Star-Ledger: Van Gundy's new To-Do list will keep him busy

Van Gundy's new To-Do list will keep him busy
Sunday, June 15, 2003

BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff

You don't doubt for a second that Jeff Van Gundy knows what he's getting into, because this is a man who does everything with meticulous preparation, the lone exception being his daily choice of wardrobe.Having stated the obvious, you do wonder whether the Rockets know what they're getting into, because Van Gundy is going into this job with a laserlike focus on what he has to do with this team -- specifically with regard to its style of play and its roster makeup.

Okay, we'll come right out and say it: We hate the way the Rockets play, and they have more players whose games we cannot stand. And if he is honest with himself, Van Gundy undoubtedly feels the same way.

This isn't about his coaching style, which is a proven approach, if not a textbook example of how to win with flawed rosters. It is about getting an utterly clueless, impossibly young nucleus to learn on his timetable and having the leverage to make changes if the players do not meet it.

"It's going to be interesting to see how he feels things will work with this team," his boss, Carroll Dawson, said. "That's why we're getting a lot of film together for him. He has intensity to win, but he finds the right button to push for each team."

About that film stuff: Van Gundy said that before he makes up his mind about anything, he is going to watch every minute of every game the Rockets played last season. Typical. But probably a waste of time.

What he will discover is that he has inherited a team with enough physical talent at the skill spots to compete with anyone in the West. What he will also learn is that none of them really know how to play, and it will come across with painful clarity before he gets through his second or third videotape.

At the top of his list of Things To Do, after he hires a staff:

1. Discipline. He'll make it clear to every player how to conduct themselves as professionals, because they don't know. Some have grown used to Rudy Tomjanovich's laid-back methods and have abused it to an absurd extreme in terms of their practice habits. With Van Gundy, they'll come early and leave late, or they'll be left behind.

2. Defense. It will take them one day of training camp to recognize that there will be a system for the first time, and if they don't adhere to it, they'll be of no use to him. He is a hard man with whom to negotiate a second chance. Guesstimate: More than 80 percent of the first two weeks of camp will be dedicated to putting in his defense.

3. Establish Yao is the Man: As Van Gundy put it, the best thing about Yao Ming is that he wakes up every morning at 7-foot-5. Such a weapon cannot be limited by the amateurish whims of two guards who don't like to post the ball regardless of the physical mismatch staring them in the face. He'll demand 30 touches per game, minimum.

4. Bring in a point guard: It's nothing he has said, but Van Gundy values point guards who pass first and shoot second. It is the primary tenet to his overall coaching philosophy. So, a hunch: He will tell Steve Francis that he sees him as a shooting guard, and try to convince management to make a move for a traditional point, such as Eric Snow -- a doable deal, if Philly wants to bring Eddie Griffin home.

5. Changing the culture: If he fails to enact No. 4, he'll have to find a way to get Cuttino Mobley out of the starting lineup, because he will impress his coach as a player who is far less interested in winning than he is in padding his stats. Mobley would be a good choice for sixth man, but he'll start pouting the moment they change his role.

6. Getting the Franchise on his side: If he fails to enact No. 4 and 5, he'll have someone do it for him. If Van Gundy has a singular talent, it is attaching himself to power. He will build Francis up as the leader of the team, he will have him at the top of his game, and then he will stand by with a safety net on those nights when Stevie starts to break down.

Francis is undoubtedly one of the five most talented hybrids in the league, but he has to be comfortable with his role, and Van Gundy may have a sales job to do here.

 

http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59634

Tricky title got me, sorry...