Irony: JVG wants older, more experienced players that will fit into "his" system more easily. He doesnt like mistakes. And that's why he likes the older, more experience players. That's what we have surrounding Yao and Tmac. Yet JVG laments about our injuries and the fact we arent rebounding or hustling. We are too slow on defense. Perhaps getting older players that are more apt to being injured and are slower is the problem (one of the problmes at least)! Jon Barry just joined the team and played 38 minutes last night against the Bucks. Jim Jackson played 45 minutes against the Clippers. Should these older players be asked to log those kind of minutes? How effective can they be playing those long stretches? Their effectiveness is best served in short bursts, not the long haul. Perhaps younger players, that have more energy and more hustle would give JVG want he wants. On the other hand, they would not be the "JVG type player" and would be more difficult to mold into "his system." They would be players that make mistakes, something he doesnt tolerate or have the patience for. What is the answer? As I watch other NBA teams on NBA League Pass I get jealous at all the athleticism and youth many teams have. I am greatful for Yao and Tmac. Most teams dont have those two foundation pieces to build on. I dont forget that. But I am jealous at all the athleticism that many teams have. All of their youth, fire and energy. As an example, I was just watching the Hawks/Cavs game last night and it is a joy to watch the Hawks Josh Smith play. They guy hustles all over the court and blocks shots from everywhere. He is young. He is inexperienced and he makes mistakes. But so what? He will learn. And in the meantime he gives the Hawks a lot of energy on a nightly basis. This is the TYPE of player JVG needs on the Rockets. But if we had him, would he even play? Or would JVG see only his "mistakes" and sit him on the bench? The Rockets are surrounded by a bunch of older "hired guns". If we are going to be crappy now, should we just be crappy with players that will learn and will gel with Tmac and Yao for the future? I shake my head at how old and UNathletic this team is. Priority #1 in the offseason should be to get more youth. The MLE should be spent on someone young that will GROW with Yao and Tmac. Our 1st round pick should be spent wisely. JVG/CD shouldnt necessarily just go into the draft looking to find a "4 year senior" with experience at the expense of perhaps finding a HS player that might take some "time" to grow into a good player. Case in point in the most recent draft, Al Jefferson with Boston and Josh Smith with Atlanta. They were picked in the late teens. I am not saying I have all the answers. But I am saying this team needs to get younger/more athletic and needs to find players that will GROW with Yao and Tmac. Get that core. And then pepper the roster with a few hired guns to round it out. /end rant
Eddie Griffin, Posey and Boki were are youth and they are gone. All three of those guys could run. If you added if you added Damon Jones to the Mix we would have had one of the fastest teams in the league. JVG prefers dead man walking. So sad.
JVG will never trust young players and give them time to develop. The latest example, he activated Ward and sent AB to IR. Ward is obviously more valuable than AB, but he need surgery though.
excellent post...I wholeheartedly agree...our team (outside the big 2) is made up of a bunch of marginal, well out-of-their-prime players. We do indeed need some younger, more energetic players, but VG has NEVER shown an ability to develop such a player, which may explain why he doesn't give them a chance in his system.
You mean something like this? PG: D. Jones/Sura/Barrett SG: McGrady/Barry SF: Posey/Jackson/Nachbar/T Morris PF: Griffin/Taylor/Howard C: Yao/Mutombo DISCLAIMER: I know that lineup is revisionist history. Hindsight is 20/20. But I just list that lineup as an "illustration" of perhaps what we need to achieve for the "future" (not those specific players per se). I am not trying to live in the past, just discuss what we can do for the FUTURE to improve the team.
I was going to open a thread simalar to this. you pointed out one of the things that I see about JVG. does he even know how to develop younger players? JJ was playing so many minutes this year and last what chance did Boki or anyone else have to learn from the mistakes they would make. SF and Cat used to log 40+ but there wasn't much help off the bench anyhow. but now we have nothing but bench players that are starting or logging starters minutes. all our youth has either signed with someone else or been traded for as Deuce nicely put it "more experienced players that will fit into his system" which by the way is code for old, unathletic, has beens...
Deuce I totally agree with you that this team is way to slow and non athletic. Our defensive rotations are to slow and we have no weakside shotblocker ala Kelvin Cato watching Yao's back. I think this team would be better off at the power forward position with an athletic no name guy like Jamal Sampson than our current PF lineup. Howard is slow, Taylor is slow, Weatherspoon is slow, Padgett is not a real Pf. When JVG comes in last season the rockets automatically get rid of Terrence Morris, he plays better defense than any of the above mentioned PF and he was an athletic weakside shotblocker. Boki and Posey are athletic. How many long athletic players are going to slip through the rockets hands.
And you know the fastest teams in the league win championships. Just look at the Grizzlies, Mavs, Nuggets, and Kings. Slower, set up offenses never do... look at the Spurs and Lakers. D'oh.
I fully agree with the point. In fact, take a good look at Van Gundy's team with the Knicks. Can anyone find a rookie that was developed on those teams? A second year guy? The closest I can come up with is Camby, except that his numbers took a dive after his 2 years with Toronto (13 and 7 became 10 and 6.5). Van Gundy needs already developed players to be successful - I will openly assert that he can't or won't develop younger ones. He failed to make Francis a better player, and has done pitifully little with Yao. Past the revisionist history (and no way do I believe Griffin was going to work things out without being ousted from the league - that the Nets also cut him can't be ignored); I'm relatively sure that we would not have been able to sign both D Jones as well as Bobby Sura. IIRC, both are making just a touch over $3 million, and the MLE wouldn't cover both contracts, though you could argue that one or the other would take a paycut. Jackson ($2.5) was signed with the money saved from not paying Posey $5.5 million. Les was hypersensitive about the Lux Tax that year, and while Posey would have pushed us other the expected threshold ($55), Jackson's would not. Evan
Come one Dr Dunk at least acknowledge that that team is better than the crap we have now. Can you at least acknowledge that JVG assembled the oldest team in the league and we suck. They lost to Milwaukee by 30 last night. 30 points to the Milwaukee bucks. How can any team with Yao and Mcgrady on it lose by 30 to the Bucks. Man-o-man it's a sad day in Rocket land and it will be until we can rid ourselve of Jeff Van Stupido.
I think you're missing the point here. By fast, he means quick and athletic - not necessarily run,gun, and no defense. Tony Parker and Manu form one of the better (than SF and Mobely?) backcourts in the league. A lot of their effectiveness is due to their energy and speed. I'm sure most Rocket fans would kill for those two. Also - those 4 teams you mentioned are all better than the Rockets.
Exactly. Young, quick, fast, atheltic. Players that can grow around Yao and Tmac. Players that can form a nucleus for the long haul.
Speaking of player moves for now and for the future of this team, I just now got a chance to read Clutch's great article on the Wesley for JJ/Nachbar deal. If one hasnt read it, it is definitely worth a glance. Reading Clutch's article even more makes me question the direction of this ballclub. These paragraphs from Clutch's article were particularly interesting to me: Then to top it off.... That paragraph pretty much says it all.
Deuce I totally agree with you. I always say wow how the hell are we gonna keep up with them..but we always manage to lol. Anyways in that other thread about retooling..I said get similar guys but who are younger.. I even like Gaines since he is quick and athletic..only thing is he can't shoot AT ALL. Yao and Tmac are our core..Sura will be fine if he can make open shots..we could also keep Barrett if he can improve his shooting a whole lot or get someone like Hudson. Larry Hughes would be good. Our bench can be filled with all these guys like Barry and Ward and JJ if he was still here.. But at small forward..we should have a guy like Posey or Bobby Simmons..someone who can play defense run rebound make shots..some athleticism with Yao and Tmac. Also at power forward..a guy like Kurt Thomas or Charles Oakley but way younger..Raef Lafrentz and Nazr Mohammed aren't perfect but they'd be nice. They aren't exactly young either. Maybe a guy like Robert Horry? Malik Rose? We can't get them..but we need guys similar to that..Tyson Chandler or Stromile Swift.
The worst of it all is that when Balky is gone, all we'll have left is a lottery team in their Toyota undershirts and an arena full of empty seats. He's completely dismantled what was left of the Rudy days. Call it the second wife syndrome, but I don't ever remember a wholesale gutting of the team mid-season like this crap going on now. I just hope the next clown that coaches the team (CD's brother-in-law?) knows how to clean up somebody else's mess!
you're right, those teams win championships...in last year's NBA. i was going to start a new thread about this, but deuce's post touches on most of the same points i was going to make, w/ one significant omission. During the off-season the NBA changed the rules on hand-checking in the back court. This one small change has resulted in increased scoring this year, and largely accounts for the sudden success of teams built around quick , athletic backcourts: the Suns, Sonics, Heat, Magic, even the spurs. The irony is, last year's team would've been much better suited to this year's rules. the Pistons last year were the apogee of the lock-em down style pioneered by Riley and his disciple Osama Bin Gundy. Even OBG's brother played that way last year, w/ great success. howver, Ron Jeremey adapted this year, and of course shaq's arrival has helped immensely, but look at his backcourt, quick, fast, slashers. the pistons are not the same team this year, and it's not all due to the hangover from the malice in the palace. imagine SF, mobley, Boki, and T-Mo running the floor and throwing it down w/ passes from Yao. how would that team do against this year's Magic? OBG has brought in players who are not only slow, they can only play by taking the air out of the ball. OBG has said he's changed enough, but he, and apparently CD, don't understand that during the summer when the NBA zigged, the rockets zagged, and they've been off the rails ever since.
This team is a complete mess. We have no clear direction with this team and things just seem to be getting worst everyday.
D.o.D, Big difference in the way the game is called this year, or do you disagree that the new hand check calls have changed the game and favor the perimeter players that can penetrate? DD
