I think Van Gundy could really use a right hand man right now on the bench with him. Rudy always had Larry Smith to chew out the players when they weren’t focused and play the bad cop to Rudy’s good cop. That way the players still liked and wanted to play for Rudy, but they still had someone to discipline them in Larry Smith. Van Gundy’s trying to play both roles and it just doesn’t seem to be working with this group. Ewing could have been that guy, but it doesn’t seem like that guy takes his job seriously at all. He’s too busy partying with the players till 3am. Gotta get someone to take some of the heat off of Van Gundy soon or else they're going to start tuning him out and hate playing for him.
Just heard on 610 News Flash that JVG had cut short on today's practice because the team was "not focused".
I never said that, I said you need to move on because the organization has. But he's not so when are you going to get over it. Maybe it is, maybe its not, I'm sure if he cancelled the shoot around just because of Francis he would have annouced it. But since this involves THE ENTIRE team, it has nothing to do with the missed flight.
It obviously doesn't matter when I am getting over it. But you seem to think cutting short the team's shoot-around had nothing to do with what happened before. Right.....
pgabriel -- when a player shows he's bigger than the team...or at least he thinks he is...you don't get over it...you get rid of him when a player shows he has little respect for the coach's authority...you don't get over it...you get rid of him when the player lies to the media...just lies outright..to make the coach look stupid...you don't get over it...you get rid of him once he's gone...then you get over it.
So you're gonna get rid of him because of one off the court incident. That's great wisdom. Especially when mister tattle tell Van Gundy hasn't said anything about him not buying into the system. One incident over 4 and 1/2 years of hard play is how you're going to make that decision. That's ridiculous. And don't tell me about what Francis has said, point out that he's selfish on the court.
Again, one incident has nothing to do with the other, he didn't tell Steve to go home, he told the whole team.
Cutting practice short can't solve the problem IMO. The guys must be made to go through hard work but if they are not motivated then it's a bad sign. I don't think JVG wants to quit but he gave up on the Knicks for the same reason so I won't be surprised if he decides to leave in the future if things don't improve quickly.
Probably the shoot-around didn't go well. JVG could either cut it short since it is not serving any purpose, or punish players by doing it 3 hours until he is satisfied. We have a game tonight, it is better not to exhaust your players in the morning.
I think thats weird, there is so much to do.. watch film discuss strategy, it doesnt always have to be tough practice but the players do need to pay attention. I hope JVg is instilling discipline in these babies. Im getting tired of over paid atheletes thinking they can do whatever they want and not be responsible for their actions. Sometimes I get so tired of their attitudes I wish I was a fortune 500 CEO and bought the Rox team just so I can make them play BB for my kids to watch and learn from. J
I would not get rid of him because of one off the court incident. Actually, I think the incident would be very minor if he apologized and everyone could move on. Who cares if someone is late, stuff happens, and that's it. But as you very well know (or should, if you are not blind), this "one off the court incident" is part of a lingering problem, as has become very clear by the statements Francis made to the press since the incident happened. The "one off the court incident" is not the problem, it is Francis' overall attitude of which the incident was only one expression.
this one incident is the culmination of all the criticism that francis has taken for the past few seasons. he's the lead gunner on a team that has underachieved...a team that hasn't been among the top 16 teams in a 30 team league since he's been here...a team that doesn't share that has not shared the ball well at all in the past few seasons... with a point guard who makes no one better. i've defended him in the past...but if the message you're sending to the team is that you're bigger than the team, then you're history.
The team has been in the top 16. If you include the whole league. Come on now, at least be factual if you're going to talk about getting rid of people.
Look SJC, I understand that Francis looked very immature in this case. And if you want to be upset, I understand. I have no right to tell you what to think. But I just get tired of people acting like this team is the Trail Blazers. This is not a bad group of guys.
Hmn. Who knows why JVG cut practice short? I might surmise that JVG and Steve cannot coexist very well, but each still has a job to do until Steve gets traded. Did Steve show up and not listen to what JVG was preaching? Did he blow off (so to speak) his coach and just wing it? At which time JVG said, Forget this. Steve Francis is more than a little in love with his celebrity and I don't like it much. Arrogance is fine if you're a winner. But his comments when he came back ("I don't want to make anyone [re: JVG] look bad"; "I was voted most popular player in Houston") don't put him in a better light at all. When Steve is traded, others will be included, because as Steve goes, so does the team; and their loyalty, while understandable, might make them unmanageable when the team's semi-rotten core is removed. What we have now is a near-complete breakdown of that uneasy truce reported in the Chronicle. When Steve said earlier in the season, "I'm not going anywhere, [JVG's] not going anywhere" and "Jim Jackson told me this is what it was like in Philly when Larry Brown first arrived, the way he and Iverson butted heads") did not auger well. I give Steve credit that he did try to adjust. It's just a matter of never being able to reconcile Steve's freelance ball-dominating style with the inside-outside game. Passers and jumpshooters, that's what we need.
