Lopez Opening Fire on Les for Wanting a Better Coach

Wow, that's by far the most emotional post I've ever seen from you, and believe me I mean no offense with that statement.

But I'm completely on the other side of the argument. I said around the all-star break that Les should just make JVG a public offer and if JVG didn't want to take it -then fine.

It does appears to me JVG didn't want any offers until this season played itself out and I think it was the smart move on JVG's part. Maybe Les was hedging his bets also - 4 years is 4 years - but I don't think JVG and the front office were on the same page about personnel and another loss in the first round has been traumatic for everyone.

But I've been following this franchise since they've been in Houston and I've never seen a "corporation" try so hard to minimize damage to human beings and protect their own the way they have.

I don't understand what you you're expecting of Les here. JVG may prefer it that they both agree it's best he does't return. Les may want to re-negotiate (in JVG's favor) a 1 year deal and that won't cut it.

Regardless both men need to seriously think about this and I wouldn't be surprised if there was some doubt floating around in all quarters (especially with a rookie GM coming in).

As a Rocket's fan the franchise is more important than any coach. If you want to trash Les and a new coach next year for playing young players and experimenting only to have another 1st round exit, you will do it very well.

Heaven forbid that we might need to take a step back to win a ring(s) 3-5 years from now. Ironically gaining home-court and still losing isn't significant except when JVG says it is, or is not relevant. I'm glad you're past it. I'm not.

 

"He has culled the organization of thugs"


wait what? who's a thug? uhh yao? tmac? if bonzi's a thug then mj is black. (jackson)

and JVG did a great job keeping the team afloat while yao was gone, and mainly he got tmac, jho and deke to play well again. (granted he didnt really play deke much... REBOUNDS MAN REBOUNDS?!!) o well no need to beat a dead decayed horse.. anyways he's a great coach but we really need to add an offensive mind here. we all know our team can play defense but when we give up that much on defense we have to make it up in offense. all in all we need help and we need it bad.

 

I'm not offended. This is nowhere near the most emotional post I've made in the GARM or any of the forums here.

I completely disagree on a "public offer". Why grandstand? Any past or present discussions should be private. For Les to put JVG on the spot like that during the season would actually be hostile, counterproductive and distracting to team matters. If JVG and the front office aren't on the same page, he must go. The coach must fit what the franchise wants to do. Various public statements by Les and JVG since the start of the season indicate (IMO) they don't like each other. This marriage is over.

On winning 3-5 years from now: Tracy is 28; Yao will be 27 in Sept; Shane will be 29 in Sept. Tracy is clearly in decline; just look at this season and playoffs vs. 2 years ago. Yao at 29-31 years old? Optimists say he will be reaching his peak then; realists say he won't be any better and may be even slower than he is now. He also has the Olympics in 08, which could significantly affect his performance in 08/09. Therefore, I think the Yao we saw to start this season and next season's Yao are the best Yao will ever be. His injury problems the last 2 seasons are also troubling to me. Obviously in 3-5 years Shane will be exactly what he is now except a step or two slower. The window is closing on the Yao/Tracy era. Unless the talent and athleticism on this team is upgraded quickly, it's over. If our key players were Boozer and Williams (ages 25/22) or Gordon, Hinrich and Deng (24/26/22) a 3-5 year plan would make sense. Instead, the Rockets are like the Lakers, who have piddled away 3 of Kobe's prime years, including the last 2 with PJ as coach. If this was 04/05 a 3-5 year plan would make sense. But the 07/08 season will be starting in 6 months.

I will be fair to the Rockets this summer and next season, but the microscope will be on them. The bottom line will be results. I have no problem with the new coach playing and trying to develop younger players more because JVG's rotation was too tight. I'm just saying he had better be a superior coach and whatever plans the Rockets put in place better show signs of working. If the team declines and doesn't show promise for the near future it will be ugly around here and I will be among the more polite posters. Like with JVG now, it will probably get so ugly I will decline to post on it often because the venom thrown around here will get very nasty and reasoned discussion will be impossible. Lopez's column is just a small taste.

 

Rudy's performance over his last 6 years was worse than JVG. I mean you say Van Gundy took over a playoff ready team, but the fact is that it had been 4 years since they had been in the playoffs and they lost in the first round the 2 years prior to that. Rudy had a losing record over that stretch. While Rudy was coach we had a TON of bad contracts. Kelvin Cato, Moochie Norris, Glen Rice, Maloney, Price, Mo Taylor. Add the poor drafting that resulted in Yao being the ONLY draft pick still with the team from the Rudy era. In fact unless I am forgetting someone, Yao is the only player period from Rudy's tenure still on the team. Don't forget the Eddie Griffin debacle that happened one year prior to JVG taking over which contributed to us having nothing to show for all those losing seasons outside of Yao.

JVG did do a better job than his predecessor when comparing the last 6 years of Rudy's tenure to the last 4 of Jeff's. The funny thing is that many of you hold Jeff accountable for our current roster being too unatheletic, but don't hold Rudy accountable for horrible drafts and a salary cap mess that gave Jeff few options to change the roster. If anything the one constant is CD and he is retiring, so that is a moot point now.

I'm extremely thankful that Rudy was able to lead us to two titles, but lets not go overboard with the rose colored glasses. I'm also not completely against JVG leaving for another coach. I just think it depends on who that coach is, rather than thinking that any change is going to be an improvement.

 

What Lopez is saying is that the organization no longer has any thugs (Eddie Griffin?), Van Gundy "culled" (removed) him/them.

 

Not ROSTER is unathletic...but ROTATION is unathletic.

We have athletes, they just aren't playing.

DD

 

1 guy on the bench could be considered athletic, or at least the athletic type that we talk about in reference to basketball...and thats snyder. You know, the cast away from 2 other teams that has next to no basketball skill, just raw athleticism.

 

I have a question, How much did Lopez get from JVG for writing this article?

 

Do you really think that les is going to fire JVG? Look how long he stuck with Rudy who was a solid 5 years past his prime as coach.
How about Showing CD the door and not trying to keep him around in some made up stupid position? After all this is the man who brought us Moochie Norris,...twice. Instead of beatifying him we should realize he is the problem that has brought us such a onflowing river of crappy players.
Sure Jvg needs to go, but do not stop there.

 

good observation

hopefully Les fires JVG without any consideration..

did Les have any problems with Rudy, I mean did he ever critisize him in public?

 

CD is gone anyway, he's retiring. Sure he had bad moves, but I think overall he made more good moves than bad moves...in the trade department that is. Drafting though...that is another story...

Let's hope Lindsey keeps Morey in check and not go overboard with moneyball only scouting

 

DaDak, I think you've acquired your own personal bbs stalker. Though I rarely agree with you I think I hate this guy (and I'm not a hater). But I also think I'm going to have to stay cool, because I think it may be JVG's wife.

I'm so conflicted.

 

Yeah, It is ok Donkey feels the need to try to refute my takes on JVG, too bad it is all in vane.

And if it is JVG's wife, she needs to get over her fear of Rookies.



DD

 

glad you referred to them as takes, b/c thats all they are. takes with no real thought placed into it, just dribble.

sort of like you 'take' about the switching zone defense...brilliant. real basketball genius

 

This is why I'm cool with Morey because I really trust Lindsey (he found Boki and Span) all those bad picks before were Rudy's guys because CD would allow Rudy too much power.

 

Of course they are opinions just like yours, this is a FAN board, a place for honest discourse.

This is the equivalent of internet talk radio.

I have never said my opinions were more valuable than anyone elses....I believe you are just as big a fan as me.

You are just dead wrong about JVG and his lack of a zone to protect Yao.....IMO, of course.



DD

 

That is true. Always the same. No talent to make trades with.

 

right. the difference is that some opinions actually have legitimate reasons not just personal preference. But if you dont want jvg hre, just b/c you dont "like him" fine. thats understandable.

But dont try to use basketball arguments, when they just arent very good.

 

You mean don't use them becaues you don't agree with them....therefore you arrogantly call them bad.

Of course, there many ways to coach and play basketball, and some of the coaches run a zone, some don't, some run motion offense, some don't, some run a lot of PnR....etc...

It is all just the type of play you appreciate or like. I can NOT stand JVG's offense and I think his defense is easy to beat over the course of a long series, as he never makes adjustments.

Sometimes it is more than just "Try harder" or "play with more energy" sometimes it is about adjustments, which is something JVG is very poor at...IMO of course.

DD