JVG is a regular season coach. He wins regular season game at the expense of the playoffs by playing the starters heavy minutes, cutting down bench development, and demanding playoff intensity in regular season games. He does prepare the team well in the regular season, an advantage he only has until playoffs roll around. When all the teams prepare well against their opponents in the playoffs, and play their hardest game, JVG the regular season coach loses his regular season success formula: efforts + good preparation. When all the coaches develop strategies against a particular opponent in the playoffs, something they don't do in the regular season, JVG gets exposed for his lack of adjustments and balls. JVG lives in the land of Boredom and Playoff Exits because he is just a regular season coach. He's like Shane Battier, a regular season player who stops shining in the real games. No wonder Battier is JVG's pet, they are of the same breed - regular season heros and playoffs losers. To continue harping on JVG's regular season success only exposes lack of understanding between the regular season and the playoffs. JVG = fool's gold.
I hope Jeff Van Gundy will be gone real soon!! He will be remembered for his stubborness, the personal grudges against players that he didn't need and his sleazy efforts to gain more power and approach the fan-base by supporting the Red Rowdies. Unfortunately the results speak for themselves --first round exit with 2 superstars in the roster, overrated defense, no offense, very limited talent development-- and now there's no excuse for him. He failed and should leave asap. He fooled all the short-sighted fans with the win-now mode but just like zboy wrote it was a win-now situation to save his ass. Well when your offense sucks so bad like it did in critical times against Utah noone else is to blame but yourself.
I think we'll have a better regular season record with a better bench ...but we'll still flame out in the playoffs ...unless our stars man up in the 4th quarter. (See Dallas) I'm not a pessimist ...I'm a realist. I still beleive that TMac and Yao have it in them to turn it on. We'll improve during the regular season but I don't think that directly translates in the playoffs. You gotta have an MVP guy. I'm not disagreeing here. But I've still got faith that TMac will find the inspiration because he's got the talent. That's fine. But they still had to play like MVP's to even be in contention. Without the MVP, you wouldn't even know the names of the role players. It goes both ways. You may be right. I'll grant you that. But you have to acknowledge that TMac could have closed out game 7 ...but he didn't. Role players are important ...but in the NBA you gotta have a go-to guy to close out games. The game was there to be had and TMac didn't cease the moment. No matter what (MVP's, role players, bad calls, etc etc), NBA games almost ALWAYS come down to the final minutes. You gotta have closers. TMac didn't close. Who is the realist here? In my reality, we lost the series by four points when the game was there to be had. In your reality, we totally revamp the entire team by replacing two starters, several bench players, the coach and GM. Which one of us is living in reality? I said we had a chance to win with what we had ...and we did (have a chance) ...if TMac showed up in the 4th quarter. In YOUR reality, we've gotta build a parallel universe. JVG $hits out more defensive knowledge each morning than you or I will ever know. So I'll just defer to JVG on that one. I'm sure you won't mind if I take his side on the best way to cover Boozer over yours, will you? So would you rather put Yao on Okur who lives on the 3pt line? So Yao can't cover Boozer or Okur. Where do you put Yao then? Nevermind. Again, DESPITE Juwan and Rafer, TMac could have compensated ...but he didn't. Damn right. Great players LOVE the burden. That's why they get paid the big bucks. If they don't want that burden, then F'em. Not exactly. If TMac or Yao don't play like MVP's, we won't win. Neither TMac or Yao played like MVP's during this series. Had one of them played like an MVP, we would have won the series. So once again, if TMac and/or Yao don't pick it up, our bench is irrelevant. Do we want to improve our bench. YES Did we have a chance to win that series even with our bench. YES Do you get it yet? In four years, neither has had an MVP caliber season and certainly never played like an MVP during the playoffs. I don't disagree but that won't solve all our problems. Okay, we can agree on that. It's my personal opinion that we could have made a deep run this season with our current roster (which you obviously disagree). 1st Round: 4 points away. 2nd Round: We definately could have competed esp w/ Dallas losing. 3rd Round: We match up well with San Antonio and could have given them hell. The Suns, not so sure about them. If Yao plays exceptional, we could beat the Suns. But then, that's what I'm saying, right? Finals: I like our chances against any team in the East. Maybe. But no championship team blows out every team. There are many more close games than blowouts ...that's life in the NBA. ...and that's why you need closers. If you've got that "special" guy ...then you can steal a lot of wins despite playing a better team on paper. (look at Miami last year) You may have a better shot at contending but you'll rarely win it all, IMO (see Dallas). You gotta have that MVP player that "controls" the game. Without that special player, you just can't close games. ...and I've always said that until TMac and Yao step up their play, this team is not going anywhere. Based on what I have seen, my opinion has only been reaffirmed. Detroit is the ONLY exception in recent memory that has won a title w/out having an MVP caliber player. That said, Detroit is exceptionally strong 1-5. Few teams are ever lucky enough to construct a team like that. Most championships get a few good role players to keep the defense honest and then ride the coat tails of their superstar. If the superstar is a no-show, then you just cover the role players and they'll wrinkle like a cheap suit ...that's why they're just role players ...afterall.
Maybe in Houston... but it wasn't that way in NY. His playoff teams there ended up playing at a higher level than his regular season teams... nobody ever considered him a "disfunctional" playoff coach before this.
you forgot predictable. opposing teams just has to guard yao and tmac and force our perimeter shooters to beat them. if JVG would just have our role players drive once in a while...
well he did make it to the ECF and nba finals...but i guess those were lucky right give it a rest people. this team has 3 strengths. 1. tmac 2. Yao 3. JVG show me a playoff team that you would start chuck and/or rafer on?
That's several years ago and JVG fortunately had a halfed regular season instead of all 82 games before he wore his men out. Another thing is NBA changes the rules to encourage offense not defence these years.
I cannot wait to see how Zboy & DaDakota turn on whoever is the Rockets' head coach next season when he fails to magicially wave his hand and turn Novack, JL3, Alston, Snyder, Spanoulis (if he's not back in Greece playing Euroball) and whatever the 26th pick & the LLE/MLE nets into bonifide NBA superstar players. He will also need to be a heart surgeon because No. 1 will definitely require a heart transplant (if his back doesn't go out again). And while he's at it, he will also have to find a way to make Chuck Harris grow 3-4 inches, Juwann Howard disappear (literally), Kirk Snyder understand how the plays are run, Rafer Alston actually run the offense and Luther Head develop a consistent shot. And if he can't reverse time and make Dikembe Mutumbo grow younger while giving Yao a pair of magic shoes so he'll be quicker then he's nothing but a sorry worthless bum and I will be right there with you guys screaming for his head. It would appear that the "JVG Sucks" movement has now surpassed the "David Carr Sucks" movement in this town.
Agreed JVG must go because 1) He has no creativity on offense 2) Will neuter almost any play at will (Swift, Bonzi, Boki etc...) 3) Does not like to develop young player through the draft especially when his team is over the salary cap and will be for years to come. I have pretty much given up on JVG and e needs to go to maybe a Detroit type defense oriented team.
Yawn ... Had we grabbed that last rebound and scored, made it overtime and won, would you say the same thing about Van Gundy. Maybe Utah is a good team. The fact that we dragged them into a 7 game series is an testment to our ability. I am also disappointed, but your post is too emotional. At the end of the day, we lost a close game and it was game 7. And that's it. We had 5th best record in the season, and I belived we are a 4th or 5th best team in the NBA. I also think we match up Spurs, which I predict will win it all this year, far better than Utah. We need a 3rd scoring option and bench boost. Then we would be talking about contending. I dont care who the coach is.
I just hope this playoff series has humbled Rockets management/coach as much as it has humbled you. If I am the Rockets management I wont live on that faith alone. I will go and find players to support him and Yao. No one is saying they don't have to dominate. But that doesn't mean you stop working on the team as a whole. Tmac and Yao need to sort our their problems. The Management needs to work on improving the team around them. Yes, Tmac could have done better in that game. He could have also decided to show up in road games. He actually didn't do that bad in game 7. He shot very well and was setting everyone up. He could have been more assertive at the end but he didn't pull a Dirk either. He was very good but not dominating. Again, Tmac has to do some soul searching. Management has to work on improving the team. Two different issues. Again, Tmac was very good but not spectacular. He has been spectacular before in playoffs and come up short because of limitations on team. See Dallas series of years ago. Even though he was the MVP of that series, Dallas still won. They just had better team around Dirk. So while Dirk got dominated, he still went on to 2nd round while Tmac was sent packing. Woah! Woah! Wait a minute. Once again you are putting words in my mouth. Where did I say you get rid of our stars? Did you completely miss my point. I have clearly stated that we have the right starting pieces in Tmac and Yao. No they are not perfect and the best players in the league but they are still arguably in top 10 overall and top 3 in their respective positions. Most franchises would kill to have the inside/outside presence we have. We have just failed to utilize them properly but most important of all... They have gotten no help. I am with revamping the Roster AROUND them. I never said we should get rid of our stars. Please point out where I said that. I am the realist because I have been saying for years that Juan at PF wont work. I also added Rafer in the mix. I am the realist because I told you while the series was going on that this team has serious flaws and role players are inadequate while you came at me accusing me of living in misery. You chose to look at Tmac and Yao only and not the team as a whole. Now that the team has failed you chose to blame the entire thing on Yao and Tmac. In your eyes Gundy, Juan, and Rafer, with their obvious shortcomings can do no wrong. You put all your hopes in Yao and Tmac and now that they didnt win, you chose to put all the blame on them. Why put it all on them? Last I checked this was still a team game and other players do have a say in the outcome too. This is what you said earlier.... "I remain optimistic because I feel that TMac can "turn it on" at any point. Plus Yao could still have a breakthrough. If that happens, I like our chances. If that doesn't happen, we're doomed. Juwan and Rafer won't be our downfall ...I certain about that." All the blame and responsibility on 2 players yet completely absolve everyone else. You don't think the 4 quarter critical turnover by Rafer at a crucial juncture in game 7 and Juan bricking WIDE OPEN jumpers had any say in our downfall? You are putting the entire blame on Tmac. If you are going to do that, you might as well give him credit for getting us to that point in the first place. We wouldn't have won previous games without him either. Despite our offensive scheme sucking donkey Ironballs we competed because of them. Sloan had a system which involved everyone on the team. Gundy's system relied entirely on Tmac/Yao. Its not like the entire team did the work to put Tmac in that situation with 4th quarter and he failed the team. He and Yao were the main reasons that this team won those 3 games anyways. In my reality we look at the obvious flaws on our team and we either get rid of them, or mask them. 1) Tmac has always had issues with mental toughness. Yet he is also amazingly talented. So we keep him and get mentally tough role players to play alongside him. 2) Yao is slow and athletic but he can still be dominant. Give Yao a chance to shine by masking his weakness. Get a quick, athletic, PF to play alongside him who can block shots. That is not a parallel universe. That is reality. He might $hit out more defensive knowledge each morning but if he does not apply it on the court and produce result, it does not mean jack, does it? What everyone, not just me, saw was a helpless Yao left alone on an island to cover a quicker player. What we also saw was no adjustments made in course of a 7 game series to address this problem. Sorry but that's is what I am going to judge JVG by. Not what he $hits out at breakfast. You try double, you try zone with Yao manning the middle. You try something different. If what you have been doing is absolutely killing you, it doesn't hurt to try something else does it? [/QUOTE] Unfair. I dont want any players to compensate for multiple players. Especially someone like Rafer who is averaging 40+ mpg. That's insane. Incorrect. Tmac played like MVP in Dallas series 2 years ago. He shouldered the entire loan on offense and shut down their best player. He was giving 100% on both offense and defense. Dallas with no MVP player won though. Why? Dirk had better role players. Of course I disagree with that. Always have. That close because of Tmac/Yao. Not because of the rest of the team. While Tmac/Yao werent spectacular, others hardly showed up at all. We would have been killed by Warriors. Utah can play slow and uptempo so they will do fine. We would have been murdered. 1) Warriors would have doubled Yao even before he would get the ball (see last game vs. Warriors for reference). End result Rafer shooting 3 pointers.... Eh we lose 2) Warriors have enough wing players in Jackson, Barnes, Richardson, to tire Tmac out. 3) Did you really need to see how Warriors small lineup would have abused Juan? Cmon now.... Dude please.... be a realist. We just don't have the talent level and we are too damn slow to win against Suns and Spurs in a 7 game series. Yao and Tmac playing at their best would make us competitive against these teams in playoffs. We wouldn't win against them. Any except Detroit. You are still underestimating the Pistons. They might not have elite players but they are stacked at every position, play good defense, and don't have any glaring holes. Most important of all, they are mentally tough and have been there before. Takes just one exception to debunk a theory. The point was, you said it will never happen, when it already has happened.
FYI, I was FOR, not against JVG signing couple years back. I wanted him here in Houston. I was well aware of his previous stint on the Knicks... 1) Hard to watch offense 2) Meddling in player's management 3) Wasted all the draft picks But I also knew that at that time, when we had Cat and Franics on the team, this team was in dire need of discipline. Gundy fit the mold. Discipline was what that team needed the most at the time. I was also hoping that he had learned from his mistakes in NY. Well years later now, it has become obvious that he has not. Still the same offense. Still the same micromanagement. Still the same disregard for younger, quicker players. IF Gundy promises to never interfere in personnel issues, I might still say keep him. But I just don't think he can ever completely alienate himself from that. He is too controlling. Its in his nature. i can like someone and once I see that they have not produced, I can also admit it was a wrong choice. I don't have a problem with it. And I did not come to this conclusion about Gundy overnight. This is after 4 years. So, whoever Rockets get next, be it Adelman, or Ivaroni, if the new guy keeps making the same mistake and refuses to learn from them then... Good Riddance. Rockets come first to me. Not the coach.
He has always been considered dysfunctional when it comes to coaching offense. I have lived in NY for ever. Even us NYers never had any respect for his offense.
Aw... so when the team was winning the regular season it was all JVG's credit, and now the team fails in the playoffs, it's all on the players. This funny little logic doesn't work with me. If you want to credit JVG with team success, then hold him responsible for team failure. When will you guys ever hold JVG responsible? Under what circumstances? When JVG takes off his pants and pee on the court? When will you stop blaming it all on the players, until every position is stuffed with an all star? Will you guys ever consider it's JVG who molded this lineup? Shouldn't he be responsible for the lack of talent on this team with his stupid affixation on old, worn out ex Knicks and blind hatred against European players etc...? Now the next point. What's behind the only achievement JVG can etch on his tomb stone - I went to the finals in a shortened season in the Leastern conference? JVG went to the finals because : 1. Allan Houston's lucky bounce that won game 5 against the Heat. 2. Larry Johnson's miracle four point play that won key game against the Pacers. 3. Marcus Camby playing out of his mind against the Pacers. Anyway, it was about ten years ago, so who cares? We the Rockets fans care about now and future, not the past of a playoff loser the last four years with us.
I see it differently. The Rockets were up 2-0...which means we had to win 2 games out of the possible next 5.We only won 1. ONLY ONE GAME IN FIVE TRIES!!!Utah is the team that dragged this series to seven games.To me, that is a testament to Van Gundy's inability....
Zboy had you fooled...he's actually Tom Thibodeau (sp?) and he's just trying to get JVG fired so he can take over the team and execute his evil plans. Oh, and he doesn't really drive a Z, but rather a tricked-out Civic with all of its 115 ponies terrorizing the 'streetz' of suburbia.
I am not right there w/you but that was a solid written post. gundy has some big pros & soem bigger cons.
The failure of the Rockets in the play-offs IS JVG's fault. In that Three (3) lost Games in SLC, he didn't make any adjustment, play the same "system," while Jazz play better and better. Many thought GS was a crappy team that barely made playoffs (42-40, much worse than Rox). Now you think they are more talent?
