Van Gundy fired by Rockets after four seasons

[Taco]

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was fired Friday, less than two weeks after the team made yet another first-round playoff exit.

The Rockets went 52-30 last season but lost to Utah in seven games, prompting speculation that Van Gundy was going to step down or be fired. It was the Rockets' third first-round loss in four seasons under Van Gundy.

Van Gundy had one non-guaranteed year left on his contract, meaning the team held the option to retain him.

"First and foremost we want to thank Jeff for his tireless efforts here with the team over the past four seasons," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement. "Jeff built the team into a top defensive club and played a crucial part in helping mold this team into a playoff contender.

"Since the end of the postseason, we have had numerous conversations with Jeff about his interest in proceeding as the head coach. He asked for, and was granted, additional time to evaluate his situation with the agreement that we would begin looking into other candidates. During that process it became clear that Jeff did not want to continue in any capacity with the team other than as head coach."

According to Morey, Van Gundy requested and was offered the opportunity to stay within the organization in a senior consultant capacity.

The 45-year-old Van Gundy led the Rockets to a 182-146 record in four seasons. But Houston went 7-12 in three postseason appearances and more was expected from teams anchored by All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. McGrady dropped to 0-6 in playoff series when the Rockets lost to Utah.

Van Gundy was working in television when the Rockets hired him before the 2003-04 season. Before that, Van Gundy coached the New York Knicks for seven seasons, leading them to the NBA finals in 1999.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2874873

[Spurminator]

Ouch, I would guess this would have to do with perceived indecision on JVG's part about returning next year? Maybe a player revolt? He was one of the best coaches in the league this year, I thought.

[u2sarajevo]

Houston Kings?

[Taco]

I heard they were looking at Rick Adelman (spelling?)

[itzsoweezee]

rockets FO is fucking stupid. there isn't a single person outside the rockets organization that believes rick adelman is a better coach than van gundy.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'd love, just once, to see Van Gundy not be saddled with a hopelessly flawed team. I think he's generally an elite coach. To me, he's like Jerry Sloan, because he does things his way and he always seems to get more than one might expect out of his teams. Van Gundy just always seems to have teams that lack one important ingredient or another.

[RonMexico]

He's only 45?

Good God.

[mardigan]

I heard they were looking at Rick Adelman (spelling?)
yea supposedly he is the #1 option for the Rockets

[degenerate_gambler]

Houston's loss...dumb move. He may look like Balkie but the guy can coach.

I've heard rumors of Larry Brown is at the top of their wish-list.

[cherylsteele]

I thought he retired and was not fired or was that just a smoke screen?

[angel_luv]

"First and foremost we want to thank Jeff for his tireless efforts here with the team over the past four seasons," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement. "Jeff built the team into a top defensive club and played a crucial part in helping mold this team into a playoff contender.

"Since the end of the postseason, we have had numerous conversations with Jeff about his interest in proceeding as the head coach. He asked for, and was granted, additional time to evaluate his situation with the agreement that we would begin looking into other candidates. During that process it became clear that Jeff did not want to continue in any capacity with the team other than as head coach."


If that be the case, then why was he fired instead of allowed to resign?

[angel_luv]

lol- great mnds Cheryl :)

[cherylsteele]

Sometimes it seems these people just ignore me.:)

[leemajors]

Ouch, I would guess this would have to do with perceived indecision on JVG's part about returning next year? Maybe a player revolt? He was one of the best coaches in the league this year, I thought.

i hear the new and old GMs loved him, but Alexander doesn't. for some reason he thought it was inexcusable for JVG to not take the Rockets to the postseason last year and held him personally responsible. which is ludicrous given their injuries that year.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

i hear the new and old GMs loved him, but Alexander doesn't. for some reason he thought it was inexcusable for JVG to not take the Rockets to the postseason last year and held him personally responsible. which is ludicrous given their injuries that year.
There's no shortage of rumor, speculation, and theories in Houston. Most of them center on the ownership looking at the turnaround jobs of teams like GS and Phoenix that were based on camera friendly coaches and up tempo play, and the fact that Jeff doesn't fit into that profile.

I'm in total agreement with FWD. Van Gundy is way better than his record would indicate. Even with the injuries and age issues this Rockets squad would have been an eastern conference championship contender. He got a front office that couldn't build a roster to stay with the direction the game was going, an injury plagued duo of superstars, and stuck in the toughest division in a stacked WC. I don't know who the Rockets will get but I can't see them finding someone I would call an improvement.

[whottt]

I thought he was a good coach once...but really, he's not. He had one good year with the Knicks, with a team and philosophy already built by Pat Riley, and other than that I'd say he's failed to get much out of his teams....he teaches a style of basketball that would have been successful in 1947.


I don't see how any one can say he hasn't had talent...and his teams are flawed, compared to who?

Thankfully he didn't use Banzi.

[ploto]

If that be the case, then why was he fired instead of allowed to resign?
Technically I would say it was neither-- he had a non-guaranteed year left and the Rockets did not pick up the option on it. So it was sort of like his contract expired. I think they just made it official to get ready to hire Adelman.

[angel_luv]

Technically I would say it was neither-- he had a non-guaranteed year left and the Rockets did not pick up the option on it. So it was sort of like his contract expired. I think they just made it official to get ready to hire Adelman.


That makes sense.

But that being the case, it is both inaccurate and mean on the hand of the newspaper to make the headiline that Van Gundy was fired.

[SpursIndonesia]

Umm, i wonder whether Adelman would try to turn Yao into a high post distributing center like Vlade Divac or Brad Miller. If Adelman gets the reign, there would be a big remaking in the Rox roster, considering much of their players don't fit into Adelman stereotypes. He might as well try to trade Yao for KG as a short term panacea.

[leemajors]

Justice:

I don't understand why the Rockets handled Jeff Van Gundy's departure with so little class. Les Alexander clearly wanted someone else to coach the team. I know this because the Rockets have been negotiating with Rick Adelman. They did this even before Van Gundy was informed that he'd been fired. This is a low-rent way to do things.

For some reason, they wanted to make Van Gundy look like the guy who wanted out. Over the last few days, a Rockets official (who clearly is talking with the permission of higher-ups) has told me that (a) Van Gundy still hasn't given them an answer about whether or not he wants to coach next season and (b) Van Gundy is making unreasonable demands of the Rockets.

Both these statements are flat out lies. The official who told me this apparently doesn't understand how bad he looks spreading lies. Van Gundy told the Rockets on Saturday he wanted to coach the team. His only condition for returning was that Les Alexander want him back.

The thing is, the Rockets must have thought that firing Van Gundy would be an unpopular move. They're almost certainly wrong abut that. I think changing coaches would be dumb, but that's beside the point. In this city, fans always want the coach/manager fired. The Rockets might also want to know that they're so irrelevant in the hearts and minds of most Houston sports fans that it really doesn't matter much one way or the other.

This organization is screwed up. I believe Alexander wanted a new coach from the start, but overmatched GM Daryl Morey wanted Van Gundy. I'm not sure how serious this disagreement was, but Morey may be getting a taste of what it's like to work for Alexander.

Alexander has gotten a pass in this town because of those two championships and because he makes so few public statements. There's a right way to do things and a wrong way. At almost every step of the way, the Rockets took the wrong road.

[Purple & Gold]

:clap :clap Good move by the Rockets.

Something had to be done and it was obvious T-Mac and Yao weren't going anywhere. A bit unfair? Yes. But the fact he got zero out of Bonzi, when what they were dying for is another scorer is reason enough for him to be shown the door.

[DOMINATOR]

leemajors i completely agree.
im kinda torn with who will coach. i like JVG but he does some things that make you scratch your head.

[RonMexico]

leemajors i completely agree.
im kinda torn with who will coach. i like JVG but he does some things that make you scratch your head.

He was just quoting Richard Justice's blog.

So you mean that you agree with Richard, as do I and it looks like leemajors does as well. And having met Les Alexander in person through a friend who still works for him... well, let's just say I'd sure like to see Tim McCarver sarcastically calling him a "class act."

[TDMVPDPOY]

ROCKETS fo = ftl

they bring in a guy battier who doesnt provide offense.

bonzi wells at a cheap price who didnt play much

besides yao/tmac with injuries and scoring options, the rest are junk.

[Fillmoe]

they should hire adelman.... he gets the best out of all his players...... just look at his track record of bad players gone good....

[traitoravery]

Pj?

[Roxsfan]

:clap :clap Good move by the Rockets.

Something had to be done and it was obvious T-Mac and Yao weren't going anywhere. A bit unfair? Yes. But the fact he got zero out of Bonzi, when what they were dying for is another scorer is reason enough for him to be shown the door.


absolutely. jvg is a good defensive coach, but if defense is the only thing you can do, that's not saying much. The only thing that would keep the roxs in games is their d,..... on o, they were very predictable.....throw it down to Yao...double.....kickout......3pt miss70% and 30% make or tmac running isos and playing point forward or shooting forward or whatever.

Jvg would never develop young talent like the european pro.vspan, or head, novak(3pt killer), did not trust vspan or kirk snyder and had bonzi in the doghouse. The only time he would develop a young player was forced through injury.....ala chuck hayes former nbdl player and head(rookie last yr who gained playing time due to last yrs mjr injuries).

It was time to move on. Roxs could have handled it better, but oh well. :downspin:

[whottt]

I wonder if Van Gundy had to be fired to collect all of his pay or something...so maybe that's why he didn't resign when it was first mentioned that he might a few weeks ago. It is kind of weird.

[Roxsfan]

why? Jvg wanted to explore other opportunities w/in the roxs organization.............no, not as a senior consultant either, he turned that down but rather:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/stuff/cf_jvg_the_bear.jpg

[dallaskd]

dont really know why. i thought he was a decent coach. i guess it was time.

[dallaskd]

roxs should bring in sam mitchell

[Bob Lanier]

he teaches a style of basketball that would have been successful in 1947.
Don Nelson teaches a style of basketball that would have been successful in 1947.

Van Gundy had to go; just looking at and listening to the poor morose little bastard you could tell he doesn't have the emotional makeup for coaching. But the Rockets won't find a better coach and they won't field a better team, and if any of the rumors are close to true Les Alexander is a grade A moron.