Jeff Van Gundy was the guest on Sirius' NBA Tip-Off show at 7 a.m. (EST) today. Among the highlights: Bonzi Wells: Way behind because of injuries and personal problems. JVG hopes he can be part of the rotation in 2-3 weeks. Tracy McGrady: Had a great season two years ago because he had something to prove after being traded from Orlando. JVG thinks he lost his "passion" for the game last season because of the injuries, but says his health and passion are both in a good place now. Novak: Getting open shots in the pre-season "when teams don't put as much effort into scouting." Remains to be seen if he can get those same shots when the regular season starts. Also pointed out that Novak was drafted 32nd for a reason —*teams didn't believe in his athleticism, defense or rebounding. JVG thinks he can become a top 3-point threat in the NBA, but has to prove he won't hurt the defense by always needing to have his man double-teamed. Spanoulis: "Terrible" the first two weeks of training camp and pre-season. Has improved steadily since. Poor shooting and too many turnovers. Great penetrator, though, and JVG sees something he likes. Says Spanoulis may not be a part of the rotation when the season starts, but he expects him to contribute. Battier: JVG rejected the idea that Battier is his type of player. "You know who my type of player is," Van Gundy asked. "Dwyane Wade, LeBron James. I can live with Wade jogging back on transition defense once in a while." Still, Battier is a great addition. Provides "versatility" in being able to play either forward position and match up with the quicker power forwards in the NBA. Van Gundy also rejected the idea that Yao may not be quick enough for the NBA's new playing style. He said he wants the Rockets to be a "medium" tempo team, so that Yao won't get caught playing between the foul lines in an up-and-down game, and that when teams go small he wants Yao to be able to punish defenders on the offensive end. Enjoyable interview. Van Gundy still refuses to blame injuries for last year's disaster. He says poor shooting hurt the team more than anything, that they got the same shots they were getting two years ago, but just weren't able to knock them down. That's why they went out and got shooters in the off-season.
I hope so. I really like Scott's play lately. He seems like a good fit and really has something to prove here in Houston.
i think bowen is cut. sure he has a guaranteed contract but isnt it like 1 mil or less? i think the team is willing to eat that if it means getting a player out there that can and will contribute more to the team. Both Padge and Jacobsen have low $ contracts so it shouldnt be a money issue for them. I think bowen himself knows his days could be numbered in houston. The one thing ryan bowen has is decent lateral speed and he is decevingly quick, but you cant play 4 on 5 on the offensive end and his defense isnt ben wallace/artest-esque where you could justify him being a horrible offensive player
I'll laugh my butt off if Dallas signs him and Flyin Ryan starts pestering Yao the same way he with Jerk Flopinski during the playoffs the other year.
So, JVG basically said Novak is the Rybo reverse - can shoot the light out but still looks defenseless. So, the Rockets will be playing 4 on 5 on its back court when Novak is on the Floor.
