For the record, I do know that Rome isn't built in one day and that it will take time for any team to adjust to new changes. I didn't expect the Rockets to win a championship THIS YEAR anyways. I give JVG 3 years in Houston and if he takes the team to the Finals, I'm sure he will become GM and take total control of the Rockets and mold it to whatever way he wants. I just think he needs to re-invent himself and become a BETTTER coach than his days in NY. I give him credit that he is a hard-nosed worker and I don't think ANY coach looks at more game film than this guy. However, I just think he's a little old school. This isn't the same NBA anymore and his old school ego-driven coaching style just doesn't work with these types of NBA players. I said this before the season started and I still believe that unless JVG changes too, it's going to be a long road. Say what you will about Rudy, but in my opinion, he knows how to change. He wasn't perfect but he worked hard and tried to change and adapt to the NBA Environment. A great coach can inspire, adapt, and re-invent a team. We've seen flashes of inspiration with the rockets this year and we've seen a new attitude on defense, but I don't think JVG has learned how to adapt and don't think he can adapt with his ego. Time will tell and we'll see if he can INSPIRE, ADAPT, AND RE-INVENT.
While I don't feel JVG has done anything to help our offense so far, I honestly feel that our offensive problems were evident last year too. For months during the offseason while the majority of you preached about how we needed to toughen up our defense, I said that our defence was already pretty good last year and we need to put more emphasis on scoring more effectively than we did last year. I pointed out stretches where we could not find the rim and sometimes go 4 or 5 minutes without a hoop. This year it has only gotten worse. I just don't understand why you take a team with a pretty good defense already, and an anemic offense, and replace Rudy T with a defensive-minded coach instead of an offensive-minded one. The defence wasn't our main problem last year, the offence was.
Rich...20 games guy...20 games. All the problems the Rockets have this year, they had last year: Turnovers, inconsistency, lack of focus, etc. If you change coaches and the problem still exists, its time to change the players. In my opinion, I would rather win 88-85 every night than to lose 120-115. When we weed out the weak ones, this team will be a lot better. By the way, when Jeff was taking his teams to the playoffs, the West wasn't the better conference. The East was. He was the coach from 95-01. During that span, they went to the playoffs every year, ran into Jordan 3 of those years and lost. The other times they lost in the second round except the one year they didn't make the playoffs. What have the Rocks done since 1998? Nadita!! (very little in Spanish). So, can we give the guy a chance? With his track record, can we do that? Just got here. Can we just hold off pushing the nuclear bomb button? Gracias.
Almu- No disrespect but besides Jordan's Bulls, the EAST was NOT the better conference than the West during 95-01. How many teams in the East could handle being in the west during that span? 2 or maybe 3? During the JVG era in New York since I live up here and had to watch this team night in and night out, was the most ugliest team to watch play. He also coached when the NBA had different rules than today i.e. Zone defense. Also, his players were all closer to his age and his generation than the players he has today. This is the first time in his career he had to deal with a generation gap. It's a lot easier to deal with people in the same age group than dealing with one, two, three generations below you. That is why I think he's philosophy is OUTDATED i.e. Pat Riley. I'm not saying to FIRE JVG because I know that ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. I said before the season that I hate him because he is an egocentric old school outdated coach. Unless he changes with the times, lighten up a little, learn how to ADAPT, INSPIRE, and RE-INVENT HIMSELF, he's NOT going to get through to this new NBA GENERATION.
Yao Ming say: Tiger can not change stripes. JVG is horrible. The defense isn't better. He didn't put in any defensive plays. It'sthe same old zone. All we did was put JJ in, have Yao from the get go, and we were forced to play Cato at PF which made the D solid. That's not JVG. That's Cato and JJ. Everyone else is the same. The zone is the same. JVG has no plausible O. He needs to go coach Miami with his brother. He is turning a group of players designed to play west ball into Miami. He is stuck in the past tortured by the fact he couldn't compare to Pat Riley. Get rid of him.
well, we arent getting rid of him this year, so why dont we all just deal with it. we still have a somewhat young team, and yao is still adapting to the nba. give it some time people. stop being so impatient. patience is a virtue.
JVG isnt the problem here imo. If you watch the offense closely, there is nothing really fundamentally wrong with what JVG is doing. The offense is based on making multiple passes and trying to get the best possible shot. The problem occurs when you have an inept PG and an even more inept backup PG that are extremely indecisive and dont have a clue where to go with the ball. JVG's mentality is all about keeping the number of possessions in each game at a low number and making the opposition really work for its points. A big reason the scores on both sides of the ball are very low is that JVG absolutely does not let the opponent run up and down the floor on his team even if that means completely abandoning the offensive glass. I really dont have an issue with this b/c this is how you win in the playoffs. The Spurs play a very similar style of ball and have very good results out of it. The difference is though, the Spurs have more efficient offensive talent in Parker/Ginobilli/Duncan. Develop a good halfcourt offense, have a top 3 or 4 defense and absolutely do not let teams run up and down the floor on you, thats the recipe for championship success. I honestly cant remember a Rockets team that has played better transition defense than this since the two championship teams. It may take an eventual clash between Steve and JVG followed by trading Francis, but the Rockets have the right man for the job. I am very happy with the way JVG is developing Yao and extremely happy with Cuttino's transformation this season under the new coach. Mo Taylor has also become a very efficient offensive weapon and Cato has played very well in his role. The problem right now is Steve's ineptitude at running things and that is really hurting this team.
Uhm ya ok, there is no need for a "Save JVG" group because there is absolutely 0% chance of JVG getting fired. You can keep hoping and wishing though.
Tell me about it man...there are always all these "save..." groups flying around here. At least we got rid of all those "save Glen Rice" whinners that plagued us last year. God that dude sucked...
What plays did Francis ignore. Were Francis and Mobley not the centerpiece of Rudy's offense till last year?
They were the centerpiece, but Rudy's intention was not for them to walk the ball up and then dribble it until there were 5 seconds left. If you remember, some people posted about how Rudy had to continually go back to remedial training. Not unlike how JVG had to have a couple of practices just to learn "the basics." I don't think they ever executed what Rudy wanted.
Rich, you keep referring to ugly. What does that have to do with WINNING? You think that the Rockets in 1994 played pretty? Holy crap. That was as ugly as it gets. Olajuwon was the only "pretty" thing to look at. The year after was a different story. But who cares about ugly or pretty. I just want defense and championships. Offensive teams only go so far. How pretty was the Spurs last couple of years. It was like getting your teeth pulled watching them play. Its one of two things that is eventually clear. We either play with a defensive minded coach and a team that refuses to adapt. Or we play with a team that wants to do what they want or play schoolyard and we bring in John Lucas to coach. One or the other.
Third option: The team revolts and implodes and they clean house. It isn't looking good right now coach-chemistry wise... The honeymoon appears to be over.
Keep in mind that Steve is someone who likes it his way. This guy demanded that the Grizzlies trade him as if he wasn't good enough to live in Vancouver. Is everything we are seeing now unexpected? I bet his Maryland coach wanted to kick Steve out too. They won the NCAA championship the next year.
