I have been thinking about which players have the potential to be helped by the style and tactics of JVG as coach as opposed to Rudy T. Here is what I think: Moochie - He needs to be put under pressure to perform well. He was a good, hard working player who could set up shots for teammates, and hit clutch game winners before he locked up a long term contract and got fat and slow. I think that JVG's attitude towards playing time (you have to earn it) will mean good things for Moochie. I nominate him for most improved player on the squad due to JVG's influence. Mobley & Francis - These two guys always work hard and should continue to. I think we can hope for an improvement from both of these guys on defense. JVG's pressure defense should work well for them because they are both extremely quick. On the offensive end, I hope to see fewer turnovers and fewer bad shots because of a more disciplined style. Of course this could backfire because their bread and butter has been isolations for so long. Yao - I don't think he will benefit much from the coaching change. He was a smart guy who played under control - that shouldn't change. I hope JVG uses him a little better so his assist numbers go up, but I wouldn't put money on it. One way or another, he should improve from added experience. E. Griffin - I have no idea. He might benefit from discipline. He might rebel against it. He might just be stupid and uncoachable. He might need a few more years to become a decent player. Taylor - Mature enough that I don't expect any grand changes in his game. The best thing that could happen would be for him to get scrappier on the defensive end. Hopefully he will return to pre-injury form at the least.
I believe it will be Francis. He's the vocal leader and says all the right things but his actions on the court contradict his words. I feel Gundy - and not just Gundy but his the rest of his coaching staff as well - will demand more out of Francis than any other player and I feel Francis will meet that challenge and go above and beyond their expectations and play the best all around basketball of his career.
Eddie Yao doesn't need Patrick. Eddie does. Eddie didn't really earn his minutes last year so much as he got them by default. He had several months where he didn't break 40% shooting. He has to be smarter and play better. I think he will improve.
I think we're gonna see MoT get a little more physical this year, and throw some of his weight around.
I think most of the people on this board have resigned themselves to the fact that Boki is a HUGE project, at least for this year and probably the next couple of years. He hasn't shown anything in the summer leagues, so we'll leave him on the end of the bench for now.
Well, if what HP said was true, about JVG making the youngins earn their minutes, Eggie and Boki may not get the chance to be "most improved". I might say Cat, only because JVG might convince him that concentrating on his D full time and limiting his touches on O might be a good thing. I can see Cat becoming everything Doug Christie is to Sac and more. Rich man's Doug Christie. PS - ISOs were not Cat and Francis' games last year at all. Not sure why people keep saying that.
I'm going with Mo Taylor. 2 years ago he was practicing his ass off to get in shape and earn his contract. Then of course he got hurt in a pick up game. Last year he spent his time getting back in shape and trying to get his groove back. If he earns the right to start, I can see 15 points and 7 rebounds from him. With that and the fact that Yao and hopefuly Griffin get a little bit better, I don't think we will be missing James Posey too much. We just replaced him with a equaly defensive player who will not demand the ball like James would; allowing for more touches for Yao and Steve.
codell - You must have an entirely different definition of ISO than I do. What on earth do you call Francis (and Mobley to a lesser degree) yo-yo-ing the ball trying to setup his defender with crossover moves as the shot clock winds down to under 6 seconds while EGriffin, Mobley and Posey stand planted on the weakside 3 pt line? The rest of the play consisted of driving into the defense 1 vs 3 and missing opportunities to pass to Yao. If trying to break the defender down dribbling (or backing in like Barkley) isn't ISO, I'd like to know what is. When they did dump the ball into the low blocks, the passer would clear Yao and head to the weakside 3 pt line leaving Yao with the ball and little clock left. In effect, a Yao ISO. By my definition, RT's whole offense was getting the ball to a player early in the clock and let that player go 1on1 with no weakside player movement (cuts to the basket). The whole thing smacked of ISO to me. Back on topic - JVG and Ewing will have a noticeable effect on Eddie Griffin.
Gater, Well first off, no weakside player movement does not mean its an ISO (there are numerous teams with efficient offenses who have no weakside player movment at all). Second, yes, the Yao passer usually did cut across baseline over to the weakside. Yet, (and maybe my eyes deceived me) usually a player at the top of the 3 point line would usually slide over to the strongside and give Yao a pass out option (or to reset an entry pass). I never saw Yao down on the block with 4 other players on the weakside. You left out a key point in your description of your play, and that is the fact that on almost every set, there was someone else on the ball handlers side of the court setting a pick (2 strongside, 3 weakside). ISOs, IMO, involve a clear out (basically everyone but the ballhandler getting out of the way to the weakside so the ballhandler can break down his man; this is a TRUE definition of an ISO). Call it a technicality, but the vast majority of plays we ran last year were not ISOs (unlike past years). In fact, even though I didn't watch every game of every other team in the league, I would guess that we ISOed less than most teams in the league. Whether its intentional or not, you are miss-describing excess dribbling off a set as an ISO regardless of how many players are on the strongside. I pointed that out in my earlier post because it is irrating as its just another way for the ARC to attack his schemes and philosophy as unchanging and played out or to bash Steve and Cat. I would be fine if someone said that Steve/Cat/Moochie were not quick to make decisions off the two man game (dribbling too much) and that the end result was a broken play where the shot clock ran down and we ended up with a poor shot (this end result was much like the end result we saw in prior years off the true ISO, and this is why I think people get confused and label the play an ISO regardless of wheter or not the play started with only 3 players weakside). I just have a problem when someone says we ISOed too much when we obviously did very little of that, based purely on definition.
EG, he'll be the Marcus Camby type in Van Gundy's system. Will slash through the lane, grab boards, average a double double, play good weakside defense, and will only settle for a midrange jumper when it's completely open.
JVG isn't stupid. He wouldn't have come had he not sensed the potential and room for improvement here. I expect everyone steps up a little than last year, and the cumulative effect would put us over the playoff hump. With that said, I'll put my card on Boki. Just my gut feeling.
Maybe JVG can get Eddie to stop camping out in the three point line.. I think if he were to post up more that would make us a better team.
Quit calling him Gundy, it is Van Gundy, the Van is part of his last name, not his first nor is it his middle name. And the Rockets sucked offensively last year, and Van Gundy will change that. I love Rudy, but I don't think he gave a sh*t who shot when or from where last year.
dam i got to agree with you their... Rudy just looked like EHH.. as long as a shot goes up that makes me Happy...
On the flip side of this coin, I think Cato is going to have a huge regression this coming season since he will no longer have a coach that is willing to coddle him (or so we were lead to believe).
