jbeecham
ASFN Addict
Van Gundy has praise for Suns
Rockets coach says D'Antoni's style is balanced, deserves more credit
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 30, 2006 12:00 AM
Phoenix's and Houston's playoff fates are bound to cross at some point.
The dichotomy of styles would be like a Ferrari and a Hummer. Line them up at the light for a drag race and the Suns tear away. Have them collide and the Hummer crunches the sports car.
Houston center Yao Ming, seemingly refreshed from a slightly scaled-back summer, is posting his best numbers yet but has frequently had trouble having an impact or even staying on the court against Phoenix's style.
"Last year, he was fine," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said of a series that saw Yao go from seven points and four rebounds in the first two games to 27 points and 18 rebounds in the next meeting. "If you have two guys on you before you catch it and three guys on you once you catch it, you're probably not going to be as effective."
Van Gundy's defensive focus, constant play-calling and slow pace seem as opposite from Phoenix's coaches as the Earth's poles. Actually, he's a great admirer and even thinks it would be "liberating" to coach the Mike D'Antoni way.
"Their whole philosophy is very well thought out and tied together," Van Gundy said. "They try not to foul. They do a great job defending the threes so that their three-point advantage is even a larger advantage.
"They almost make fun of themselves defensively but when you play against them you see a team that has a good philosophy, that plays hard and that has a much more balanced team than they would have you believe. I think they do a good job of taking away team's strength. I don't think they get enough credit for that."
As much as Van Gundy thinks the Suns coaches are a joy, he has even more praise for how Steve Nash carries the role of co-captain.
"He might be the all-time, for a star, the all-time best teammate," Van Gundy said.
How deep?
D'Antoni still is feeling out his rotation as he tries to work nine guys with the feeling that his top seven all deserve starter minutes. It is an impossible task, especially when Jalen Rose steps up with his best offensive output - seven points in 7:38 of the first half. D'Antoni said he would not go shorter than an eight-man rotation.
"I think it'll always be eight because you need someone who is mentally engaged," said D'Antoni, referring to the need to fill in when injuries occur.
Cartoon man
Shawn Marion shot an interview for the Cartoon Network on Tuesday. The network did not even realize what a cartoon aficionado it had snared.
Marion was most excited to meet a senior writer so that he could be "plugged in" at the network. He tracks down season DVDs of his childhood favorites. His recent missions included finding She-Ra, The Pirates of Dark Water and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo.
"I don't know what it is about them," Marion said. "I just love cartoons."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1130sunsnotes1130.html
Rockets coach says D'Antoni's style is balanced, deserves more credit
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 30, 2006 12:00 AM
Phoenix's and Houston's playoff fates are bound to cross at some point.
The dichotomy of styles would be like a Ferrari and a Hummer. Line them up at the light for a drag race and the Suns tear away. Have them collide and the Hummer crunches the sports car.
Houston center Yao Ming, seemingly refreshed from a slightly scaled-back summer, is posting his best numbers yet but has frequently had trouble having an impact or even staying on the court against Phoenix's style.
"Last year, he was fine," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said of a series that saw Yao go from seven points and four rebounds in the first two games to 27 points and 18 rebounds in the next meeting. "If you have two guys on you before you catch it and three guys on you once you catch it, you're probably not going to be as effective."
Van Gundy's defensive focus, constant play-calling and slow pace seem as opposite from Phoenix's coaches as the Earth's poles. Actually, he's a great admirer and even thinks it would be "liberating" to coach the Mike D'Antoni way.
"Their whole philosophy is very well thought out and tied together," Van Gundy said. "They try not to foul. They do a great job defending the threes so that their three-point advantage is even a larger advantage.
"They almost make fun of themselves defensively but when you play against them you see a team that has a good philosophy, that plays hard and that has a much more balanced team than they would have you believe. I think they do a good job of taking away team's strength. I don't think they get enough credit for that."
As much as Van Gundy thinks the Suns coaches are a joy, he has even more praise for how Steve Nash carries the role of co-captain.
"He might be the all-time, for a star, the all-time best teammate," Van Gundy said.
How deep?
D'Antoni still is feeling out his rotation as he tries to work nine guys with the feeling that his top seven all deserve starter minutes. It is an impossible task, especially when Jalen Rose steps up with his best offensive output - seven points in 7:38 of the first half. D'Antoni said he would not go shorter than an eight-man rotation.
"I think it'll always be eight because you need someone who is mentally engaged," said D'Antoni, referring to the need to fill in when injuries occur.
Cartoon man
Shawn Marion shot an interview for the Cartoon Network on Tuesday. The network did not even realize what a cartoon aficionado it had snared.
Marion was most excited to meet a senior writer so that he could be "plugged in" at the network. He tracks down season DVDs of his childhood favorites. His recent missions included finding She-Ra, The Pirates of Dark Water and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo.
"I don't know what it is about them," Marion said. "I just love cartoons."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1130sunsnotes1130.html
