Have you read the quote or seen it? He wasn't yelling, he wasn't doing anything other than answering a question. If Yao would have had 10 blocks and 5 steals, he would have answered differently.
Good post. This is exactly my take about this. I don't think JVG is ripping Yao. I just doubt the wisdom of voicing that expectation when Yao was obviously giving all he had.
Joey: Wait a minute. I know you. You're Yao Ming. You play basketball for the Houston Rockets. Roger Murdock: I'm sorry son, but you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Roger Murdock. I'm the co-pilot. Joey: You are Yao. I've seen you play. My dad's got season tickets. Roger Murdock: I think you should go back to your seat now Joey. Right Clarence? Captain Oveur: Nahhhhhh, he's not bothering anyone, let him stay here. Roger Murdock: But just remember, my name is ROGER MURDOCK. I'm an airline pilot. Joey: I think you're the greatest, but my dad says you don't work hard enough on defense. And he says that lots of times, you don't even run down court. And that you don't really try... except during the playoffs. Roger Murdock: The hell I don't. LISTEN KID. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was in China. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Shaq and Duncan up and down the court for 48 minutes.
Man I just don't understand the criticism of Yao lately. Like Charley Rosen bashing him with a quote about a large bannana??? He is playing the best basketball of his career. His numbers are as good if not better than all the other bigmen in the league. He has absolutely NO help whatsoever. I mean come on... J Ho... Alston... oh and a decent udersizerd rookie who shoots inconsistently (I still love Head). What are these people smoking? THE MAIN POINT OF ALL THIS ISH!!! THERE IS NOT A PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE THAT COULD DO ANY BETTER WITH THIS SUPPORTING CAST. ESPECIALLY AGAINST A TEAM THAT IS 2ND IN THE WEST AND PLAYING THEIR BEST BALL IN YEARS. LOOK AT THE DALLAS ROSTER. TAKE AWAY DIRK AND ADD YAO... STILL A HELL OF A TEAM. NO ONE PERSON COULD WIN WITHOUT A HEALTHY TMAC IF THEY ARE SUPPORTED WITH THE SAME NUCLEUS OF PLAYERS. NO ONE!!!
JVG's focus now is probably more on developing/pushing Yao to higher level on BOTH ends of the court than winning games, and I can't blame him. Yao's development is the ONLY bright spot of this season.
Of course Yao has lost respect for JVG. Why would a coach embarrass a player in public if he could still be effective in private? If a coach is calling out a player in the press, it almost always means that all private channels to that player are closed. Are there any players still happy with JVG? (Other than his pets Juwan and Rybo, of course.) All the role players are clearly too stressed to make the open shots they've been getting. They clearly see their coach being out-manoeuvered, game after game. And now their star player gets ripped in public after a huge effort. How much respect for the coach is left? My feeling is, not very much. Bye, JVG.
I have enough confidence in Van Gundy that he is not pulling rabbits out of the hat with the media on his players. I'm sure his feelings about Yao and the Rockets had already been expressed to the players before any press conference or interview with the news media.
Where are these quotes that support your statements? You see that's where people lose me, everyone sits there and say that JVG has lost the team and blah, blah, blah....however....where are the quotes? Where's all the negative talk from the players??? If JVG has lost this team then why would the players be "scared" of what he thinks? They would just do whatever the hell they want to. I've seen what happens when player and coaches lose touch with each other and there is spouting off on both sides, right now I don't see real friction aside from people wanting to turn little comments here or there into major issues which they aren't
Well, as you've probably noticed, I don't have a whole lot of confidence in JVG anymore. If he were still able to communicate with Yao in private about defence, there would be no need to repeat the statements in the press. Doing so only causes hard feelings. But JVG did it, and to me that smacks of desperation.
I didn't think the statements were inflammatory. Obviously, they probably weren't. Yao is a mature man. If that is all he ever had to worry about as far as public criticism, I'm sure he'd take it everyday. Jeff is just pushing him to be better and more of a factor defensively since he's doing all he can do offensively. I've heard similar type criticism coming from Pop directed to Duncan. It all depends on the player's maturity level.
Doing so only causes hard feelings....if you're a WUSSY. Are you saying Yao is a wussy? I don't think Yao is a wussy. He's a big boy, he can take it...
No, I'm saying Yao is human. Only a clown enjoys being embarrassed in public. JVG is a smart guy (in some ways) and not a sadist; why would he knowingly hurt someone in public unless he had to? My conclusion is that he had to: because there was no other way to get Yao's attention.
Yao wasn't "embarassed". Your coach saying he expects even more should never be embarassing for a professional athlete. Gimme a break. If Van Gundy said he doesn't expect a better effort from Yao on the defense end and on the boards, I'd be dissapointed.
Well apparently in the Chronical JVG took a shot at Rick Brunson. On ESPN there is a couple of quotes Brunson gave about wanting to coach Temple next season, and how he doesnt care to play NBA bball anyhow. I guess Jeff feels his only tool to "motivate" is to praise the scrub Bowen, and take shots at everyone else. I wonder if he does have the players ears besides all of the depressing post game quotes
Dude are you being serious? Brunson talked about his dream job of coaching Temple From the Chron: Call him Coach Rockets guard Rick Brunson said he would like to pursue the Temple coaching position even if it meant ending his NBA career after this season. The position became available when John Chaney announced his retirement last week. "I've always wanted to be a college coach, whether it's this year or three or four years from now," Brunson said. "That's my goal. "I've never had any desire to play in the NBA. It's just evolved. I always wanted to be a coach. People have the misconception (that) because I'm playing basketball, that's what I do. Coaching is my thing. I enjoy coaches; I respect coaches; I've studied a lot of coaches. It's to coach Temple. That's it." Brunson never has coached but said he is not worried about changing careers. "I don't know what's ready, what's not ready," he said. "We're all a work in progress. You go get great people around you and hope for the best. Was Avery Johnson ready? He's doing a great job. Was Doc Rivers ready? Danny Ainge? We can go down the list." Said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy: "I just want him to be a player. What he does in the future, I'm all for. He'll be a good coach. "I'm more interested in his pick-and-roll coverages and getting a defensive rebound sometime since he joined us."
Oh, man, THAT TEARS IT! JVG must go. I can't believe he could say something so EVIL. No wonder all the players hate him and leave practice every day in tears! WHEN WILL THIS VERBAL ABUSE STOP??? When Yao walks in to CD's office in tears and demands a trade?
But why make the demand in public. If JVG could get what he wanted from Yao by speaking to him in private, why would he also go public? No: it was a deliberate cut, and JVG did it because he had no other way.
Bull$hit. This kind of public outing causes hard feelings in any one. The determination of someone is a "wussy" is how they react to these hard feelings. If he's Latrell Sprewell, he ends up choking the coach. If he's Yao... well, so far, he stays quiet and tries to work harder, but he won't shed a tear when JVG gets kicked to the curb. Seriously, what has JVG achieved in Houston? Has he brought anything to this team that anyone here respects? Note that for all the reasons given for Yao's resurgence... no one has ever mentioned JVG's coaching and game plan.
