored in the 70's 8 times this season, 6 of those times came before the season was a month and a half old. The last two times were in early to mid January -- we haven't done it since. The team, for the most part, maintained the defensive intensity, but found their offense. They have made personnel tweaks and significantly improved -- I have to credit JVG for that.
Let's put this thread in PAUSE for 3.5 months, then re-word the headline and re-activate this thread during summer break.
I can see why Van Gundy was hired. He's a coach and not a fan. Rudy was a bigger fan than most of us here in the site. A coach cannot groom half of his bench for the future. i.e. Nachabar, Griffin, Langhi, etc. And keep the other player half based on baseless loyalty (I'm all for the loyalty, but you don't give loyalty to Maloney, Norris, etc.). If the players don't perform, then they have to be moved, or not given ridiculous contracts. Gundy knew it was a lost case teaching Francis, Mobley, and Taylor. Those guys had been under Rudy's umbrella and could do whatever they wanted to. They were not going to change, and if they did, it would take too long for anything good to come of it.
Whatever. Yao Ming wanted RT to return. Les did not. Les fired the guy. I call that "not giving a damn about what your players think/want."
I am a card carrying member of the Van Gundy must go club, but at the moment, don't question success, if or when he fails, i will come to challenge his authorti (like how Cartman says it), until then, just sit back and relax, hey, at least we all can agree on one thing, it is sure damn nice to see the rockets winning.
Didn't want to have to post in this thread again, but oh well... I think the reason I liked JVG so much is because of what I saw from his offense, even when we were struggling. It wasn't ISO's everytime down the court, which quickly made Rocket's ball boring to me. Now, you see great passing, people making the extra pass. Who would've thought that the oldest team in the league would out-run the youngest teams, pushing the ball down their throat. During JVG's first year, he made a comment on how far away the team was on the offensive end, not necessarily the defensive end. After overhauling Rudy's players and tweaking it more in season, I think JVG feels comfortable with the guys he has running the show. It's an exciting time to be a Rockets fan
You gone and done it, damn, now (no matter how much validity or lack thereof your statement has/had) everyone is going to post in either validation of degredation. Best coached, don't know, maybe, but ultimately results are the best means of grading, currently the results are good, but the jury still hasn't made a verdict, neither have I.
...and I would disagree. Discounting the RT era. Bill Fitch and the run to the finals gets that award.
Well - I didn't want Rudy T to return either (sorry, I loved the guy, but I was sick him letting SF3 and Cat run amock and him getting CD to sign Stevie's boyz like Mo T and Moochie to long term deals) I know you don't want to hear this in you little Phil Jackson world but its not just coincidence that CD started making great moves at the same time as JVG came here and again, I ask, how do you know uncle Phil would come here ? and if we fired JVG, and your uncle Phil turned us down... who would you get to coach that would be better ?
Dude, its like this, you don't dump your old girlfriend until you get a new girlfriend, we ask Phil to the Winter Formal, if he says yes, we tell JVG that we have to take care of our cousin that night and we can't do anything, we go the formal with Philly J and hope JVG doesn't show. Its as simple as that!
This is why I'm not saying JVG should be fired right now. If he gets > 51 regular season wins and deep into the second round, and PJ doesn't want to come here, then he (Van Gundy) is the head coach next season. If PJ doesn't want the job, and Van Gundy doesn't accomplish both of those goals, his employment situation should be reconsidered this offseason. Doesn't mean you fire the guy, but you see who is available, and who might be a better choice.
of course you do. you have become one of my favorite posters, you are flat-out hilarious. you are forging a new era of NBA fans- coach worshipers. used to be people would root for their hometown teams and the players on that team. ocasionally, teams have such extraordinary talent that they peak the imagination of fans from all parts. you hang on the jock of a coach who has no houston connections. big chief triangle can kiss my ass and so can you. peace.
True or False 1. Yao loves Rudy- T 2. So therefore Yao doesn't like JVG- F 3. We are playing well because JVG is a bad coach- F 4. Rockets are winning games- T 5. Fans should be happy- T 6. If we win a championship we should let JVG ride in the parade- TRUE So please don't rain on our parade... Everyone who watches this team knows the coaching and the players are clicking. We may not win out, but we are going to be hard to beat in the playoffs. (barring injuries- knock,knock,knock)
come on...that team had ridiculous talent!!! i'm not knocking fitch as a coach...but i think what JVG is doing with this group so far is more impressive...particularly having remade the roster mid-season.
A second-year Olajuwon and a third-year Sampson. Alan Leavell and an over-the-hill Robert Reid forced into duty with the dismissal of John Lucas 3/4 of the way through the season. They were not more talented than the Lakers, and really had no business taking the Celtics to six. If you don't like that one, the stretch run and playoff spurt in 1981 was also an impressive display of coaching by Del Harris (hey, isn't he available?).
