Don, Many people view this bbs as a place to talk among friends. So, what I have posted here is exactly that - something that I would, and have, said to friends. If you don't like it, I'd prefer if you would just ignore the post and move on. But that's your call.
K., this will be my last post on this subject, because personal pissing matches in threads are boring to most everyone else but the participants. First, I am impressed with your collection of quotes. You must have a lot of time available. However, I'm not impressed with your amateur psychology. Equating grown men, making millions of dollars per year with children is a poor correlation, in my opinion. FWIW, psychology was my major for 2 years, before I switched to something with more substance. If all this negativity is bad, why don't you hear complaints from former Knicks, who played for Van Gundy far longer that a partial season? Rudy kept things behind closed doors and protected the players for years. The results of that approach were not good, either in the short run or long run. Finally, you did a great job being specific as to what you consider Van Gundy's negative quotes. How about answering my question as to when you would have traded Francis, if he doesn't come around?
Hi Moe, thanks for the compliments. I don't believe I'm participating in any sort of personal pissing matches though. I'm just trying to participate in some enjoyable discussions about the Rockets. Go back and read my posts, and you'll see that I've been trying to encourage you to refrain from personal insults and to focus on the discussions instead. I commend you for making progress in that department. In terms of my quotes, it only took me about 10 minutes to locate the articles on the web, scan through them, and then cut and paste the quotes into my post. I do have a little more free time on my hand than usual, as I am preparing to take step 2 of the US medical licensing exam at the end of the month. In terms of my level of experience in psychology, I do believe that I'm a bit more qualified than you are to comment on it. I was a biology major and psych minor in college. I have also taken courses in psychopathology and clinical clerkships in psychiatry in medical school. Even though I don't plan on specializing in psychiatry in the future, I do have an appreciation that concepts as simple as operant conditioning and positive/negative reinforcements are very relevant in the real word and have very practical applications, such as in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders like addiction, anorexia/bulemia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. But these principles are not just limited to the medical world or to the world of children and animals, as you implied. These concepts are pervasive in our every day lives and influence the behaviors of everyone, from the diehard Rockets fan who experiences the ups and downs with each win and loss, to the dieter who fails to keep up with the program. Contrary to your belief, operant conditioning applies to adults just as much as it does to children. With regards to JVG, the quotes in my last post prove my point that he is overly negative, be it after a satisfying win or a blowout loss. And it's a fact that not all of his former players love him as much as, say, Patrick Ewing does. The former players either just keep the feelings to themselves, or it doesn't get as much press as say, Sprewell-Carlesimo, Webber-Nelson or even Ewing-Nelson. I continue to be of the opinion that if JVG is unhappy with the play of his players, that he should fulfill his duty as a coach, and either work with them to get better or to trade for players whom he can work with better. He should stop b****ing and moaning about his players' shortcomings and how they resist change until that happens. And don't deny that too much negativity is detrimental to the team. How would you like your boss telling the world several times a week how much you suck and how miserably you fail to shape up, even after you've had a productive day's work? With regards to trading Francis, I believe that if JVG really feels that he doesn't fit into his system and never will make enough changes to do so, then he should unload him right now. Even though his trade value has declined since last season, he has played relatively well of late, and will fetch a couple of good team players.
Have you ever been to NY. This guys oozes optimism, he is just in the wrong place and it gets misconstrued....
Riley, I feel for yah. I propose schedule 10 lakers against Rockets (take out Spurs, Mavs, Indiana, and Minnesota, Doze off after the first quarter). Those are always entertaining. If both teams are in the playoffs, they must play each other. NBA ratings would sore, ka ching for Les, and everyone is happy. Ah we can dream can't we?
I like the stuctured offense. I like the anti-ISO system. I like the team based passing-offense. And lastly, I like the hard-nosed defense. But I hate the slow down offense, i.e... I hate the "run the clock down" offense. I hate the "stand at the top of the key until the 24 second clock gets down to 10 seconds" offense.
