<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A Rockets season that began with Jeff Van Gundy saying he did not deserve or want the owner's support has ended with owner Leslie Alexander proving Van Gundy had it. With two seasons remaining on Van Gundy's four-year contract, Alexander on Thursday extended it through the 2007-2008 season. "I thought the season went extremely well, and I think it's been proven good coaches in the NBA are hard to find," Alexander said. "Jeff's proven to be a very good coach. If I could secure him for one more year, I thought it was in the Rockets' best interests. I wanted to secure a very good coach. "I think from a horrible beginning ? we couldn't get much worse ? we had some injuries in the playoffs that may have determined our fate beforehand. I felt wonderful how they changed from an early start. "I know how tough it is to win in any league. Everyone's competing for the same thing. I think it was an outstanding season." Despite a 6-11 start, the Rockets won 51 games, their most since the 1996-97 season. Van Gundy's two-season winning percentage of .585 is the best in Rockets franchise history, and his 344-240 record gives him the fifth-best winning percentage among active coaches and 15th best in league history.</div> Source Great move by the Rockets, and congrats to JVG.
Congrats, JVG stuck with the team in the beginning when we were faltering and he is rightfully being rewarded for it. The other thing that I feel factored into this extension is Van Gundy standing up for Yao Ming and trying to get him so slack from the officials. That proved that Jeff really cared about his guys and would definitely get respected by them. When you have two young stars with bright futures in McGrady and Yao, it's good to get some personnel stability. The biggest reason for Vince Carter's departure from Toronto was the lack of that.
Great news. I love JVG as coach and I think he's the perfect man for the job. He's demanding and strict, yet doesnt overdo it...He's endeared himself to fans ever since the whole referee fiasco in the playoffs...I think he's deserving of a contract extension, so congrats to Jeff...
