Well the Jeff Van Gundy era has now come and gone in Houston. Why I am not real sure, but the reality is that in professional sports, well for that matter all sports, is that you do not fire the players, you fire the coach.
Now in the case of JVG he was a dry and not so charasmatic individual that brought a slower paced, tough nosed approach to the game of basketball. Makes you wonder exactly how he was a product of Pat Riley and that brilliant "Showtime" era of ball that wow'd us as basketball fans during the 80's. But, that may just be JVG and his hardheaded persona that allowed him to learn under Riley and yet go out there and do his own thing entirely.
Regardless of any of this JVG did not win playoff games and that is what really matters in the end. That said, JVG did see the coming out of the games greatest Center, and that was in doubt of possibly ever happening by anyone at one time, at least in some critics eyes.
Now after four seasons with the Rockts JVG is out and Rick Adleman is in, what will it bring and will folks be looking back at JVG with fondness, well for certain we will look back and acknowledge him as a generator of great sound bites.
Barry Bonds
The Babe!
Hammerin' Hank!
Willie Mays!
These are the names of legends and so far Barry Bonds has surpassed all but one of them, and that appears to be a feat that he may accomplish very soon. Now of course is it an accomplishment I can personally live without, because it will really leave a major shadow cast over my perception of the greatest record in all of sports.
Bonds is a great player and I can not even begin to argue that he is not, but on the other hand a player with his reputation and balled face denial of wrong doing, I can not even begin to find a place to regard him in my heart.
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