JVG: Rockets close to being a lottery-bound team...

So many lawyers in here.

Rudy would have been so proud of our guys after the last win and we would have never learned from our mistakes, just admit it.

 

All teams have improving to do but the only lottery teams are the ones that are there right now after 10-11 games. It would be better if he said that we would be a lottery team if he keep on coaching like he did in Toronto - having Cato leave Bosh all game long. We would be 9-2 right now. We killed Sixers on the back to back and then they went up there without the answer and beat Raptors. Stop the useless and excessive double-teaming. Try selective double-teaming.

 

Rudy is more of an emotional coach and would have argued every single call no matter how lopsided it was. Our young players picked that up through the years and learned to make one excuse after another. You cannot think straight when you're emotional. JVG, on the other hand is more objective. He doesn't yell at the refs nearly as much at all compared to Rudy. Yelling at the refs is just a waste of time and energy. It serves no purpose.

 

Actually, we have improved our 'tempo.'

Just watch where the shot-clock is when we pass half court these days. We generally have 20 seconds. Last year it was closer to 17, almost a violation.

Everytime we're dribbling past half-court, watch as JVG sweeps his arm in a big circular motion. He's trying to get us in our offensive set as quick as possible.

 

I think all JVG is trying to do is to push the players to play smarter.

I've said this so many times in here. You learn from losses and not victories. After losses, coaches don't have to say a word and players should know what they've done wrong. (That's why the Francis comments were so disappointing about Bosh's shot being lucky because it doesn't seem like he learned as to why we lost). Wins, on the other hand, are extremely hard to learn from, especially for young teams. These comments are at a perfect time if you ask me.

 

The key for the Rockets is to simply beat the teams we are expected to beat and compete with the upper-tier teams. So far this season, we've only lost one game against a team that we should have obliterated, Toronto (I didn't mention Memphis because they are actually becoming....gulp....a decent team). If we stay competitive with the "big boys", we'll win some and lose some, but begin to gain confidence because the W's will start mounting up. You have to learn to walk before you can run.

Now these things being said...the Rockets are an extremely dangerous team. They're young, hungry and (showing with every passing day) well coached. AND, they're not playing well but still have achieved a great early season record. As down as a lot of you guys get on this team, they have a bright future and appear to be headed in the right direction. It just takes time to get their sh** in order. Look at Sacramento...they spent decades in the bastions of NBA sucktitude...and now their one of the top three teams.

 

"Thats the difference between Rudy T and JVG. Rudy would've praised the team for pulling out that game against Golden State, JVG on the other hand was very disapointed in the team."


Do you have a historical reference to support that statement? Ie, Rudy praising the team after a win like that.

I seem to remember him being less than positive over such wins last year. He would say something like the Rockets need to learn how to win easier, or that they need to quit making wins such a struggle.

The only differences I've seen so far between the two coaches so far is that JVG has the Rockets playing better defence, (more consistent is probably a better word. The Rocket's weren't that bad last year) and is more apt to critisize them in public. Every other difference in the team can be attributed to new players and a season's experience between Yao Ming and Co.

The Rocket's record last year was not that bad. Several other Rocket teams went to the playoffs with equal or worse records. The problem is that in the west 40 to 45 wins doesn't do it anymore. You really need 50 to be a play-off sure thing. And you can't get 50 playing the way the Rockets have played so far. The Mavs game showed that. The Toronto game should have confirmed that. That's what JVG and Francis are talking about. The choice for the team to make is between a good lottery team (which is possible these days), and play-off team.

Coming into this season I thought Rudy should have been given another year. I also thought that if you looked at JVG's carrer compared to Rudy T's. Rudy was the superior coach. However, sometimes its not the coaching record its the style. JVG's style may well be an improvement for this team. The improvement in defense seems to bode well, but if the Rocket's don't show a marked improvement in offensive consistency and decision making down the stretch, the coaching change may cause us to beat different teams, but not more teams.

 

Rudy made those kind of comments through out the years he was the coach of the team. I'm not saying thats a bad thing, just he and Van Gundy are two very different people. I thought Rudy deserved one more year too, but I like the rugged, dirty, grimey mentality that JVG brings to the Rockets.

 

I like that he's at least keeping it real. If we continue to have stretches of 8 minutes without a bucket, etc., things will get real ugly, real quick.

 

The Rockets 8-3 start can be attributed to the schedule as much as anything else. We've already faced Denver, Chicago, Miami, Orlando and Golden State.
The only reason they beat Golden State was the Warriors executed even worse than the Rockets in the last 6 minutes of the game. Defensive intensity was lacking -- there was rarely a hand in the face of Warrior shooters. The Rockets were outhustled for rebounds and loose balls. Shot selection was terrible, and "basketball IQ" was as bad as ever.
Van Gundy was absolutely right to rip the team after such an awful performance. I agree with the coach. Let's wait until after this road trip to see if there's anything to get excited about.

 

It's definitely lip service. Let's hope Steve walk the walk.

 

So we're "close" to being a lotto team and we just give away next year's 1st rounder?

The rox better be major players in trade talks with their oh so valuable exception or I'll be ****ing pissed.