CD didn't teach Dream all his moves and you know it. Emotions are so raw around here that my sarcasm detector is way out of whack, but CD did work with Dream until CD finally gave up pretending he could tell Dream not what to do. I don't believe T-Mac's done, I believe Yao's just entering his prime (as real centers tend to do) and it seems all I'm seeing is either "fire JVG" or complete denial about what he's done here. Funny how some are willing to lose T-Mac or Yao just so JVG can be right at the expense of Alexander, CD, Morey and any player. I just don't remember this level of vitriol here when Rudy "left". My only guess is that JVG has brainwashed this city, this bbs and even casual Rockets fans. It really hurts, just as it does JVG, but we need a "window" more than we need to "win now" and the blame needs to be more about hope than disgust. We could just blame Les as Clutch has...
I would not be surprised. JVG is extremely controlling. He likes to be in control of everything on the team. He made sure Barkley would not be hired as a broadcaster last offseason. His interfering in players management is well known. Vspan talking about management/coaches inconsistencies makes sense too. Gundy has had this problem while he was on Knicks too. Fued with GM. Wasted away all their lottery picks and future on old decrepit players. As for Yao's moves..... Is it a coincidence that once JVG came onboard, Yao stopped showing creativity on offense as he had in his rookie year? How many of you remember these famous words caught on tape at the end of the regular season... "Yao! Just turn and shoot." Those are his words caught on tape, not mine. Wow. Just wow. When your center already has minimal lift, and is predictable as it it, do you have to yell out in front of your opponents exactly what you want him to do? That's what Gundy and Ewing had been working on most of the time. Turn around jump shot. If Yao said all that, all I have to say is... WAY TO GO BIG MAN!!! He realizes that there are problems and he is not afraid of speaking up about them. My respect for him went up a lot. Why? Because HE CARES!
Wow... Wouldn't expect Yao to say all this if JVG was staying...maybe the players know more than we do...
CD was or is a noted big man coach and was credited with developing Dream. Also if he hadn't been struck by lightning he was in line for the Rockets head coaching job that went to Rudy.
Those criticisms by Yao, if true, sound like things that would usually be kept in-house, but if JVG really is gone, then he felt okay to let them out. Interesting. When I read that I couldn't help but remember the "Vince Young has healing power" sound byte from 610. I really hope Yao and Hakeem can hook up this summer for some one on one time. (Not that way you pervs )
good to see confirmation that yao know's he significantly slower than he was before. it's hard for me to gauge this team when i know we would have steamrolled utah had we had the pre-injury yao and the yao that i suspect will be back next season. i love van gundy as the coach here and i don't want him to go, but i'll understand it from both sides if he's not here next year. we definitely need some roster tweaking but i don't think we're as far off as most people. we've seriously just had terrible luck the last couple years. as far as new coaches, who out there is even remotely close to van gundy? the only guy i'd be pretty optimistic about would be adelman.
Very good post. I agree we are not that far off. A power forward who could bang and rebound would have made a world of difference. This is a very good team that is competitive. Yao will return in top form. I have mixed feelings about Van gundy and see that he has problems making in game adjustments- but he is an excellent detail man and our defense is among the best in the league most of the time. Some, but not all of the problems are on him. I am not a JVG hater- I respect him and think it would help the team if he were back next year.
Thank you for an excellent post- no sarcasm here. I agree- CD had less to do with HAkeem Olajuwon development than did Moses Malone at Fonde or Hakeem's extreme commitment to self improving some aspect of his game every summer. It would be ridiculous to "blow up" this team. I hope T-Mac and Yao are here for a longer term. I would get rid of VAn Gundy before losing either of these players. I am not a Van Gundy hater- but I still do not get some of the hostility from JVG Zealots--i.e. -BAtman Jones -"shoving it in our faces that Van Gundy is an elite coach" . I am in the middle with Van Gundy. I appreciate his attention to detail. I will never understand how flat the team came out at the half in two games. they were dead-no intensity and lost what could have been won. We have an elite defense, but Van Gundy has trouble making in game adjustments we see other coaches making. I would rather face Sloan than Don Nelson-based on Van Gundy -in game adjustments.
If I remember that game correctly, that was just the guidance Yao needed because he kept turning the ball over by dribbling or holding on to it too long.
yeah...brainwashing is the correct argument. this team is what it is. 2 really good players and role players. The problem people have is that they assume 2 superstars can win...and they can. They flaw is that maybe they just arent superstar players. They are dang good and have potential to be great, but at this point they are not.
During that 9 second span, the Rockets players on the court appeared to be in full panic mode. It should have been a forgone conclusion for so-called professional basketball players to know to foul in that situation without having to wait for the head coach to tell them to do so. That was on them, not JVG.
I'll say it again, this paper will never report anything bad about the coach because it's a suck up media outlet.
Dude, you had the 4th & 5th seeds playing each other. This was a case of two evenly matched teams going after one another. There is no way you could argue that one team held that much of an advantage over the other that the Rox should have won going away at 4-1. It went 7 games because both teams were so close. You had two defensive minded teams going after each other's weak spots. This is the playoffs and in the playoffs it is your weaknesses that ultimately do you in. The Rockets failed to match Utah's intensity in game 7 and wilted at the end when the game was on the line. That's all you can say about what happened. To assert anything else would be to engage in self delusion.
You argument is soo weak. if one player forgot to foul, you can say he was in panic mode, but how about two? It had to be JVG's order for a trap rather than a foul. And don't forget they had a timeout right before that play. Even if JVG didn't order the trap, wasn't the coach's responsibilities to remind players to foul then? How could a well-coached team all freaked out in the most critical possession and forgot to foul the opponents? What did they do during that timeout? Standing around and staring at each other? There is really no excuse, Hillboy. The failure started from the coach.
no excuses....except the coach ruined it . it is possible for 2 players to be in panic mode. At smart players make smart plays in crunch situations. The coach doesnt have to tell them every little thing to do. you're argument isnt all that strong either. still, it should have never even got that far. the game was basically over anyways. How about play some defense and make some shots when you have a 5 pt lead???
Clearly it was the coaches decision. He was standing right there as they trapped the ball and never did he once scream out to foul. I personally didn't see it as the worst decision he made on the night as trading free throws for shot opportinities is almost always a losing proposition. But it didn't work and that in itself was another result of ineffective coaching.
