I don't think he was a rookie until this was discovered: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=125882
Homers... Van Gundy is good coach, but he is no Phil Jackson. Phil is doing alright job with the Lakers right now, currently they are 6th in the west with team that's injured and under-talented. They could be alot worst like not in playoff picture, like the first post-Shaq year. He also took a Jordan-less Bulls team to 54 wins and almost got them to ECF against Indiana, a team that they could've beaten.
Phil Jackson is quite possibly the most overrated coach in basketball history... ... but I'm still not willing to say he's better than JVG (although I really don't think it's that absurd). That's not so much a knock on JVG, BUT I mean you can't completely ignore his 9 rings.
I meant to say "I'm still not willing to say JVG is better than him". While we're on this topic, I think Rick Carlisle is easily the best coach in the NBA.
Its not Phil! its just that... hmmm how do I say this... Laker just sucks dude!!! yall had a great chance with shaq but kobe had to be himself and scare him off! and lakers - kobe = dead end! kobe can try to be unselfish all he wants but in the end he is a very extremely good egotistical player!! but no great player would wanna play with him and bringing in Kidd and/or KG will not do much help! I say trade him to philly and rebuild the team similar to Detroit!!
overrated yes! 9 rings, right place at the right time! move him to charlotte and tell him to win a ring there!
I honestly believe that the Rockets would be a true Championship contender and would likely be in the mix with SA, Dallas, and Phoenix. PJax would maximize the talent on our team: 1) We might not be as good defensively (adequete enough), but I think we would be near the top the league in offense. We would have devestating offense with our diverse talent. 2) He wouldn't put players like Bonzi and Snyder in the doghouse, and I think he could handle those personalities, especially after dealing with Rodman, Shaq and Kobe, and some of the other superstars or even troubled players that came to L.A. 3) He would give more minutes to players like V-Span, Novak, and other young players who can't find any playing time on the current team. 4) He would be able to get this team to think in terms of winning a championship instead of being competitive playoff team. 5) He would let Yao use his entire offensive set skills, longer range shots, bringing him out of the paint, and letting him try things that Van Gundy frowns upon. 6) Rafer would not handle the ball as much or get huge chunk of minutes. 7) For some reason you all keep saying that he is slightly overrated as coach, i will partially true, but his teams do show a knack for winning titles once he shows up, it could be him or his assistance. But I know one thing, if he was a coach on our team, I don't think we would struggle with teams that have a knack for speed and run n gun all night long. Even though the Lakers or Bulls were not known for running up and down the court or having the youngest rosters in the league, those teams regularly shut down and dominated teams who like to score all the times by running up and down the floor or having players who were dominate scorers. The Lakers played teams like the Kings, Trailblazers, and Mavs, and had no trouble with them. Even though those teams had more depth, scored more points, and younger crop of talent.
I don't know why LakersPride posts here. And I don't give a damn about Lakers fans. But the point of the thread (by whatever motive of the thread starter) is not as outlandish as many people think here. JVG can coach defense a lot better than Phil. What's wrong with that? JVG's defense can win more games than Phil's triangle offense without 2 superstars. What's wrong with that? In fact, if I had to choose between JVG and Phil as our coach, I'd take JVG everyday of the week. And I am not a JVG lover like some people here.
