"There are little pockets of resistance." JVG Comments

I'm sure this has been pointed out, but I didn't take time to read all the posts to see. If Steve has been playing the same way for five years, and we haven't made the playoffs during that time, do you think it might be time to change it up some?

 

I think MacBeth said it best. I have no idea why some of you are acting like anything good can come of trading Francis. While I see cause for concern and understand the frustration, it is way too early to even consider dealing him. Some of you are being plain foolish if you think we're going to get anything near in value in return for him. The peices may fit in with the scheme, but only through a severe talent downgrade, something that will take us even further away from our goal of a championship. I'm glad some of you weren't the GM when Hakeem couldn't get his act together, or Rony Seikaly and a young Glen Rice would be in our record books. Let Gundy and Steve duke it out for a while before you take drastic measures.

 

That's ugly. But I agree with what JVG did. Since it is inevitable conflict between a life-long ONE ON ONE player and a team-oriented coach/player and it will happen sooner or later, so let us deal with it RIGHT NOW. We have two weeks to solve the problem. It is much better than season starts, we go 0-4 and everything going into mess.

Also remember what Rice said last year? I am sure Rice was also very upset about the way Francis/Cat was playing. Actually no new teammate can stand be ignored on the court all the time. Rice is a nice guy, but I am not so sure about Jim Jackson (one of the famous three J ), Pike and AG.

 

Of course you would say that. You have never said anything different. I t doesn't matter that the coach who you were glad to see take his place totally disagrees with you. You are closeminded to any other possible options. So say what you will but it is just another opinion. And between yours and JZVg's opinion I choose JVG.

 

Andre Miller and Carmelo Anthony? In a second...and only that long because I'd have to account for my sudden intake of breath. I'd throw in Cuttino, and maybe more, and still count myself lucky.

 

Trading Francis is the last thing we should do now.

It's only the last option. But if we don't make the play-offs. God help us!

The poop will hit the fan!

 

At least with Hakeem they were getting along fine by the end. I think the problems there were minimal if they ever existed. With Barkley they did butt heads, but again the problems weren't anything that couldn't be overcome.

Let's not blow things out of proportion.

I don't know what the problems with JJ and Francis are. Let's see how it works out.

 

Shred??? You didn't even make sense.

 

Francis, Eddie, and Mobley for Miller, Anthony, and Nene! But I don't know...just wait for the season to start first! Most lockerrooms probably have disputes and trashtalking...it just doesn't spill out like now!

Wait for our team to be injuryfree and more accustomed to JVG's sytem.

To me...Jackson and Francis are sort of similar. Can't coexist! Add Mobley and Taylor with them! Dogfight!

 

He doesn't have much of a reportoire in his bag of coaching techniques if he's resorting to the final blow after 4 preseason games. No wonder he quit mid season.....

 

I agree with MacBeth when he said that if we have to trade Steve we will be lucky to get half his value back. Despite Steve's shortcomings at PG we would be a far worse team without him.

Some people seem giddy to be rid of Steve, but I think a better option would be to keep working on his game, and the JVG's concept.

To me it all boils down to:
Without Steve we are in deep trouble.

With the same ol' Steve we are on the border of the playoffs.

With an improved, team concept-Steve we are a contender.

 

Jackson would be better coming off the bench like he did last year for the Kings. I dont like having so many scorers on the floor at one time. He'd be some instant office off the bench when Mobly or the Small forward rested.

 

The new sheriff in town has got to set the tone and looks like coach is doing just that. Gotta love it!

 

You are full of XXXX. Quit posting BS. What you are saying basicly is that you are smarter than 99% of the professionals in the Basketball world. Only if you still have a brain capable of thinking, you will see where my interpretation comes from.

 

In the last 4 years (not counting the injury riddled season) the Rockets have performed at our better than most of the preseason basketball magazines predictions. How is that underachieving.

Of course no coach would have let them get away with that... My point is that Rudy did manage to alter thier one on one style in spite of what you might think.

Of course the team lacked identity. The teams new identity is Yao and he was not ready to take it, even moreso than Francis was willing to give it up! He was a rookie what did you expect!

I never said you were an impatient fan. I said impatient fans. Is your concious bothering you.

Actually Rudy's rep is as a players coach. Players have said they would go to war with him. They would love to win with him. The players that have left have said Rudy worked on things with more precision than the teams they went to. And that he listened to his players it doesn't mean he let them get away with murder or he had no discipline. There is absolutely no eveidence of that.

What is strictness. Is he making them run hours and hours of laps after practice. Is making Moochie bend over and whipping him for every dribble inside of 15 seconds on the 24 second clock. The fact is Francis and Mooochie or doing the same things and I don't see JVG pulling them off the court and I would have expected as much. Yes I believe he is more of a disciplinarian but the difference is not as much as you would like to believe and the players have already said as much.

My bad. You never said that but you certainly think we are an underachieving team and frankly I just believe the players on our teamof lately or just not as talented as many would like to believe. I just as many people have said believe Francis is overrated. Not because he doesn't have the ability but because he doesn't play with the smarts as a Bibby or a Kidd or Nash. He just makes too many mistakes that kill our team. Not to say he can't learn and he won't someday. But it's not going to happen overnight. And Yao started off as a disaster last year and improved tremendously under Rudy but he was not ready to take over as leader. perhaps this year will be different. But laast year he was a rookie he had moments but mostly played like a rookie.

As for the rest of the team where is the talent. You could argue Mobley but most everyone wanted to trade him Last year. Griffin just isn't there and MoT was coming off an injury. Posey was a defensive presence but just too inconsistent on offense. You could argue that Rice was our next best player and Utah just cut him for nothing. And no one else seems to want him.

So where is the underachieving talent. Where is the team that should have made the playoffs. I just don't see it. I see a team with a promising future because of Yao and maybe a few others like Francis if he can become more team oriented. Yeah they'll probably make the Playoffs this year but that iwill be more because of Yao's emergense and Utah's demise than anything else. And they would have made the playoffs with Rudy by the way. Anyway I digress but I think I have answered all of your points for now.

 

You know stuff is screwed up when Kelvin Cato is the team's effort player and the coach basically has to question the team's heart in the freakin preseason. Goodness...

Anyway, I think JVG is doing about the only he can do. We saw how RudyT's approach worked. JVG has inherited a team full of selfish chumps and he's fighting to get control of the team from the head chump. Rudy let Steve develop this idiotic attitude that he came into the league with and now it's gotta be dealt with to take this team to a higher level. So either Steve is going to change or this roster has got to change by moving Steve or replacing his enablers/followers on the team. One way or another stuff has to change.

And what is the deal with Nachbar? A slasher who can't slash without travelling? What the hell? What a waste.

 

Alter? Huh? When did that happen? Last year?

The only reason it wasn't as bad as the year before was because fans were clamoring for Yao to be part of the offense. The isos were more glaring with the addition of another option (Yao).

It was more about the situation rather than a conscious decision on Rudy to limit Francis and Mobley's clear-outs.

Minus, Yao, Rudy would have had Francis, Mobley and Moochie doing the same clear-outs as before.

Three years, same style. Enter Yao. Slightly different. But still stubbornly refusing to change. His friendship with Francis probably clouded his vision on the best way to win.

I honestly don't think that Rudy would actually have the heart to tell Francis that he wasn't going to be the focus of the team anymore.

No "evidence?"

How much more do you need?

 

It's funny how many of you guys believe you are smarter than Rudy. Listen to JVG. Yao got the ball about as much as he should have. Rudy did an excellent job. The Rockets problems were not coaching.

How can you not acknowledge his comments?

 

I agree with that. That's a different issue. Yao could do only what his body would allow.

But I'm talking about Rudy's impact on Francis game.

Rudy did not want to design an offensive that required more passing and team movement. He resisted! His whole career.

He just didn't know how. Add the fact that Francis was also weak in the PG department made it even harder.