Van Gundy has the second worst fan appreciation Level of all the NBA coaches. http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/sportsnation/ratings?seasonYear=2006&seasonType=2&week=11 I didnt see this posted but if so, please lock it up.
i think those aproval ratings state the obvious....we are 4-11 with a team that everyone expected to contend for one of the best records out west. his rating should be low, he's done an awful job even with all the injuries.
Abe Lincoln could be coaching this team right now and he'd be down at the bottom. 4-13 kinda does that. Houston seemed to LOVE the guy when the Rocks were in the playoffs last year and he was battling with the league over officials.
I haven't seen Van Gundy miss a single open shot or commit a turnover all season long. How can you coach guys to not miss layups? Or to not get injured?
If you just want a contrasting view, JVG runs a stifling offense that isn't much fun to watch and and his Deputy Dog act though humorous doesn't really inspire the fan respect of someone like, say, Pat Riley. I admire his work ehtic, attention to detail, and focus on defense but I can't say he's my ideal coach. (Have you kid's ever seen a Deputy Dog cartoon?)
Not trying to start an argument or anything, but did you happen to watch the 2nd half of the season last year?
if tmac respects van gundy, then who the hell takes "posters" like EDC seriously. honestly, EDC or Tracy Mcgrady? laughable.
I did not want JVG hired- I am ok with him now. He is an excellent defensive coach. I like many fans had high expectations for this season -I thought with the talent he added that we would be better than last season's run at the playoffs. Disappointment breeds contempt. I expect improvement and changes. Let's see if we are above .500 by mid January-6 weeks. I think we wil be. If Tracy is healthy that is. Tracy will run our offense, and with lock down defense preached by JVG we will prevail.
I get Deputy Dawg and Huckleberry Hound mixed up. Deputy Dawg was dind of sad? That's OK. Huckleberry hound seemed kind of dumb though- not cool....
If memory serves me correctly JVG told the fans not to get their hopes up too high because he wasn't sure if this group would be as good as all the hype claimed them to be. Just so I'm clear with this.....the media and the fans get themselves all worked up into a frenzy based on the potential of some of the players added to the Rockets squad in the offseason. Then when the players don't live up to the perceived potential layed out by the media and fans the coach is to blame? Yeah thats intelligence personafide. So I guess its the coaches fault that Swift sleep walks half the time he is on the court, or that DA take some ill-advised shots or make bone-headed fouls? Or maybe its the coaches fault that T-Mac hurt his back or that Yao still gets bad calls on him from the refs? I for one wasn't that pumped up going into this season. It had the potential of being a great season IF everything worked out as we hoped. And now that it has not started out so good we get this after the first month......typical!
EDC must really get under ya'lls skin. I am not backing him, but he hasn't even posted on this thread and he got a mention twice. Anyway back to the topic. I knew something like this would happen (4-11) and now that (I hope) it is over I am some-what releaved. I like JVG ,but the way he talks to all of us Rocket fans through the media dosen't exactly make you want to be his best friend or even get you hyped. It actually brings you down. I guess he is trying to level it out ,so no one thinks we are going to "win it all". At the end of this season I am sure all of our views will change and at the begining of next season they will change all over again.
No problem. Droopy Dawg was the name of the character, though some of the funniest cartoons were when he when he he was the droll, depressed Deputy. Hukleberry Hound was the "Dean Martin" character - was cool, and never worried about much - and no matter what trouble he got into he always emerged unscathed. Bact to topic I'm just getting sick of everyone equating any criticism of JVG with and edc post. If anyone doesn't agree with any criticism, great, then fire away. But people criticizing JVG deoesn't mean he's not a good coach or should be fired. There's definitely a "method to his madness" to any criticism he gets and we'll all be able to see how this ends up and which criticisms may or may not have been valid. JVG's figuring out what he has and how to get the best out of this squad for the long haul. Having said that I haven't been happy with many of his decisions thus far - and that's not missing a shot, not grabbing a rebound, or missing defensive rotations. I think a lot of people here are emotionally missing their old high-school coaches and love JVG's no-nonsense doom and gloom. But this is the NBA and a coach's fate can hinge on one player's opinion of what's going on. As JVG clearly states (via Parcells) you are what your record says you are. So he's currently a 3-11 head coach and ironing things out. It should be alright to criticize him here without anyone being called a YOF or even a JVG apologist.
The folks wearing the Mr. Van Gundy-colored glasses have their own opinions, and are welcome to them. The guy's track record speaks for itself. As to the thread, *based solely upon this season*, Mr. Van Gundy is ranked where he should be. Based on his career in Houston, or his entire head coaching career, he should be higher. Middle of the pack somewhere.
hate is kinda strong for my feelings about Gundy. More like frustrated - great tech coach, strangles the offense and the fun, says a lot of things that piss people off. Just the kinda guy to get rollercoaster type ratings: up when the team wins, and right back down when we lose.
JVG is a great coach if the players he has on hand fit his system. Making players adapt to his system is a totally different history. Also, even if players want to adapt to his system, it might not be feasible in all cases. For example Yao seems to try to adapt to his system, but he is 7.6 and I don't think anybody with his size will be confortable coming to the top or the arch to cover point guards. In my opinion a good coach adapts to the talent on hand and put a system around that.
We have the best coach in the NBA. What other coach would almost get into a brawl with Rolling Stones Security?
