I was one didn't think JVG would help the rockets much, and to an extent I'll admit I was wrong about it. Hey I love Rudy T and that will never change. I think the Rox would be in about the same place if Rudy was still the coach, but I think they would be doing it differently. The D is much improved over the past few years. I that in large is due to the coaching change. Not JVG per say but he is part of it. Mostly I think the coaching change made all of our players have to prove themselves again. Cato has played great at times. Cat has been more assertive but still played within the offense. Steve has sacrificed his game for the good of the team. Mo Taylor has recently played better than he ever has. I think cutting Griffin and trading Moochie sent a message and I think that has been huge. The first part of the season was very tough to watch and the play wasn't very good. But recently JVG has the team playing... well as a team. Now can I get some playoff desert with that helping of crow?!?
man, JV pretty much said everything i was going to say. our defense didn't suck last year, it was 5th in fg% and 6th in ppg, and just like this year, grabbed most of the defensive boards and forced very few turnovers. it's the same low risk D from before, just even better. jvg is a good defensive coach and i'm glad he's here for it, but we didn't suck last year. it helps that cato plays more, but he's also made steve play defense and we rotate better. kudos to jeff for the D. no kudos for the O. as far as our record. i don't know if we'd be on the run we're on under rudy, but i also don't think we would've started 15-14 either with our piss poor offense. it took jvg 35 games to get yao out of the low post. people credit him for doing something he should've done from day one. of course, brendan haywood is most responsible for yao's coming out party. i believe we're on pace for 49 wins, i think that's the same number of wins i said i thought rudy would get before the season. i don't dislike jvg, and i think he's a good coach (he won in new york and he's doing well here), i just don't think he's this God-like figure some people make him out to be and certainly not head and shoulders above rudy like some act. if this run continues and we finish with 52 or 53 wins, i'll say jvg has done a a great job and improved us beyond what i thought. if we wind up right around 49 wins, i'll say good job, but tell me again why we fired a houston legend?
Why we fire a legend? Same reason let a legendary center go. It was time to move on. Its not that Gundy is a god like. Its the fact that I especially wanted to see him get a chance at this because I have seen him coach in NYC for 7 years. I know he is a hell of a coach who will kick your assssssparagus if you don't straighten up. And that is what this team needed. But, why listen to me or the other supporters. You wanna know what ROD THORN said after he fired Byron Scott and replaced him with the assistant coach? Here is what he said: Thorn considered other candidates from inside and outside the organization but settled on Frank because of his familiarity with the Nets' offense and his rapport with the players. "Lawrence is a lot like Jeff Van Gundy, who I think is one of the best coaches in pro basketball." You like?
How about other crow eaters? 1. Those who said the management was idiotic by signing cheap "rejects" of other teams like JJax, MJax, and Padgett 2. Those who said the management was idiotic by overpaying Taylor and Cato. 3. Those who said Yao was physically unable (too slow, too soft, too weak, can't jump, etc.) to ever be a dominant center. 4. Those who said Moochie was untradeable. How do you want you crows? Well done, medium, or rare? As for the JVG thing, I totally agree with JV and f4p.
I've been a JVG proponent from the beginning and think he has proven his worth. To me, his success can be measured by a single item - we have an identity because the players have bought his message. Sure, our defense was good last year, but there is a difference between being good and being the best. The difference is a swagger, purpose and attitude when you take court. The difference means better calls from the refs. The difference means wins. I can sit here and nitpick about my different philosophies about basketball, but I can't say that JVG's style/system is flawed. The key is that his players believe that his way is the right way, and that breeds confidence and identity. For what it's worth, I don't think we would have been as good with Rudy.
Yep. Like the Magic's commentators pointed out last night, the Rockets scrubs came in with a minute left and large lead and STILL refused to budge on defense.
"You can't stop him from getting his position. Wherever he wants to go on the court, he's going there. He's that big. I don't even think Shaq (O'Neal) can stop him from getting his position on the court. The guy is a beast." - MAGIC GUARD TRACY MCGRADY ON YAO MING AFTER YAO'S 37-POINT OUTING IN A 99-87 ROCKET WIN IN ORLANDO I'll eat crow about Yao... somewhat. Hope he keeps it up... now that we know it's possible, and he's capable against at least the Magic. I reserve my judgements about JVG until the team has a good 10 game win streak, and or a playoff berth, and a round one win. Hopefully he's really gonna prove me wrong with this team, considering he was a presumed "overachiever" with the Knickerbockers. I believe the current Rockets roster is better than the teams he had in NY. But for the record I've never dogged CD... Les maybe, but not CD.
this is a great thread.. I honestly think JVG has made a big difference.. there is a huge disparity between #1 defense and #5 or #6 (meaning #1 = champions us at #5 = lottery) I think RudyT was a great coach but was becoming too attached too much of a friend of the players and was losing some of his effectiveness. Im not a big JVG fan or anything.. hes the coach so be it.. But I dont buy the argument we are where we would have been under RudyT. If all things being equal, if SF and Yao struggled under Rudy's system what would our record be this year? Especially with the horrible shooting that plagued the Rox at the beginning of the year? You cant blame all that on JVG we had horrible stretches of poor shooting last year too and lost a grip of games because of it. I think having a top notch defense this year helped us win quite a few games we would have lost under RudyT. Everyone says Rudy would have had a better offensive team which I wasnt really impressed with last season but true he may have made better offensive adjustments but maybe not. I think what has really hurt SF and alot of "star" players this year is the zone defense and how to play around them. my 2 cents. J in recap I think JVG is doing a great job in a much tougher division and should get some credit for that much.
they are still idiotic.... one decent season doesn't mean those contracts are still good value, even with there current levels of play, they are both one dimensional and sharing time, they are still slightly overpaid......... they are both contributing great to the team's performance right now which is sweet but still overpaid nothing to crow about JVG, always thought he would do a good job
question for everyone.. what would a backup PF who is playing quite well and also a 6th man of the year candidate usually make? compared to MoT's salary? and the same for a defensive stopper like Cato (starting PF) that shares duties as backup C and enforcer.. how much are these guys worth then? J
Smeg, Some crows are well done, some are medium rare. . . I am eating the Taylor and Cato crow myself. Yes, they are still slightly overpaid. But Cato has had two decent seasons now (assuming he'll continue to do well the rest of this season). Taylor has been hurt, which nobody could have forseen. To me, he is no longer a one dimensional player. He has improved somewhat on defense. But the most significant improvement is rebounding. He is really active and is grabbing rebounds with authority now.
i have certainly softened my stance on them this year and Cato starting at the 4 is big reason for the improved D, Yao is just not ready to control the paint on his own....... not unhappy with their play at all as a combination, just that they are still overpaid a tad and have stolen money off us in past years
Crow? Other than a couple wins, I still dislike JVG (personally), I still find his deflate-the-ball Eastern style basketball a bore, and I still think he's an excellent defensive coach, but an overall average one. The team has improved the last week to ten days, but I attribute it ENTIRELY to Yao Ming sacking up. IMHO, that was HIS decision, and a result of finally getting tired of being knocked around more than anything JVG did. So, JVG deserves his props. He is doing OK, but I wouldn't call what he has done excelling.
Some will hold out and not give Gundy his credit. Thats ok. Thats why I said whether its now, in two months, or in two years, restart the thread. Because we WILL be in the Finals with a shot of going all the way. Its tough. I know. Crow don't taste too good. I understand. Its ok. It took Pete Rose 15 years to crack. Could take some of you longer. Look at Rich. He hasn't even bothered coming on the board since the Rocks started winning consistantly in the last month or so. Give the credit to Yao. Give the credit to the basketball gods. Hey, give the credit to my 3 year old kid. I know its hard to eat crow bird. Its ok. Some are hard headed. By the way, just came back from 7-Eleven. Got some FAT FREE Cool Whip. Any takers?
Almu - just so you know how egotistical taunting for your boy is supposed to work: You do it after wins.
Jeff Van Gundy has exceeded my expectations by convincing a group that I thought would be very difficult to convince to play defense first then offense. Jeff Van Gundy's defensive philosophy has allowed this Rockets team to win in spite of some of their shortcomings. Where I stood in the offseason: I was definitely in favor of bringing in a new coach in the offseason. My first choice was Larry Brown and that really hasn't changed. If we needed further evidence of Brown's coaching value, we've gotten it again this season as we see what has become of the same (hell, improved) 76'ers team this season without his direction. With that said, as disappointed as I was that the Rockets didn't seem to aggressively pursue Brown, I was not disappointed with the hiring of Jeff Van Gundy over Mike Dunleavy.
