JVG's whole theory of offense since day one has been all about dumping it into the post to score or kicking it back out to the open shooter. When all esle failed put the ball in T-Macs hands and let him do his thing. Well now there is no TMac and no Yao Ming. Just like last season right? WRONG! Unlike last year, this years team still has players that have talent and are capable offensive options. Bonzi Wells, Shane Battier, Juwan Howard and Luther Head are all good offensivelly. Chuck Hayes and Dikembe Motumbo can both play good defense and both can rebound, Chuck even has a little offense close to the basket and in transition. Rafer can hit the long ball and supposedly run the fast break. JVG may have to find a way to work in the long ball, sharp shooting threat of Steve Novak to add some extra offense...which he can do. This team may not be a threat to contend in its current shape but there is still plenty of talent to wade water or at least play around .500 ball until TMac and Yao can return. This is when a coach proves his worth. Last year JVG had an excuse when Yao and TMac went down. This year we get to really find out what kind of coach he is. Kirk Snyder should even be back in a couble of weeks so if JVG is not capable of holding this team together until Yao and TMac can make it back after the allstar break then IMO he certainly is not the right coach for the Rockets!
I agree JVG could afford some offensive flexibility, but he won't, especially now. Someone said earlier that he'll make games more slow and of less possessions, and I completely agree with that. If you were bored by his offense before, prepare to be put to sleep.
?? sometimes I think crash5179 is following the Rockets and knows what is going on...sometimes I don't know. dude, Yao and TMac went down AGAIN this year...uhhh. yesterday in fact (Yao). did I miss sumpin...or do you just want to start a thread today.
I think he meant there is not one good player left when Yao and Tmac both went down last year. This season is different cus we still got good players like Battier and Wells even though Yao and Tmac are out again. And Snyder will be back soon. So. JVG should be able to hold this team together until Yao and TMac return if he is a good coach. I think is too much to ask for Battier and Wells to carry the team right now. We are going to be screwed if Tmac not coming back soon. I'm not even worry about Yao this season, I'm more worry about if there will be any long term problems with Yao's new injury. If Yao can be 100% in 2007-8. I'm already happy.
okay, well if the mavs,kings,and suns play no defense then why do they year in and year out always go further than the rockets in the playoffs? and why did the mavs SPANK the rockets by 40 in game 7? if the rockets play worse defense than those teams, then the rockets have a loooooooong way to go becuz the rockets offense isnt in the same league with these teams,if you think defense wins championships then lets trade yao for ben wallace,and see if we can win every game 61-60.
The Kings and Suns have not made it to the Finals. The Mavericks made it to the Finals last year only after ditching Nelson, and Johnson putting more emphasis on defense. The Mavericks have been the top 10 in defense for OPP FG% the past 2 seasons. This has enabled them to go further than the Suns and Kings. Before those 2 seasons...well... you know how that went... ;-) Now, they are a contender to win it all, instead of missing the finals every year.
jvg should focus on keeping the team motivated and playing hard d he should bring in someone for offence though cuz his sux.
All championship teams have BOTH good offense AND defense. You have to be either great on defense and have a good offense to compliment, or great on offense and have a good defense to compliment. Arguing which is more important is just silly.
It does make sense to do so in this situation.. Less possessions means less mistakes.. Slow pace also means less mistakes. Without Yao and Tmac, the Rockets lack talent(its the truth!), so each possession must be maximized -- none of this sloppy play resulting in a fastbreak the other way aka 10-0 run in a split-second! Let's also remember most of our players, including Luther, are still inexperienced.. The "Run and Gun" style will NOT work for us.. We'll get run out of the building! Even though our individual defense may lack, Our TEAM defense is solid and that's the only thing that will keep us in the games.
this is quickly becoming untrue! dude is 2nd yr. he is improving. and I can see it in his midrange game. watch the games. Don't make me sic Rockets2K on your ass.
So you are saying that you would prefer to have Brunson, Bogans and Bowen starting? What were they? The Rockets version of the killer B's last year? You don't think a second year Luther Head, Chuck Hayes as well as the addition of Bonzi Wells and Shane Battier to go along with Juwan Howard gives the Rockets a much, much better chance of competing than last years squad? Really HP, did you bother to read the post before you responded? IMO we still have enough to compete while Yao and TMac are down. We just need JVG to be a coach and figure out how to utilize the talent that we have.
I love reading these posts about how JVG's sole offensive set is "dumping it into the post/Yao". Then reading the same exact people go on about how Rudy T would be the ideal coach for the Rockets. LOL! Guess what, Rudy T did the same EXACT thing when we had Hakeem.
I totally agree with you guys!! I was actually just about to post a thread on it a second ago...lol... The Pistons have shown year after year that winning isn't *all* about talent. It's about tough gritty defense and team-oriented offense and getting easy baskets. They have two championships without even one superstar. If Van Gundy is a good coach, he will be able to put together a good offense that incorporates the talents of our players. We still have a pretty good team despite our superstars. Our record should be no less than .500. Our team doesn't look too bad when Kirk Snyder returns... Alston/Spanoulis/Lucas Head/Snyder Battier/Wells Hayes/Novak Howard/Mutombo The only position that has me worried is center because Mutombo is the oldest player in the NBA. If we shore up some of our trade exemption and get a post player, we should be just fine. This will be a good time of development for Novak and Spanoulis to develop. The strengths of our team are 3pt shooting and fast break offense. If our team can truely learn to get up and down the court getting easy baskets, we should be immediate contenders when we plug either TMac or Yao into it instead of relying heavily upon isolations. The best teams are ones that are flexible enough to overcome big losses. This will be a great test of our players and the basketball IQ of Van Gundy...
Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed, and Ben Wallace are all better than any player we have on the team outside of Yao and McGrady.
