Here’s an interview that Jeff Van Gundy gave to a local Houston radio show today after it was announced he won’t be returning to the Rockets. Pretty classy.

I’ve got to admit that the explanation that new GM Daryl Morey provided in his afternoon press conference was a very good explanation on how things went down. On the outside it looked bad, but it turns out everything seems to have been “above board” regarding the Rockets speaking to Rick Adelman while Van Gundy was still trying to decide what he wanted to do from a coaching perspective.

According to Morey, JVG had suggested that the Rockets keep an open mind about other candidates while he contemplated what he was going to do. He didn’t want to stall the Rockets while he tried to make up his mind. I can believe that about JVG. He’s an up-and-up guy who thinks more about the organization first than himself.

So JVG knew the Rockets were going to talk to other candidates, and Morey said that JVG even recommended that the Rockets talk to one of the other candidates (probably Adelman), and evidently JVG and Adelman even spoke to each other about it.

It just turns out to all have backfired on Van Gundy. When he finally decided he wanted to return to the Rockets as head coach, the front office had already become enamored with Adelman, and that was the end of it for JVG as coach. Then when the Rockets tried to retain him as a “Senior Consultant,” JVG decided he didn’t want to do that. I don’t blame him. It probably wouldn’t pay him that much, and he probably wants to have the freedom to take a coaching job he can’t refuse, even if it means temporarily leaving the city of Houston, a city he said he loves and where he wants to live. $5 million annual contracts can do that to the best of them.

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Hot off the press. Jeff Van Gundy was not offered a coaching position with the Rockets, and he declined an opportunity to be a consultant. Van Gundy did a decent job as Rockets coach, but not good enough. I think it was the right move, but it all played out terribly. It will be interesting to see what he says on ESPN tonight as he resumes his career as a TV analyst during tonight’s Spurs-Suns game.

It looks like it’s going to be Rick Adelman as the new coach.

I was going to predict it a few days ago that the best exit strategy for the Rockets and Jeff Van Gundy to part ways and still ‘save face’ would be to kick him upstairs so that he can still be part of the organization but have hardly any commitment to it.

This would be just like what the Rockets did with Rudy Tomjanovich a few years ago when they wanted him out as coach, but didn’t want to make him look bad. Surprise, surprise, Rudy T. then showed up in Los Angeles later as the Lakers’ head coach. He obviously wasn’t ready to retire despite wanting some time off to rest, as was explained at the time.

However, I thought there was no way the Rockets would go that route with JVG like they did with Rudy T. because it would be…

– too predictable
– everyone would see through it
– they already have ex-GM Carroll Dawson as a “consultant” that makes the organization already too top heavy
– JVG’s is not great at seeing the potential in young players
– a new head coach would not want to be bound to what JVG thinks should happen. Too many cooks in the kitchen.

However, this article from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle suggests something like that may happen.

We’ll see how this drama unfolds in the next few days. Either way, it will be interesting to see if JVG says anything insightful about the situation Friday night on ESPN as he resumes his career as a television analyst.

With the season ending, I’ve taken a few days off after covering Yao (and the Rockets) intensely to tend to other matters. Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things again.

At the time I write this, we’re still waiting to see what will happen with Jeff Van Gundy. With all the great commentary I’ve heard on Houston sports talk radio, I think there are going to be quite a few upset fans if he does return. I won’t belabor the point on what I think should happen.

However, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Van Gundy stays since now that Daryl Morey is the new Rockets GM and has never been a GM before, I’ll bet he’ll want to be conservative and not make any major moves that could blow up in his face in his first season. Not a great way to start your GM career. It’s safer to go with the status quo (case in point: like what Astros’ GM Tim Purpura has done) and only make a major move when there is a high pressure to do so. I think that’s just natural for a new GM to be like that.

But the wild card in all of this is how much Leslie Alexander will force his hand. I’m betting that Alexander will want Van Gundy to go. As a result, Morey will have to really dig deep into his stats and find some undervalued players to make up for some of the natural issues that will arise from the transition. I think it will be worth it. We will wait and see.

Meanwhile, if you hadn’t heard, Yao is going to open up a 24 Hour Fitness in Beijing this summer. Not unusual for some superstars to partner with 24 Hour Fitness, like Lance Armstrong has done. Click here for more details about the project.

I don’t think it hurt that 24 Hour Fitness’ headquarters in San Ramon, California is very close to Yao’s American agent, Bill Duffy, based in neighboring Walnut Creek. This deal would probably have been done if Duffy lived thousands of miles away, but it doesn’t hurt to be a short drive away for face-to-face negotiations.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle got some good quotes from some of the Rockets’ players the other day. You can read those quotes here, or you can read some of the quotes below along with some of my commentary:

Regarding Yao working out with Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer:

“It would be a great chance for me, if I can learn from him, one of the best centers in the NBA history, and particularly a legend for the Rockets. I would love to. I’m working on it.”

Regarding his plans over the summer:

Yao Ming will have what he called a “small surgery” on a toe, possibly preventing the troublesome toenail from growing back. He said he expected that procedure to keep him from working out for only “a couple weeks.”

He said he will likely train with the Chinese national team for a short period this summer but will have no competitions.

“I need some training,” he said. “I’ll take the first month off and then get back to training and work on my skills.”

About the Rockets’ commitment to improve during the off-season…

“Generally, CD (Carroll Dawson) told me from his experience, our team definitely will be getting better and I believe it. I love to believe it,” Yao said. “We need more experience. We need player that can finish the game and can play under the pressure, like in the playoffs.”

Hmmm….that last sentence is very interesting for obvious reasons.

Feigen also got this interesting quote from Dikembe Mutombo:

“I just spent a week with my kids, and I talked with my wife about it again,” Mutombo said. “I’m just frustrated with the fact there was a chance to go to the second round, at least. After contributing the way I did contribute during the course of the season, I felt I did deserve a little time in the playoffs to play. The opportunity was not given to me. I’m a little bit disappointed about it.”

So not only has Van Gundy managed to piss off rookies (e.g. Vassilis Spanoulis) and veterans (i.e. Bonzi Wells), but also LEGENDS OF THE GAME like Dikembe. What a shame. If the Rockets get rid of Van Gundy, will you consider coming back, Deke?

Speaking of Spanoulis, Vassilis had the following to say:

“Now is time to rest a little bit, to clear my mind for a big season for me, maybe the toughest in my life, in my career,” said Spanoulis.

“I want to speak with the guys and know what’s going on with my future. We’ll see. I have a contract. I can’t say now nothing. I have to clear my mind, rest and get with the guys up in the office who showed me a lot of love and support this year.

“I love this team, but I have to think what is best for my future. The people here showed me a lot of love, a lot of support a lot of advice this year.”

I find it interesting that Spanoulis said “the guys up in the office who showed me a lot of love and support this year.” That would mean Carroll Dawson, Dennis Lindsey, and Daryl Morey. To me, that shows the front office personnel might have been frustrated with how Van Gundy was handling Spanoulis (as well as other players, perhaps). Based on that alone, don’t be surprised if Van Gundy is gone.

Yao answers questions from reporters Monday at Toyota Center to close out the 2007 season. Click here for more photos from the game. Click here for photos of other players being interviewed.

After Saturday’s Game 7 loss against the Jazz, I had recorded a few quotes from Yao that I haven’t read reported anywhere yet, so I thought I would post them now:

“Is this the worst feeling you’ve had after a basketball game?”

After a few seconds of thinking, Yao responded, “Yeah…..Yes.”

Regarding his knee injury in the 3rd quarter…

“That’s not a big problem because this knee I hurt in the middle of the season. So I just want to make sure it’s fine. (It got hurt) on the same spot. Almost like the same thing hitting it. I feel very sore when I stand up. I feel very sore. I came down wrong. I want to make sure it’s fine. And then (trainer) Keith (Jones) checked it, the doctor checked it. I feel it’s fine. I come back.”

For a report on what Yao, McGrady and Van Gundy had to say in the news conference on Monday, click here.

After the devastating loss in Game 7 Saturday night, I felt compelled to watch the game on my DVR and dissect every possession to really find out why the Rockets lost other than the obvious reasons.

There are some overall themes that we already know about that are backed up by an analysis of all the possessions. Bad defense, great play by Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, and Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko surprising with some big, 4th quarter threes.

But there are some other themes I noticed by looking at each possession closely that you may not have realized:

* Chuck Hayes played terrible defense on about 7 possessions, which killed them. Hayes gets a lot of credit for hustle, but I didn’t see it in this game. Also, his lack of offensive production obviously means the Rockets are going to have to find a stud power forward. Can Rashard Lewis come back to Houston now? Hayes would make a worthy backup.

* Tracy McGrady disappearing in the game’s final minutes.

* Lucky bounces in the game’s final minute coming off of missed long jump shots by Utah. Defensive rebounding could have been better on those possessions, but doesn’t guarantee they would have grabbed those boards.

You may find other themes by looking at all the plays below. Feel free to comment on them at the end of the post.

One thing I should note before you read them. The first digits (like ‘11:45’) are the time remaining on the clock when the play occurred or sequence of plays took place. The second digits (‘2-0’) represent the score after the play or sequence was finished, with the Utah score being the first one before the dash (since they led most of the game).

Finally, I have marked most of the plays with either “GOOD” or “BAD” or other keywords so you can skim and pick out the good plays or bad ones much easier. I have also provided some comments for some of the entries to explain further what happened.

1st quarter

11:45 – BAD: McGrady started with a baseline jumper that missed. Great way to start…NOT.

11:05 – 2-0 – GOOD: Yao scores on a fadeaway near the elbow after reposting. McGrady dished it back to him.

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ESPN reports that the New York Post says Jeff Van Gundy will be leaving the Rockets (the story isn’t on the NY Post’s Web site yet). If it’s true, it doesn’t surprise me. JVG tends to burn himself out with how much time and effort he puts into coaching.

This could also be a graceful way for him to avoid that uncomfortable conversation with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander about his future. And as we have seen before, when it starts getting uncomfortable for Van Gundy, he has no qualms in walking away. I don’t hold that against him. He has put in 4 long years in Houston. I actually think he wanted to quit a couple of seasons ago, but didn’t want to tarnish his reputation further after being labeled a “quitter” when he left the Knicks.

UPDATE (12:25PM CENTRAL TIME): Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle is on it. He just wrote this story after speaking to Van Gundy and Alexander that the reports are false.

Twenty-four hours after getting blown out in Dallas and being brought back to reality on how much farther they have to go, the Rockets got back to eating cupcakes, took care of business, and defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-83 Saturday night.

Although you would expect them to win against Charlotte, it didn’t start out looking that way. They quickly found themselves down by 11 points, but then righted the ship and cruised to an easy victory. One of the reasons was because of great defense (more on that later), and balanced scoring across the board, something you don’t see every day.

Six players scored in double-figures. Part of the reason was because Tracy McGrady only played 27 minutes and scored 16 points. That left extra minutes for other players to take on the scoring load.

After showing his age against the Mavericks on Friday, Dikembe Mutombo had a monster game, scoring 14 points and gobbling up 14 rebounds. He also had 4 steals.

Luther Head bounced back after his Dallas debacle, scoring 17 points, hitting 5-of-8 three-pointers, and dishing 6 assists. It’s a Devin Harris-like performance like that the Rockets will need from Luther when they play the Mavericks to have a better shot of winning.

Kirk Snyder also rebounded from a poor game against Dallas, hitting 6-of-7 shots for 15 points. A contribution like that from Snyder, especially with Bonzi Wells hurting, will also be needed if the Rockets are going to have a chance to beat the Mavericks and Suns of the world. Juwan Howard was solid with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

But the star of the game (I can’t believe I’m about to say this) was Rafer Alston, who chipped in 14 points (on only 5-of-13 shooting), but had 9 steals and 8 assists. 9 steals is sick, and is the most by anyone in the league this season. That must be the closest to a triple-double that Rafer has had.

It was those steals (20 as a team, the most by a team in the NBA this season!) and the 27 turnovers Charlotte committed that was the difference in the game. Charlotte didn’t shoot that bad compared to Houston (44.6% vs. 45.2%), outrebounded the Rockets 44-39, had about the same number of assists (25 vs. 23). But it was the defense and steals that made the difference.

The Bobcats’ leading scorer Gerald Wallace was the guy who coughed up the most TOs, giving up 7 of them, and only hitting 1-of-7 shots and scoring 4 points. Everyone else shot decently, except first round draft pick Adam Morrison, who only made 1-of-8, who only scored two, and point guard Brevin Knight, who missed all four of his shots in 16 minutes.

Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle writes a short column on Yao doing some singing to promote the All-Star game. I love that about Yao. Although he’s shy when it comes to that sort of thing (most people are), he still sucks it up to indulge American commercial makers who think they know what will entertain us.