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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/b ... 1286.story

Van Gundy is no fool. While he's trying to get the best out of his players, he knows how far a coach can push in a players' league.

"Chuck Daly said it best: 'Players in this league allow you to coach them.' I can hold them accountable because Dwight Howard wants to be held accountable. He has high goals. Some rebel -- and I'm sure some here did," he said.

"They might not like [the criticism] when it's coming. . . . but they want it because they want to be good."

Pretty cool article. I love what Stan had to say about the criticism he gave Dwight. Please sign this man to a 20+ year contract.

Another Stan article from Denton:

Van Gundy shocked some in Orlando earlier this season when he had the temerity to publicly question the effort of Howard following a loss to Cleveland. But in the end, Van Gundy's move paid dividends as Howard responded the next game with 23 points, 24 rebounds and two blocked shots.

That Van Gundy would challenge a star such as Howard earned him respect throughout the Magic's locker room.

"Coach pretty much established early on that that's how he was going to be with us," reserve center Adonal Foyle said. "He's very aware of how Dwight would react to that situation. One of his paradigms for the team was that all players one through 12 would be held accountable, and he's stuck to that."

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 002/SPORTS

Shouldn't these have been written 6 months ago? No surprise here.

svg=the franchise

I hope he gets serious consideration for Coach of the Year

But here is an important point:

Foyle was asked how Van Gundy's hard-charging act was playing with him and his teammates. "If we weren't winning," he chuckled, "he'd be a pain in the butt."

Foyle said that usually after a Van Gundy tirade the coach "calms down and explains what he's trying to do, and that makes us understand him better. If he didn't do that, we'd wonder if we were just horrible players."

I think SVG actually prolonged the Magic slump by continuing to berate the team viciously and publicly when nothing was working for them.
His comments were repeated by the sports "commentators" and probably had a lot to do with the "lack of respect" this team has received. I recall a time when he abruptly became restrained in his post game comments, saying something like he needed to control his emotions. I'm pretty sure he'd been spoken to by the management.

Calling out Dwight publicly for being lazy on defense, when he was lazy and speaking to him privately hadn't worked, is a good move as long as it seldom happens. Saying things like, "This team can't guard anyone," and "Anyone can have a career night against the Magic," when the team is struggling, humiliates the team and encourages the opposition. Confidence is so important in this game.

I love Van Gundy...but magicmamma makes a great point...his criticisms will fall on deaf ears sooner rather than later...especially if things ever go south here. He may not have as long a stay as we think...because after a while players just tune out the message...especially if it's delivered the way SVG does.

you guys make a great point, i hope that never happens, b/c players get sick of things easily especially if svg keeps repeating the same criticisms

I believe that is why Otis is so picky as to who we bring into the team character-wise. The player must fit the team environment and atmosphere of the strive-for-success attitude like Dwight has. It's all about chemistry. Players like Baron Davis and Ron Artest among others would never survive with a guy like SVG IMO.

As long as he debriefs them after his tirades and there is actual learning, understanding, and respect, then there isn't a problem. Brian got to the point where he was breaking clipboards just for the sake of it, nothing was being received by the players at that point. Hill got on Dwight too, and it was viewed as a very negative thing if you remember. Winning goes a long way in which the coach is perceived. They might not like it at the time, but its tough to argue with the results.

Players like i) money and ii) winning.

If the team can see that StM has a path towards a title, they will do whatever it takes.

Hard coaches are good for good teams. Daly, Riley, and Sloan that fly to my mind.

magicfan4life05 wrote:you guys make a great point, i hope that never happens, b/c players get sick of things easily especially if svg keeps repeating the same criticisms

you mean like (brian hill) "we did ok, um, just need to execute better" jk

spinedoc wrote:As long as he debriefs them after his tirades and there is actual learning, understanding, and respect, then there isn't a problem. Brian got to the point where he was breaking clipboards just for the sake of it, nothing was being received by the players at that point. Hill got on Dwight too, and it was viewed as a very negative thing if you remember. Winning goes a long way in which the coach is perceived. They might not like it at the time, but its tough to argue with the results.

I think he found that balance and thats an important step for him and the organization.

I don't understand...what ever happend to moral victories ROFLZZZzzZZZzz!!!!

Winning = Tough Love
Losing = overly critical

The cautionary tale you can observe here is Scott Skiles & the Chicago Bulls. Last year, his "tough love" got a young team to pull together... This year, he was "overly critical" and now he's home collecting a paycheck. I'm hoping that just as the team & individual players develop, Van Gundy will do the same. Some people fail to realize that young coaches (Van Gundy hasn't been a coach that long) develop just like players. Here's to hoping that SVG can guide this team as well during the lows as he does during the highs.

richi_v25 wrote:I don't understand...what ever happend to moral victories ROFLZZZzzZZZzz!!!!

[/quote]

this guy sucks. bring back johnny davis
lol

Edrock wrote:Winning = Tough Love
Losing = overly critical

The cautionary tale you can observe here is Scott Skiles & the Chicago Bulls. Last year, his "tough love" got a young team to pull together... This year, he was "overly critical" and now he's home collecting a paycheck. I'm hoping that just as the team & individual players develop, Van Gundy will do the same. Some people fail to realize that young coaches (Van Gundy hasn't been a coach that long) develop just like players. Here's to hoping that SVG can guide this team as well during the lows as he does during the highs.

My question is this: Where does Jerry Sloan fit into this?

mhectorgato wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



My question is this: Where does Jerry Sloan fit into this?

There are exceptions to every rule... The Magic just seem to fit that same makeup, and I would hate to see them go the same way as the Bulls. A rising young team on the verge of taking a corner, and just falling apart. I hope Hedo's impending free agency (he has two years left???) won't be a distraction next season....