I reckon you could fit all that on one page. On a serious note: I say we let JVG finish what he started. Its not like we can just call up Rudy or PJ and they will come running. Rudy may never be the same health wise and might understandably decide that hes achieved everything he can in the game and call it a day. PJ for all we know may be re-hired as Lakers coach tomorrow or will take the Knicks job. I don't see much of a draw here in Houston for him unfortunately. Brown is old, SVG is unproven and no other contender springs to mind. Give JVG another season at least and the criteria should be a yearly improvement in playoff seeding. If this isnt met then we will have to call time on the aging ex-knick experiment and get a coach who can coach offense, scout well AND coach defense. Is this too much to ask for?
Oh and p.s. Is all the Rudy bashing necessary? Last time I checked he was a Rockets legend and always will be.
No bashing intended. I love Rudy, always will be my coach and has the heart of a champion. But I don't know why we forget so quickly that we all were ready for something to change when Rudy had to step down. Nobody liked the way Steve and Cuttino used to seem to play the game however they wanted and ignored alot of Rudy's decision making. Alot of fans felt Rudy's love for his players was being abused. And that Steve and Cuttino needed a coach who wouldn't put up with their clique. So we got what we wanted. Next we trade for TMac and so we are off rebuilding a championship team. No knock on Rudy at all. JVG needs better players still and Rudy would too. I don't think it is bashing to see that Rudy's success was tied to getting the right team and chemistry to play with Hakeem. The same goes for whoever we have playing with Yao and TMac. In fact I would call having both Yao and TMac about even with having Hakeem in his prime. That is one trade I would make today. Just face the facts that Rudy himself admitted that Hakeem made him a great coach and he was grateful. That is no knock on Rudy he certainly is every bit as good a coach as JVG and he was excellent at finding chemistry. But without Hakeem don't think Rudy would be the legend he still is in my heart.
I'm sure Rudy will never coach again. Well, maybe in 5 years, if he is SURE he is well. JVG and the Rockets will be fine. They still need to make about 2 more major trades before they can make a run at a championship, and Yao has not nearly arrived at his potential. You just don't go changing coaches so frequently, especially when you are talking about top coaches. If you are the dregs, and get the lesser coaches anyhow, maybe you can do that, but if you change top coaches every 3 years, the top coaches will stop wanting the job.
Incorrect. Caliber: Quality, a degree of worth Championship-caliber can then be applied to any coach who has led his team to the brink of a championship, which in any reasonable estimation would include any coach who has taken his team to the NBA Finals. Larry Bird, Jerry Sloan, Byron Scott, George Karl, and Jeff Van Gundy fit into this category. If we are going to alter the definition to "championship-proven" coach, then Lenny Wilkens fits into this category by virtue of his 1979 title with the Sonics. But you can take the Wilkens of 2005 and I'll take the JVG of 2005 any day. My championship-proven lineup: C- Luc Longley F- Bruce Bowen F- Elden Campbell G- Derek Fisher G- Jared Jackson I'll take them any day over T-Mac, Yao, Sura, Wesley and Howard. What a bunch of no-championship losers!!
Well as much as I like Rudy and want him back as coach, I think JVG needs to stay for at least another year. He needs to work on the Houston Lineup and give Tmac and Yao and maybe a couple more players some defensive minds first. Once that happens I want Rudy or Phil jackson to run the show. Rudy knows how to bring out the best in guys and allows voices of opinions to be heard. JVG is the dictator type and will eventually exhaust our players mentally and physically. Give it a year and then let a players coach like Rudy that people would love to play for take the reigns. He knows how to run a big man's offence. He's done it for years and is probably the best at it. We can send JVG to LA and see if he can man handle Rapist number 8.
Sorry, I like Rudy and would prob enjoy rooting for one of his teams more. But JVG has earned his spot for now. He is a very competent defense coach ... undeniable. Our offense struggled seriously at times last year. Problem: we didn't play smart, we didn't play team offense. We had a big trade and the offense struggled. He changed personnel and the offense, now it could be argued that ... at times .... we are the 2nd most efficient offense in the league. I've had high hopes for JVG, but not high expectations (I never cared for the Knicks play under him). His adaptability far exceeded my expectations and maybe is starting to match my hopes.
