Van Gundy out By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports May 6, 2007 Unless Jeff Van Gundy has a change of heart about wanting to continue as coach, he will not sign a contract extension and stay as with the Houston Rockets, league sources said. This has been a decision that Van Gundy has considered for months, something he has discussed at length with his wife, Kim, and his closest confidants. Van Gundy turned down a contract extension in February, an offer which came too late considering how little confidence the organization showed in him after the 2005-2006 season. After that 33-victory season in which his team was decimated by injuries, Van Gundy associates said he was taken aback by a volatile meeting with owner Les Alexander, who blamed him for poor attendance and a doom-and-gloom attitude that made it difficult to market the franchise. Van Gundy would've signed an extension then, but he was told to enter the final year of his contract. Once he delivered a 2006-2007 season that made him a top coach of the year candidate, more than one extension offer was made, but he told management to wait until season's end to discuss his future. The Rockets' season ended Saturday night in a Game 7 first-round loss to the Utah Jazz. Now, Van Gundy has all but decided to leave the job after four seasons. His family is comfortable in Houston, and sources said he has no interest in pursuing other coaching jobs and moving again. His future could include a return to TNT as a television analyst. Van Gundy has had some heartbreaking playoff losses with the Rockets, including Game 7 defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and Jazz in two of the past three seasons. Nevertheless, Tracy McGrady has played the best all-round basketball of his career under Van Gundy, and 7-foot-6 Yao Ming has made significant strides toward becoming one of the league's most dominant forces. Houston hasn't drafted well, nor have they signed significant free agents in his four years as coach. Still, Van Gundy resurrected Dikembe Mutombo and Juwan Howard for productive seasons, and found a way to maximize the limited potential of Chuck Hayes, an undrafted player, as his starting power forward. Daryl Morey, who takes over for Carroll Dawson as the Rockets' general manager this offseason, told Yahoo! Sports recently that he had hoped to re-sign Van Gundy, and said that he believed it worked in the Rockets' favor that Van Gundy had "the best talent he's had in his coaching career" with the Rockets. "He's the best coach that I've ever played for," McGrady said after the Game 7 loss. "I have a lot of respect for him. I hope he's back." Van Gundy would be a sought-after free agent, but he recently told Yahoo! Sports that his wife and oldest daughter, Mattie, do not want to move, and Van Gundy said he has no interesting uprooting his daughter when she's so happy with school and friends. Considering that Morey's background is in statistics (he's a former colleague of Bill James), it would make sense for the Rockets to include Van Gundy as a peer when it comes to player personnel, but Alexander hardly seems inclined to do so. In fact, the Houston owner has told friends in the league that he wishes the Rockets would play a much faster style, like the Phoenix Suns. With Yao as his franchise player, and one of the most un-athletic rosters in the Western Conference, it's hard to understand why a coach would try that with the Rockets. As it looks now, Alexander will get the chance to find his man. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-vangundy050607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Here's a new article from Yahoo Sports Van Gundy out By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports May 6, 2007 Unless Jeff Van Gundy has a change of heart about wanting to continue as coach, he will not sign a contract extension and stay as with the Houston Rockets, league sources said. This has been a decision that Van Gundy has considered for months, something he has discussed at length with his wife, Kim, and his closest confidants. Van Gundy turned down a contract extension in February, an offer which came too late considering how little confidence the organization showed in him after the 2005-2006 season. After that 33-victory season in which his team was decimated by injuries, Van Gundy associates said he was taken aback by a volatile meeting with owner Les Alexander, who blamed him for poor attendance and a doom-and-gloom attitude that made it difficult to market the franchise. Van Gundy would've signed an extension then, but he was told to enter the final year of his contract. Once he delivered a 2006-2007 season that made him a top coach of the year candidate, more than one extension offer was made, but he told management to wait until season's end to discuss his future. The Rockets' season ended Saturday night in a Game 7 first-round loss to the Utah Jazz. ADVERTISEMENT Now, Van Gundy has all but decided to leave the job after four seasons. His family is comfortable in Houston, and sources said he has no interest in pursuing other coaching jobs and moving again. His future could include a return to TNT as a television analyst. Van Gundy has had some heartbreaking playoff losses with the Rockets, including Game 7 defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and Jazz in two of the past three seasons. Nevertheless, Tracy McGrady has played the best all-round basketball of his career under Van Gundy, and 7-foot-6 Yao Ming has made significant strides toward becoming one of the league's most dominant forces. Houston hasn't drafted well, nor have they signed significant free agents in his four years as coach. Still, Van Gundy resurrected Dikembe Mutombo and Juwan Howard for productive seasons, and found a way to maximize the limited potential of Chuck Hayes, an undrafted player, as his starting power forward. Daryl Morey, who takes over for Carroll Dawson as the Rockets' general manager this offseason, told Yahoo! Sports recently that he had hoped to re-sign Van Gundy, and said that he believed it worked in the Rockets' favor that Van Gundy had "the best talent he's had in his coaching career" with the Rockets. "He's the best coach that I've ever played for," McGrady said after the Game 7 loss. "I have a lot of respect for him. I hope he's back." Van Gundy would be a sought-after free agent, but he recently told Yahoo! Sports that his wife and oldest daughter, Mattie, do not want to move, and Van Gundy said he has no interesting uprooting his daughter when she's so happy with school and friends. Considering that Morey's background is in statistics (he's a former colleague of Bill James), it would make sense for the Rockets to include Van Gundy as a peer when it comes to player personnel, but Alexander hardly seems inclined to do so. In fact, the Houston owner has told friends in the league that he wishes the Rockets would play a much faster style, like the Phoenix Suns. With Yao as his franchise player, and one of the most un-athletic rosters in the Western Conference, it's hard to understand why a coach would try that with the Rockets. As it looks now, Alexander will get the chance to find his man.
I don't know he was about a minute away from fulfilling those expectations. They also won 52 games without Yao for the most part and nabbed HCA. – First time in ten years that happened. This team wasn't very talented from top to bottom. It's basically been two on five since Mcgrady arrived and I can't really say that part is on Jeff.
man, i usually dont agree with dada on a lot of issues, but you're totally out of your element buddy.... you see vspan, in fairly limited playing time, after only one season, and are ready to call him "garbage?" the fact that you say it with such certainty implies that you have absolutely no freakin clue as to how good he can become... superstars, especially foreign ones, are not made overnight. how bout you give it more than, let's say..... ONE SEASON before you jump to such (baseless) conclusions.
I do. He's been 'off' a few times (I challenge you to tell me who hasn't), but he did break more than a few insider accounts in the past. I think people dislike him because of his persona; he's aloof, loud and obnoxious...very New Yorker. That's precisely why I am a fan of his...
Ok, he would bring a more exciting, offensively pleasing game but, can we win a championship with him? My pick is Mario. I believe he can bring the best of both worlds for the Rockets. A bulldog defense and much better offensive sets. Plus, he's won championships. He knows what it takes. Second plus, he would galvanize our fan base and bring the excitement back to Htown! Bring in Super Mario!!! Please!
Les is an idiot if he wants to play like the Suns. If he does, he should just trade Yao away. Do you see Pat Riley playing like the Suns with Shaq?
The firing of a coach is never great news. It means some tough times ahead in a transition. Also, the entire assistant coach staff will be fired and their families uprooted and moved somewhere else...
If Les wants the team to play a faster style then that screams either an experienced guy in Adleman or perhaps rolling the dice on some like Marc Ivoroni of the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets can play up-tempo with Yao. That doesnt mean back and forth, but more getting the fast break going after defensive stops. Get guys at the 1-4 spots to get up the court and FINISH on fast breaks for easy points.
Whether the rumor is true or not, I'm fine if JVG stays for another year. He's has my respect even though sometimes I wish he could be more fexible in player rotations & game plans. Nonetheless the season was quite exciting from a fan perspective, at least to me (can't speak for everyone).
the big change for LB coming here is that he won't get the kind of control in personnel that he had in NY
