NY Times: JVG on Defense, including how to stop Yao

And I like his analogy of boxing match, getting into defensive stance first, not to take punches.

Now, as a head coach, he does sound like a guy that never plays at the highest level, but knows a lot theories.

 

dare i say it, bring back jvg??

 

JVG is one of the most knowledgeable basketball minds today and that is due to his constant studying of the game. I admire him for that. However, Jeff has not been an elite NBA head coach. He's among the top 15, but not in the top five. Basketball knowledge alone does not make a great coach. It has been obvious that JVG lacks certain qualities such as real-time in game adjustment, flexibility in managing the personnel, etc. Jeff is obvious a bight guy and I hope that he has learned from his mistakes in Houston and become a better coach in his next coaching job which will come very soon.

 

JVG is a smart cookie.

The problem with JVG as a head coach is not due to his lack of knowledge, but due to his constant micro-management of the game. Rox is flourishing now, partly due to better players, but partly due to his willingness to let the players think and react on the fly.

A player who has to get a direction everytime from JVG can't react fast enough. Hence you often see JVG's team falling behind without being able to react and counter. By the time JVG's taught them how to do it, it was usually too late, as the other team already built up huge lead (still remember game 7 with Dallas?).

Yao is probably the most efficient low post player. But JVG believes it and uses it ALL THE TIME, making it way too predictable. It is much easier for other teams to counter when it is predictable like that.

 

That call absolutely blew my mind. He almost said it in a panic - like if he were actually coaching the Mavericks he would have been jumping up and down on the sidelines screaming at Dirk to get on the other side and take Bass's place. And just as soon as he says it, Kobe grabs the offensive rebound.

 

Agree. I wrote my sig at the begining of this season.

 

always being the coach of a team that is under talented.

 

JVG proved he was smart when he got into Yale.

JVG proved his passion for basketball when he dropped out of Yale to attend community college so he could play basketball.

he's a genius... this stuff is a whole nother world to me.

 

Not if he watches game film all day long.

 

i know what you're talking about...and honestly thought of the same thing myself when i read this thread. its possible to be nerdy and be knowledgeable about/be a fan of sports at the same time!!

 

"And yet defense is still critical to a title: 34 of the N.B.A.’s 61 champions led the league in scoring differential, a defining defensive measurement. By contrast, just 10 champs have topped the charts in scoring."

Wow that's such fallacious reasoning. It's not even that tough a topic to put into layman's terms either.

 

JVG's problem: worst, time, management, of any coach, ever??? 12 hours a day of watching tape is more than enough. Get some sleep big guy, it does wonders for you.

 

He also pointed out his preference for fouling the opposing team immediately when they catch the ball when leading by three so that they cannot get off a three pointer. He said Phil Jackson did not follow this same approach and what do you know, Lakers don't foul and Dirk sends the game into overtime with a three.

 

JVG FOR PRES

 

Smart guy. Now if he weren't so stubborn we could've taken off.

 

LOL ... that is pretty stupid.

 

Nice find

At first I thought it was some college basketball reference, but then my comic book geek powers kicked in.

 

Wow. Great stuff. Bumping it for those who missed it.

 

You can say all you want about JVG...but he definitely knows his stuff especially when it came to defense. And plus I think the guy is freakin hilarious.

 

I like Ricky's defense of pushing the man with ball to the baseline in pick and roll situations instead of letting them go back to the middle of the floor. This tactic cuts off 3/4 of the floor and limits operating space.

JVG preferred having the big man show out top and forcing the man with the ball to go high, but left them in the middle of the court with more options.

I believe our defense is better.