I'm not as worried about our offense as much as OUR FRICKING DEFENSE!!!! That is JVG's Specialty I thought it would be easier to install than a NEW Offense. Rocket River
RR, I agree. Count how many times Francis puts his hands in his defenders face during a shot. It doesn't happen very much. Why? Because putting a hand in an opponents face would actually mean that you were guarding them close. But if you are close, it's possible that they can drive by you. So you have to actually be on your toes and play some real defense. But that requires hard work and an expenditure of energy. And we can't have that! Noooo....
OKAY, WHATEVER YOU SAY DUDE!!!!! BUT STEVIE, GRIFF, BOKI, ET AL AREN'T REALLY GOOD DEFENDERS. I DON'T THINK JVG CAN WORK MIRACLES OVERNIGHT!!!!! WHO IS TO SAY A DEFENSE IS EASIER TO IMPLEMENT WHEN THE PLAYERS WONT/CAN'T PLAY A LICK OF IT???????? GO ROCKETS!!!!!
Thats Jeff Van Gundy's speciality? so its the coaches fault the players aren't playing perimeter defense? Last I heard its the players who are held accountable for playing defense, not the coaches.
Im not worried bout the D, JVG will take care of that. Im worried bout that shooting percentage. Shouldn't be so low esp when u have Yao down low. Serious tweaking needed......
Hopefully the D will improve, I'm slightly worried about the lack of intense D these past few games. But then again we don't have very many natural defenders, 'cept for Mobley sometimes, and maybe Jackson.
I don't know about you all, but what concerns me more than the offense and the defense is the special teams.
JVG teams will play good defense. It's a given. There's no doubt about it. Offense is what we should focus on since we were a good defensive team last year anyway. I'm confident that more defensive pressure coupled with Yao, MoT, and Cato averaging close to 50% shooting will take this team to 6th seed. That's a very efficient frontcourt.
what concerns me is that Nova changed his signature. my bbs enjoyment level just dropped a notch. c'mon Nova. bring back the classic!
Rocket River is correct. There is a chinese article quoted Yao saying (before the hornets game)"the most pressing matter that the team needs to work on right now is defense" He also said JVG is focusing on it right now. http://sports.sina.com.cn/s/2003-10-14/220073879s.shtml
What are the coaches held accountable for then? I just don't understand this post, we know its the players' jobs to execute but you wrote this like the coach had no responsabilities.
pgabriel- thats the way you interpreted it. let me try again: the coach has to have a good defensive philosophy and plan but the players still have to execute it. are you following me? are we on the "same page"?
i think in all the JVG v Steve crap, it got completely missed that alot of the criticisms the JVG was throwing out there most them were directed at the defense, all the playing hard stuff is about defense, the quote about having to use Wilks, Steve and Mooch for transition defense was a big dig at the team's defense. jvg is goading the defense just as much as the offense in his comments in the last few days
JVG can only do so much, the players have to meet him halfway. Kinda like a dumb student being tutored. You know how annoying it is to tutor somebody and they keep screwing up b/c they don't do their homework?? that's how JVG prob feels right now. I don't think the team really listens or is committed despite getting a first class new arena and unis. And it doesn't help when we physically don't have any defensive bodies out there cept yao and cato, everybody else seem like little kids compared to other teams (WEST). At every position besides center, we just look smaller, slower, skinnier, and unintimidating. Egrif (pink panther IMO) guarding Dirk, mailman at 40+, cwebb, rasheed, KG, duncan??? what a joke!!! sorry dude you belong in the CBA. I hope rox make a significant trade soon, b/c the reality is this team does not look like a CONTENDER and everybody knows it, they'll be scratching for 8th again. TOO BAD we didnt knab the SPREEwell.
We need to do something!!! [Maybe Special Teams means. . . REBOUNDING . . .. Where is that coming from these days?] Rocket River
