The cruciFICTION of Yao.

[Francis3422]

Preface to thread: If you have not watched at least 15 of the last 20 games, and a lot of NBA in the last 10 years, then Do not post in this thread please, start a new thread or post in another.

To anyone who has watched the games, what do you guys really think? I have watched NBA for the last 12 years, and I would never say, that Yao is not one of the greatest offensively skilled players I have ever seen. Next to Olajuwon and Duncan, I cant think of a post man that has been more talented in the last 12 years. He is slow, quickwinded and fumbly, but he is more skilled than Robinson, Ewing, Ilgauskas and more than Shaq could ever dream of. Its amazing, to watch a player that great. And more amazing to see a bbs blame him and decry him because they get upset with every loss. Its not even tonight, he didnt play well and his shot was off, but Im talking about what I have seen this season, because I have watched every game sans about 10. If you watch a majority of the games, I dont see how you cannot see this.

We cannnot continue to blame him, when we are a perimeter team, we live and die by the perimeter. We fell behind tonight when we went 5-20 in the start, and we caught up when we made a few and got out on the break a couple of times. This is what happens. At the start of the game tonight, he got a couple of Offesnive rebounds and a couple blocks. If this were Duncan or Garnett, you think his coach would feed him the ball, but this did not happen. Its not positioning, or lack of stamina, its the fact that we are a perimeter team. The entire teams mindset has evolved to this and it will lead us to our fate. Give him 18 shots a game and see what happens, integrate a few 18 footers, or a few face up elbows (like Olajuwons last few years). And as far as defense goes, without Yao, we are a good defensive team, with him, we are great, he is 7'6 of space in the lane and this is ALWAYS a presence, whether he is getting blocks or not. Fouls are an affliction granted, but when we lose, we lose mostly because we are a perimeter team, not because we are a post team, and our post option is inept.

I watched Rik Smits and Z when he played, throughout the careers, there is miles of difference b/w them in year 3 and Yao, if youve watched, I think you will agree.

[McMingDynasty]

I agree. You made a real good point there. You really have to watch many of his games to see the real Ming. For his first two years in Austin, I lived in an apartment off-campus without cable and therefore I didn't get a chance to watch his game. I never understood Yao and the only things I hear/see are on SC, and most of it is negative on Yao. As a result of that I never liked him. This year I moved and got cable (NBA TV Rocks) so I been keeping up with the Rockets and Yao is really great outside of his rebounding and foul troubles. If Yao can stay out of foul trouble, his rebounds shouldn't fall below 8.5 per game.

Unfortunately my cable's been out for almost 3 weeks now. I catch up with the action on ESPN when I'm on campus and all the stuff I see makes me dislike Yao. Anywho, great points there Francis3422. Ming, stay out of foul trouble pleeeeaaaase!!

Go Rockets!

[The Ming Dynasty]

Preface to my reply: I've watched 19 of the last 20 Rox games (Boston is still on my Tivo - we had company) and have been a fan since '78. Probably watching 80-90% of the games since '84. :p

For the most part, your analysis is correct. Ming needs Red Bull. He's a step or two slower than most of the league and 3-4 steps slower than teams like Washington or Memphis. It's not his fault, but the fact remains the same - he is slower. He also needs to develop toughness. Although Akeem was smaller than Shaq in '95 he never backed down, not that Yao doesn't try, but at times he seems intimidated. He needs to sharpen his elbows and let a few players know he has some. He needs to quit playing x-box and start playing slap jack to improve his quickness. However, the problem with Yao taking outside shots, although he may be very capable of making them is that there will always be better shooters on the Rox (Wesley, Barry, T-Mac, James, etc) that are more consistant from the outside. Also, when Yao shoots from outside he is not in the middle to rebound, and that is one of our weakest areas of the game.

I think Yao is better than both Smits and Z at this point in his career, but Smits was a great player and Z is now (with similar stats) so to compare them is not necessarily an insult, however, I think Yao will be better in the long term.

[PiPdAdY33]

Besides working on the basic things like holding onto the ball, Yao needs to get more touches to either pass out of a double team or get off his shot. I don't see why players like McGrady or Sura can shoot their way out of slow starts, but JVG will just abandon Yao as soon as he gets off to a slow start. Sure, he turned the ball over in crucial situations today but why not take your chances with a 50% shooter rather than having McGrady create everything for himself off of a screen?

And this was Yao's first poor shooting game since Jan. 2. It's funny some of you want to trade him for Lamar freakin Odom, but when Yao plays bad, this team struggles to win. And when Yao plays well... this team goes on an 8 game winning streak even with McGrady playing so-so basketball. Have some faith, fellas.

[michecon]

It's called Lunacy of a BBS.

I've read page 10-14 of the game thread. There is so much blame and hate toward Yao, it's not even funny.

Ok, so he's in a slump. He did not shot well tonight. He blew a crutial FT, but you never see the same level of hate toward another player. Not when Tmac is stink up his 3 pts shot after 3pts shot, not when Sura shot 1 for 7. No one calls Tmac a pussy for settling for parimiter shots in stead of going for the hole, or crucify him for blowing a late game FT miss.

I would actually like to see Yao goes onto IL for a while see how this team performs.

Appreciate him while you can, the party won't last for ever.


a few quote about what's been said about Yao:
sad, pathetic, awful, heartless, gutless, clueless, horrible, uninspired, unmotivated, disinterested, and completely disgusting
Pussy

[choujie]

I guess there is one reason Yao looks intimidated these past few games. He got whistled too much. Any contact is a foul for him, that really takes an effect on him. Plus, Matt Boland is one of the official tonight. I guess Yao just doesn't feel comfortable. He needs to see a psychiatrist.

[DollarBill]

Some posters here behave and act just like those sportswriters, scouts and ESPN. They are contantly looking for each chance they get to bash Yao. It's all about hatred toward Yao. Where were these people when we were on 8 game winnning streak?

Was I mad at Yao's performance tonight? yes. Do I get frustrated with Yao becasue he doesn't rebound well, pick up fouls too quick, turn the ball over a lot. Yeah.

But I never let all those things fool me into thinking Yao is the biggest reason that we lost so many games, or we should just trade Yao, or let him go when his current contract is up. Please, as long as we got Yao and T-Mac on the team, we have future.

On the other hand, Yao needs to grow up. For God's sake, Yao, please be a man for once in your life. Please learn something from Kobe, go practice 24/7, work on your rebounding. Don't play CS too much. Don't be your moma's boy anymore. oh. last thing. don't walk with your head down, Walk Talll!!!

[Francis3422]

MingDynasty: On your point about the outside jumpers, this is true, but he isnt a great O rebounder anyway, and in this case he is that much closer to being setup on the D side of the floor.

The only thing I say is, get him 18 shots a game for a year and see what happens. He gets 19 right now on what 14 shots?

[Charvo]

Man...how screwed up will it be when Yao gets a max contract which totally caps the Rockets into the next millenium. Forget Jeff Bagwell. He'll be retired by then. Yao's contract will be the equivalent of Jason Giambi's contract.

[Kenrui]

Originally posted by Francis3422
MingDynasty: On your point about the outside jumpers, this is true, but he isnt a great O rebounder anyway, and in this case he is that much closer to being setup on the D side of the floor.

The only thing I say is, get him 18 shots a game for a year and see what happens. He gets 19 right now on what 14 shots?


Even less than 14 shots. I think just around 12. I still think the only one
need to be traded is JVG. Yes, he is a great defense coach. But he is wasting the great resouce he has. Look what is happened to Rockets this season. The first 15-20 games, he does not know how to use T-Mac, almost every play goes through Yao. When this failed ( a 6-9 slow start), he suddenly makes a 180 degree turn. The offense almost forget about Yao. Even when we are on 8-win streak, yao only shot around 14 times per game.
I agree your point that we are turning to a perimeter team. Do not mention inside-out. I just did not see this happen in the recent games.
Fire VGD!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[OddsOn]

Originally posted by Kenrui
Even less than 14 shots. I think just around 12. I still think the only one
need to be traded is JVG. Yes, he is a great defense coach. But he is wasting the great resouce he has. Look what is happened to Rockets this season. The first 15-20 games, he does not know how to use T-Mac, almost every play goes through Yao. When this failed ( a 6-9 slow start), he suddenly makes a 180 degree turn. The offense almost forget about Yao. Even when we are on 8-win streak, yao only shot around 14 times per game.
I agree your point that we are turning to a perimeter team. Do not mention inside-out. I just did not see this happen in the recent games.
Fire VGD!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Oh please.....not this again. :confused:

[Rockets-R-Us]

As a once loud vocal critic of RainMan Gundy I am not (at this time) advocating for his departure.... I am however withholding judgement until I see our performance in the post-season.

As for Yao... I could not agree more with Francis3422!! What's evident on this BBS is merely symptomatic of a phenomenon that is so common across our country: When we don't get what we want IMMEDIATELY, we tend to whine, and bitch and moan, and pin the blame on the best scapegoat we can possibly find!! (Can anybody say Janet Jackson :rolleyes:)!!

I've been a hardcore Rockets fan since '85 and watched most of the games that have been on TV, and I've had season Tix a couple of times along the way... I sat in line all night to try and get one of the precious few Tix to game 7 of the Knicks champ series, and missed by one person of getting the last ducket...

Anyhow, Yao will fine. I think somebody (maybe even Shaq-daddy himself) will take Yao aside one of these days and tell him, "Look dude, your're not going to get the respect from the league or the refs until you start showing up in a physical way every night!!"

I'm sure that message is being delivered by others but it needs to come from someone that Yao truly respects and maybe even fears a little. (Hell maybe his mom could tell him to grow a pair...;) )

I think Yao needs more determination and persistence as well as some exercises to increase the strength in his hands!! He gets to a LOT of balls but just can't hang onto them :confused: ...

I'm a Yao fan who does believe he's a GREAT center who will only get better. Barring injury he will continue to improve and once his commitment to China Ball in the summer is over he should be better in the Reg. Season!!

Please remember, Yao comes from a very humble and "shame-based" culture. I doubt anyone is more critical of him than he is of himself. Oh, and BTW, he's still a 23 year old!!!!

The Sky's the limit!!:cool: :cool:

[mogrod]

Good post, Rockets-R-Us.

[RocketForever]

Originally posted by DollarBill
Where were these people when we were on 8 game winnning streak?

They were crawling around in their caves.

[winwook]

Yao Ming is an amazing offensive player. The level of hate thrown his way is ridiculous. He regularly has games where he makes 75% of his shots. For other players, this would be a career night. For Yao, it's no big deal. When Yao shoots, I expect the ball to go in every time, even on his jump shots. I'm shocked when he gets a good look and misses. Is he perfect? Of course not, but he's a great player.

T-Mac has had a long stetch of games where he couldn't shoot at all. Not a peep of hate from the fan community. No T-Mac sucks, trade T-Mac, T-Mac is a pussy, etc. It's obvious that people cut T-Mac and other Rockets some slack that they extend to Yao. It's almost as if some people secretly want Yao to fail and are waiting to jump all over him whenever he makes a mistake. The question is why?

[steddinotayto]

he needs to play with intensity and some urgency that's all.

[sun12]

The reason people bashing Yao is because Yao tends to disappear for a long stretch of the game. You don't see good post players get 10 or 12 points. They should get at least 18 or 20 points on their bad nights.
Also about the rebound, well.

[DeAleck]

I hate Yao! I hate I hate I hate!

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Clutch, Yao's killing me. Help!

[winwook]

Most post players, with the exception of Shaq, get a lot of their points from 15+ foot jumpers. Tim Duncan and Chris Webber take a ton of spot up jumpers. When they're post game isn't working, their teams still keep them involved by getting them easy jumpers. Yao is a better shooter than both of these guys but for some reason the Rockets offense doesn't create open jumpers for Yao.

Being a successful player in the NBA means you need an inside and outside game. I don't see why we're trying to turn Yao into a one-dimensional player. He's not Shaq.

[AroundTheWorld]

Originally posted by Charvo
Man...how screwed up will it be when Yao gets a max contract which totally caps the Rockets into the next millenium. Forget Jeff Bagwell. He'll be retired by then. Yao's contract will be the equivalent of Jason Giambi's contract.

Go find some Lakers board.

[Gatorfan76]

Originally posted by sun12
The reason people bashing Yao is because Yao tends to disappear for a long stretch of the game. You don't see good post players get 10 or 12 points. They should get at least 18 or 20 points on their bad nights.
Also about the rebound, well.

I agree with you but Yao gets so few shot attempts that he has to hit 90% of his field goals to do this every night. That's just not realistic....

[arkoe]

I don't disagree that Yao's an extremely talented player. The problem is he can't learn not to push people that get around him in the back, so he only gets to play ten freaking minutes a game. He needs to learn.

[PhiSlammaJamma]

Good title for your post.

[rvpals]

I understand why some people diss Yao last night, even clutch, said Yao cost us the game. Yao did not play good last night, but that doesn't warrant all these hate from all over, at least should not be on this board, which is the best sport BBS anywhere.

It's amazing how people's reaction to Yao changes from last season. This season, when Yao made the crucial two free throws so Rockets win a close game, we're just happy the team win and enjoy the team win without even thinking this is a game we could easily blow and lost. This win is a great team effort, and when the team lost like last night, even though the whole team shooting a poor percentage, a lot of people here just want to scream out, yao cost us the game, trade him or whatever. Also, these people that say Yao is not clutch, I totally disagreed with you, there's more games when Yao performed in the clutch and win the game for us than he lost the ball and the team lost. Just look through the games Yao had in his 3 years. It's like Michael Jordan said, he missed a lot more clutch shots than he made, but people tend to remember the ones he made. People's reaction toward Yao is totally different. When you play basketball, sometimes you made it sometimes you made mistake and lose the possession.

Yao needs to improve himself in so many areas and he's still learning and has enormous potential ahead of him. Let's give him time and support, he's gonna be a great player and he'll lead Houston to several championships in the future.

[qrui]

Originally posted by Francis3422
MingDynasty: On your point about the outside jumpers, this is true, but he isnt a great O rebounder anyway, and in this case he is that much closer to being setup on the D side of the floor.


but him being in the paint makes huge difference whether he gets the rebond or not. lots of times he boxed out the opponents and quicker players like sura or tmac sneaked in and got the rebond.

i do agree with you that he should have more touches. that will involve the coaching staff working with him and design more plays for him.

[sjackson0]

I used to get upset when I see Yao get bashed for not being tough enough or turnovers, but I just ignore it now because the trolls with jump on the bandwagon as soon as he hits for 30.

Look..... I don't need to tell you how long I've been watching basketball to tell you what's the MINOR problem with Yao and the Rockets. It's very simple....................give Yao more than 8-9 shots and damn game! How can anyone be judged off of 8-9 shots a game? That's why the people on this BBS that bash Yao, I immediately discredit them for having any source of basket IQ or knowledge. I agree with you Rockets-R-Us, we are a perimeter team, but often forget how those open shots became open in the first place. Not all open jumpers are created by T-mac penetration. The team just seems to forget about Yao when we need him the most...I don't understand why Jeff would allow our guards to roam off of picks trying to find room for a 18footer? when Yao is 4-5 feet away from them........MORE THAN 8-9 SHOTS.

When Yao starts getting 18 shots a night.......then we can talk.

PS......I know he's been in foul trouble lately, but when was the last time he fouled out? Give him the ball

[Rivaldo2181]

I've read page 10-14 of the game thread. There is so much blame and hate toward Yao, it's not even funny.

You know, it's human nature to try to place blame on someone when things go wrong. Last season EVERYTHING that went wrong was Steve's fault but us making the playoffs wasn't any of his doing according to most on here. The same is happening to poor Yao now. No one is going to blame T-Mac for ANYTHING b/c he is the new sensation in town and the honeymoon period has just begun. The same thing is happening to David Carr. He got booed the last game of the season when his line did bother showing up to protect him. It happens. It's sad and frustrating to see but you can't stress over it because that's just the way people are. Blame has to be placed somewhere when things go wrong and sadly the latest victim is Yao. Hopefully the fans won't run him out of town as well because he has amazing skills, with his potential being verrrry high. Imagine, he is averaging 18+ and 8+ in only his third season and everyone is complaining. Just wait til he is at his prime (scary if you ask me). Anyways, when the Rox start winning again, the HATE will stop. That's just the way it is. Peace.

[swilkins]

I see a few minor things that could significantly improve Yao's foul trouble.

1.) He needs to hold his position and stop getting happy feet. I feel that this will come with time. When a guard penetrates, he not fast enough to cut him off in time and fouls the player. It's amazing how many fouls Yao gets him when it is not his man.

2.) He should keep his arms high when a guard penetrates and focus on the ball after it's released. At 7'6" he is not going to have much luck grabbing for the ball low.

IMO - The problem is that when you are not as fast as your opponent, you will rarely get away with closing the lane at the last second. It always looks like a foul. Whenever Yao does this, I shake my head. If Yao could hold his position and force the player to make the play around him, him might have better luck.

Offensively, he just needs more shot attempts and to keep the ball high.

[across110thstreet]

if there was one play this week that sums up Yaos potential, it was the spin move in the game against Chicago.

the way he spead the floor on that play, getting himself into position, a sweet Dream Shake followed by the spin move ....


thats what we want out of Yao every night, but unfortunately he doesnt bring it every night...

[tigermission1]

The problem here is those who say the blame assigned to Yao is "hate" and not valid criticism.

What is hate? Hate is saying that Yao should be traded and not given a max contract because he doesn't deserve it. THAT is outright hate for Yao.

But when you criticise his shortcomings and the fact that he lost the game DOWN THE STRETCH for the Rockets (after Mutombo and the bench, along with T-Mac and MJ, who seems to be the new target of YOF:rolleyes:, brought them back in a game that otherwise would have been one of the best comebacks ever) that is not HATE!

As I have said before, the problem with Yao is NOT numbers, I am not worried the least bit about that. His real problem is that he doesn't play up to his awesome abilities and skills. Yao is undoubtedly as talented as any big man has ever been. He just doesn't play smart! He makes the SAME EXACT mistakes over and over and over again! And that hurts even more when it is down the stretch and you need flawless execution.

We lost the Wizards game due to shortfalls from our entire team, not just Yao. But the bottom line is that when the game was close and we were leading down the stretch, and we had the chance to redeem ourselves, we fell short because of a number of factors, chief among them is Yao's uninspired performance.

But again, I really think the main problem is that Yao is still being billed to us Rockets fans as the next great big man in the league, alas Hakeem and Shaq. I don't want him to become the greatest big man by default, just because Shaq and others aren't around to punish him anymore. I have unbelievable confidence and hope vested in Yao, and that might be my own fault, but it is hard not to have such high expectations from Yao when you see flashes of brilliance from him every now and then, he teases you with those moments and then, out of nowhere, he does a 180 and shows you flashes of what you NEVER want him to become, and the problem is that his flashes of brilliance and flashes of 'bust' seem to be on balance! That really bothers me! He has had as many terrible games as he has had brilliant games. And even at this stage of his career (only his 3rd year) would would expect to see a bit less shortcomings on the part of Yao.

Still, any trade suggestions or anything like that is rediculous and extremely annoying!:mad: Don't bring that s*** around here about "Yao for Odom" or "Yao for the entire GSW roster". Anyone who suggests for Yao OR T-Mac to be traded simply hates this team and would like to see them fail.

Bottom line is we will STILL make the playoffs, and that was our goal earlier this year, wasn't it? So I am still grateful and happy overall. It is just frustrating to lose so many close games recently (Sonics, Jazz, and now Wizards):(

still, GO ROCKETS!

[SamFisher]

Originally posted by Francis3422
.

To anyone who has watched the games, what do you guys really think? I have watched NBA for the last 12 years, and I would never say, that Yao is not one of the greatest offensively skilled players I have ever seen. Next to Olajuwon and Duncan, I cant think of a post man that has been more talented in the last 12 years. He is slow, quickwinded and fumbly, but he is more skilled than Robinson, Ewing, Ilgauskas and more than Shaq could ever dream of. Its amazing, to watch a player that great. .



He is a good shooter for a big man. I don't know if that qualifies as among "the greatest offensively skilled players" ever. Making hyperbolic statements like that is part of the problem when you set the bar too high.

[tigermission1]

BTW, I had earlier this season predicted that Memphis would secure the 6th spot by the end of the year, and the Rockets would secure the 7th. I still think that holds true.

I just think Memphis is a better, deeper, more athletic and skilled team than the Rockets. They are as good a defensive team as the Rockets are, and better offensively. They are winning without Pau Gasol, their best player.

So I still think by the end of the year the Rockets will slide to 7th and Memphis will secure 6th or even 5th, since the Webber trade made the Kings worse in my opinion. In fact, let me just revise my previous prediction since the Kings did trade Webber: Memphis will get 5th seed, Kings will get 6th.

So here is my ranking:

Spurs
Suns
Sonics
Mavs
Grizz
Kings
Rockets
Nuggets

The only thing good about our losses recently is that all of the other teams behind us have been losing as well at the same pace. So despite our recent struggles, everyone else is going through the same thing.

But again, this is why, guys, the Rockets are still nowhere near elite status in the league. They are still (talent wise) not one of the elite 4 in the West.

So I guess our performance now is reflective of that fact.

[rmartine]

Originally posted by tigermission1
The problem here is those who say the blame assigned to Yao is "hate" and not valid criticism.

What is hate? Hate is saying that Yao should be traded and not given a max contract because he doesn't deserve it. THAT is outright hate for Yao.

But when you criticise his shortcomings and the fact that he lost the game DOWN THE STRETCH for the Rockets (after Mutombo and the bench, along with T-Mac and MJ, who seems to be the new target of YOF:rolleyes:, brought them back in a game that otherwise would have been one of the best comebacks ever) that is not HATE!

As I have said before, the problem with Yao is NOT numbers, I am not worried the least bit about that. His real problem is that he doesn't play up to his awesome abilities and skills. Yao is undoubtedly as talented as any big man has ever been. He just doesn't play smart! He makes the SAME EXACT mistakes over and over and over again! And that hurts even more when it is down the stretch and you need flawless execution.

We lost the Wizards game due to shortfalls from our entire team, not just Yao. But the bottom line is that when the game was close and we were leading down the stretch, and we had the chance to redeem ourselves, we fell short because of a number of factors, chief among them is Yao's uninspired performance.

But again, I really think the main problem is that Yao is still being billed to us Rockets fans as the next great big man in the league, alas Hakeem and Shaq. I don't want him to become the greatest big man by default, just because Shaq and others aren't around to punish him anymore. I have unbelievable confidence and hope vested in Yao, and that might be my own fault, but it is hard not to have such high expectations from Yao when you see flashes of brilliance from him every now and then, he teases you with those moments and then, out of nowhere, he does a 180 and shows you flashes of what you NEVER want him to become, and the problem is that his flashes of brilliance and flashes of 'bust' seem to be on balance! That really bothers me! He has had as many terrible games as he has had brilliant games. And even at this stage of his career (only his 3rd year) would would expect to see a bit less shortcomings on the part of Yao.

Still, any trade suggestions or anything like that is rediculous and extremely annoying!:mad: Don't bring that s*** around here about "Yao for Odom" or "Yao for the entire GSW roster". Anyone who suggests for Yao OR T-Mac to be traded simply hates this team and would like to see them fail.

Bottom line is we will STILL make the playoffs, and that was our goal earlier this year, wasn't it? So I am still grateful and happy overall. It is just frustrating to lose so many close games recently (Sonics, Jazz, and now Wizards):(

still, GO ROCKETS!

Good post. I Agree 100%.

[solid]

Originally posted by across110thstreet
, but unfortunately he doesnt bring it every night...

And that is why he gets bashed. Everybody has a bad game. Everybody's shot is off sometimes. BUT, you can always play with intensity, you can always play defense, you can always look interested, try hard, work. Even when you have bad games you will be respected. You gave it your all. You tried your best. You left it all on the court. Many are angry with Ming because he "appears" to be lazy. He "seems" at times to be unfocused. He may care. He may "want it." He may feel committed to the team's success. But he often does not "appear" to be. For those of us who have played the game, we think we know what Ming is doing. And it is unacceptable. As a fan, all I want is for him to play hard while he is in. Play with intensity. Work. Then dumb mistakes are more acceptable. But when you don't appear to be trying you deserve to get bashed and excuses are lame.

[Charvo]

Originally posted by solid
And that is why he gets bashed. Everybody has a bad game. Everybody's shot is off sometimes. BUT, you can always play with intensity, you can always play defense, you can always look interested, try hard, work. Even when you have bad games you will be respected. You gave it your all. You tried your best. You left it all on the court. Many are angry with Ming because he "appears" to be lazy. He "seems" at times to be unfocused. He may care. He may "want it." He may feel committed to the team's success. But he often does not "appear" to be. For those of us who have played the game, we think we know what Ming is doing. And it is unacceptable. As a fan, all I want is for him to play hard while he is in. Play with intensity. Work. Then dumb mistakes are more acceptable. But when you don't appear to be trying you deserve to get bashed and excuses are lame.

You telling me Yao is Derek Bell?

[solid]

Originally posted by Charvo
You telling me Yao is Derek Bell?

Who is Derek Bell?

[pirc1]

Originally posted by solid
And that is why he gets bashed. Everybody has a bad game. Everybody's shot is off sometimes. BUT, you can always play with intensity, you can always play defense, you can always look interested, try hard, work. Even when you have bad games you will be respected. You gave it your all. You tried your best. You left it all on the court. Many are angry with Ming because he "appears" to be lazy. He "seems" at times to be unfocused. He may care. He may "want it." He may feel committed to the team's success. But he often does not "appear" to be. For those of us who have played the game, we think we know what Ming is doing. And it is unacceptable. As a fan, all I want is for him to play hard while he is in. Play with intensity. Work. Then dumb mistakes are more acceptable. But when you don't appear to be trying you deserve to get bashed and excuses are lame.

Please enlighten me how do you know Yao is uninterested or not trying hard? Different people have different ways of showing intensity, espcially for someone who grew up in a totally different society. Please let me know what makes you qualified to tell this?

:confused:

[snowmt01]

Originally posted by pirc1
Please enlighten me how do you know Yao is uninterested or not trying hard? Different people have different ways of showing intensity, espcially for someone who grew up in a totally different society. Please let me know what makes you qualified to tell this?

:confused:

If you only get 11 rbs in 3 games as the starting center, you are
not playing with intensity.

[Charvo]

Originally posted by solid
Who is Derek Bell?

He is infamous in Astros' recent history of being a player who was very non-chalant in how he played the game.

[ROXTXIA]

*sigh*

Don't know what it is with Yao. His focus seems off. WAY off.

Maybe the acquisition of Mike James, another shooting guard (let's not pretend otherwise, although I'm glad we got him) has frozen Yao somewhat.

But I do get sick of Yao being out there, flailing away, getting into quick foul trouble, again and again and again and again (DAMN!), and getting that painful squint when the refs tag him with another foul (when I wish, just once, he would point a finger in the face of the offending ref and say, "F*** you," or, "Look, Lazik surgery would do wonders for your eyesight," or whatever---but alas, he's a respectful soul).

And then, when Sura returns, chemistry issues yet again; working Sura and James into the same rotation, neither really wanting to give up the rock to the big guy. And if Yao keeps up his anemic game, I can't blame them too much.

Yao needs to act like a leader, not a follower. Might as well assert yourself. Maybe the refs will, in time, give him the benefit of the doubt on certain calls.

As far as trading Yao, it ain't gonna happen. Sometimes I wonder if we'd be better off with a decent center and a great PF; but I also know how much we'd regret ever losing Yao, because one day, the refridgerator light will come on, and it's all gonna just "click."

I just hope it's next game, you know?

[solid]

Originally posted by pirc1
Please enlighten me how do you know Yao is uninterested or not trying hard? Different people have different ways of showing intensity, espcially for someone who grew up in a totally different society. Please let me know what makes you qualified to tell this?

:confused:

The "totally different society" crap is really wearing thin. Do you think that Ming is the prototype of Chinese culture?

First, it is clear that Ming is extremely intelligent, that is given. We are not talking about someone who is so immature and naive that he is clueless. Listening to his comments, reading his remarks, and so on has proved this to me.

Second, I used the words "appears," "seems," and admitted that no one but Ming knows for sure. However, as a former player you can usually tell when another player is "dogging it," that is, "taking games off" or parts of games "off," it is not that hard to spot. And that is what Ming "appears" to be doing. Intensity is shown by exerting effort, by movement, by demonstratable aggressiveness. You can see it, you can feel it, it is really not that great a mystery.

Look, I love Ming as a player. I know what he can do. I want him to succeed. I want him to be respected and honored. I hate it when he "whimps" out, when he looks weak and ineffective. I don't want him traded. I want him to care enough to give his best. I am convinced that he is not doing that. And, based on their body language and their comments in the media, the other Rocket players know too.

[solid]

Originally posted by Charvo
He is infamous in Astros' recent history of being a player who was very non-chalant in how he played the game.

I was thinking in a NBA context, and was coming up with blanks. As an Astro fan I have a vague memory of him which is not a good sign.

[littlefish_220]

It is fair to say that Yao seems like lost in some nights. He played tentative or lost when he is in foul trouble or challenged hard by opponents. He is slow to adjust to different strategies IN THE GAME. What he needs is a little bit more experience and some guts and determination.

It is unfair to say that Yao played uninterested and not hard enough in some nights. IMO, it is just not ture. This guy is always chasing every ball, wise or not. You have to respect his intensity on the defensive end all the night. He shoulders much more defensive duty of this rox than everyone else, including T-mac. When he doesn't shoot well, he looks indetermined or giving up some chances to his teammates, it should not be defined as uninterested.

[Marbury021]

It's really not hard to see how much Yao affects each game, even when he's struggling. Without Yao, the Rockets are no better than last year's Orlando Magic... a team that won 21 games in the East.

Watch the games. Why does Juwan Howard get wide open 12-15 ft jumper? Because his man is sagging down on Yao. Why do the all of the guards get wide open looks at 3's? Because their men are sagging on Yao. Whether or not he is scoring, Yao draws so much attention from the defense, it makes the game that much easier for the rest of the team. The next game you watch, concentrate on Yao (even without the ball) and take notice of the attention he receives. It opens up the floor for everybody.

Defensively, yes, Yao is slow to get to his spots sometimes. But look how much he brings. The entire defense is schemed to funnel things into him. He picks up so many fouls trying to help all of his teammates out defensively. Whether or not he is, he seems to be one of the better Rockets at rotating to help the next man. He just needs to avoid silly fouls. Without Yao, how good would the Rockets defense really be?

The one thing I wish Yao would do on offense is pop out for a jumper after he sets a pick. I haven't seen it once this entire season. Once he really begins to mix it up offensively, I think we'll see a more confident and better Yao.

Give him time.

[sydmill]

here's my two cents. most people considered Yao to be the next great big man, a center to carry the torch from Shaq one day. while Yao's stats have been much better than most centers in the league (Shaq's are better and Z is close), he is not putting up numbers that you need from a guy who is expected to be the MAN on your team. the fact is that Yao is somewhere below the true greats at the pivot (Dream, Wilt, Russell, Daddy, etc.). Yao will get better, but truthfully I can not see him ever being a dominant player the way we have seen the great centers of the past. now, with that all being said, Yao is going to be the best center in the league in a couple of years (unless this Oden kid has a LeBron-like transition to the L or Bogut translates perfectly from college). I could see Yao having a couple of seasons at around 22/10/3, but with the slow progression and the fact that people of his stature have shorter careers I am not sure if we can truly expect much more than such numbers. i compiled the stats of good/great centers when they were 24 for comparison.

Yao 18/8/2
Dream 23/11/3
Shaq 26/13/3
Robinson 24/12/4
Ewing 22/9/2
Mutombo 17/12/3
Ilgauskas 15/9/1
Smits 11/5/1

I know that stats don't tell the whole story, but they do tell how well a player is playing against the L. given what Yao is averaging now at the age of 24, I would say we are looking at a player closer to Mutombo or Z than Shaq or Dream.

[littlefish_220]

Yao's number is never a concern for me. Given enough shots, he can be easily a 20-22 guy. What concerns me is that some of his weaknesses are hard to improve imo: Stamina, Slow reaction, and gentle personality. I am not saying he can't improve in these areas, but I don't expect him to change them dramatically.

One more point I want to make here is Yao's influence on defensive end is largely ignored by many posters here. We are lucky that both of our two centers are really good at defense because our pf position is just too weak on defense.

[explode211981]

Short and to the point! Yao needs to learn if someone is in front of him don't try for the rebound or block let it go, get position.
The reason we lost last night was b/c Gundy took James out at the beginning of the fourth, and the turnovers then piled up. When we were making our comeback we were spacing the floor and therefore wide open jumpers. For Yao to be great he needs less fouls=more min=more points and he'll be in the flow of the game. The sad thing is though tonight when we made our come back Deke was in the game :confused:

[michecon]

Originally posted by solid

Second, I used the words "appears," "seems," and admitted that no one but Ming knows for sure. However, as a former player you can usually tell when another player is "dogging it," that is, "taking games off" or parts of games "off," it is not that hard to spot. And that is what Ming "appears" to be doing. Intensity is shown by exerting effort, by movement, by demonstratable aggressiveness. You can see it, you can feel it, it is really not that great a mystery.

Brilliant. It "appears" you are "brilliant".

[solid]

Originally posted by michecon
Brilliant. It "appears" you are "brilliant".

That's all you got; the best you can do?! I guess when someone has no argument or no rebuttal of your argument, simple sarcasim comes in handy. :p

[grothendieck]

Originally posted by solid
The "totally different society" crap is really wearing thin. Do you think that Ming is the prototype of Chinese culture?

First, it is clear that Ming is extremely intelligent, that is given. We are not talking about someone who is so immature and naive that he is clueless. Listening to his comments, reading his remarks, and so on has proved this to me.

Second, I used the words "appears," "seems," and admitted that no one but Ming knows for sure. However, as a former player you can usually tell when another player is "dogging it," that is, "taking games off" or parts of games "off," it is not that hard to spot. And that is what Ming "appears" to be doing. Intensity is shown by exerting effort, by movement, by demonstratable aggressiveness. You can see it, you can feel it, it is really not that great a mystery.

Look, I love Ming as a player. I know what he can do. I want him to succeed. I want him to be respected and honored. I hate it when he "whimps" out, when he looks weak and ineffective. I don't want him traded. I want him to care enough to give his best. I am convinced that he is not doing that. And, based on their body language and their comments in the media, the other Rocket players know too.

I truly believe you love Yao. But what's the reason that Yao appears as a lazy player on the court? Do Yao care about rockets? I think people should think about that a little bit before bashing Yao immediately.

Maybe Yao is frustrated with the referees, with his teamates, his coaches and even himself. One thing I strongly believe in is that Yao wants the ball, wants to win championships. But he might feel sorry to his coach, his teamates for his weakness, his turnovers, his unique treatment from the referees.

He is frustrated, right now.

[Visagial]

This happens to Yao every single year almost exactly at this time of year. He has a stretch where he's playing unbelievable basketball and the team is doing great. Then March comes around, we play a tough back to back (I'm talking last week), a couple of tough guys are matched up against him (Collins always gives him trouble, Haywood holds his own), and he doesn't play well for longer stretch than we would like.

It's just a phase that unfortunately happens every season. Our reaction is almost as predictable. Yao hasn't lost his ability to play. He just has this regular funk that will likely last a couple more weeks.

[tigermission1]

Originally posted by sydmill
Mutombo 17/12/3

WOW! I knew Mutombo put up good numbers, but not this good!:eek:

So I guess Mutombo had better numbers than Yao at 24 yrs of age. Those numbers are impressive for a guy who does nothing that can be called "smooth" with a straight face;) :p

[Phreak3]

Originally posted by Visagial
This happens to Yao every single year almost exactly at this time of year. He has a stretch where he's playing unbelievable basketball and the team is doing great. Then March comes around, we play a tough back to back (I'm talking last week), a couple of tough guys are matched up against him (Collins always gives him trouble, Haywood holds his own), and he doesn't play well for longer stretch than we would like.

It's just a phase that unfortunately happens every season. Our reaction is almost as predictable. Yao hasn't lost his ability to play. He just has this regular funk that will likely last a couple more weeks.

This is true. And if he plays roughly the same way as last season, then he'll have one more "good" streak coming and then slump again right before the end of the season/play-offs. It is very predictable.

[Francis3422]

SF, I watch the game, a lot, I said it because in my opinion its true, its more than the shooting touch. His instincts and footwork are amazing. Smits was a good shooter, so is Ilgauskas, so was Daughtery if I remember correctly, but how many of them had the complete game he had out to 20 feet.

[YallMean]

Originally posted by DollarBill
Some posters here behave and act just like those sportswriters, scouts and ESPN. They are contantly looking for each chance they get to bash Yao. It's all about hatred toward Yao. Where were these people when we were on 8 game winnning streak?

Was I mad at Yao's performance tonight? yes. Do I get frustrated with Yao becasue he doesn't rebound well, pick up fouls too quick, turn the ball over a lot. Yeah.

But I never let all those things fool me into thinking Yao is the biggest reason that we lost so many games, or we should just trade Yao, or let him go when his current contract is up. Please, as long as we got Yao and T-Mac on the team, we have future.

On the other hand, Yao needs to grow up. For God's sake, Yao, please be a man for once in your life. Please learn something from Kobe, go practice 24/7, work on your rebounding. Don't play CS too much. Don't be your moma's boy anymore. oh. last thing. don't walk with your head down, Walk Talll!!!

Agree everything including the CS part. Add one more, bring Ye here.

[rm365]

Originally posted by Phreak3
This is true. And if he plays roughly the same way as last season, then he'll have one more "good" streak coming and then slump again right before the end of the season/play-offs. It is very predictable.

I don't think its true. Yao has more endurance this season than last, he's holding good post position. The only thing holding him back the past few games is the foul trouble (and that ain't completely his fault) and the butter fingers.
If it weren't for the fouls, he could have had a few 25-30 pt games in the past 5 games. His shooting touch has been hot during this slump except last game (and even last game, he had a couple of in and outs).
Work on them hands Yao... someone make him play dodgeball with Roger Clemens.

[YallMean]

My major problem with Yao, why in a stretch of games once awhile, he would play so badly. It's not the Rockets. When he was with CNT, once a while he would perform so badly that his teammates just quit on him. It's not that he doesnt have enough shots and we are premiter team. It's frustrating to see him turn around and shoot that hook, then all of sudden seems something comes cross his mind and misses short. You figure it should be pretty easy for him. When he play badly, he tends to put more fancy moves and reult in TO. His baseline spin move is awesome, but when he dribbles the ball, you just ask for trouble. When you are 7'6 and you have thick legs, there is no need to do that. Just turn and shoot, if he miss that, I can live with that. Good thing about he doesnt leave his foot much is he is not injury prone. Defensively, he is 7'6, why he likes to use his body, lot of calls on him because he is a step slower.

[tinman]

Originally posted by Charvo
Man...how screwed up will it be when Yao gets a max contract which totally caps the Rockets into the next millenium. Forget Jeff Bagwell. He'll be retired by then. Yao's contract will be the equivalent of Jason Giambi's contract.

SCREW THE ASTROS!! They can't keep any good players. They keep these crap farts like Bagwell and Biggio. And Bagwell is on roids! Baseball sucks and the Astros are cheap. What's the point of bringing back anyone but Beltran?

at least Yao doesn't use steriods!!
Leave Yao alone, wait til the playoffs, then you can judge Yao.

[The Ming Dynasty]

Originally posted by tinman
SCREW THE ASTROS!! They can't keep any good players. They keep these crap farts like Bagwell and Biggio. And Bagwell is on roids!

Dude, you just lost all credibility... :mad: at least in my book.

[henrock]

I know that stats don't tell the whole story, but they do tell how well a player is playing against the L. given what Yao is averaging now at the age of 24, I would say we are looking at a player closer to Mutombo or Z than Shaq or Dream.

Everyone has to realize that YAO is still young. There are a number of reasons why he hasn't developed as quickly as everyone would want and they are 1) he hasn't had the coaching like the other big men of the past 'cause he's been coached by the CNT. If he had gone to college for a year or 2 you would see great improvement. He's basically learning on the fly, especially without having any summers off because they prepare more for games during the summers and don't practice to improve skills. 2) the game has changed so much the last couple years. The new rule changes and the disappearance of the traditional center has forced YAO into something else that he isn't yet prepared for. Zone Defenses, not allowing players to back people down a la Charles Barkley, ticky-tack fouls, etc. 3) the watering down of the league with the expansion teams has reduced the number of good shooters in the league that would open things up for the big man. Poor defense that has guards blowing past defenders and getting into the lanes 'cause YAO to pick up the ticky tack fouls.

Give YAO a summer off and have some good coaching from someone like Pete Newell plus another year in the league and you will see dramatic improvement. If he was in the league 10 years ago he would have adapted a lot easier.

[wizkid83]

Originally posted by michecon


Ok, so he's in a slump. He did not shot well tonight. He blew a crutial FT, but you never see the same level of hate toward another player.


Um Francis?

[bigbodymoe]

Originally posted by wizkid83
Um Francis?
i honestly think the level of scruitny he recieves is based on the amount of expectations has from a 7'6'' guy with this much talent. i think furthermore the it is based on how he plays the game and that we realize as fans that he is not just a project and that if he was he would not recieve any of the criticism that he recieves now

[Sishir Chang]

Originally posted by tinman
SCREW THE ASTROS!! They can't keep any good players. They keep these crap farts like Bagwell and Biggio. And Bagwell is on roids! Baseball sucks and the Astros are cheap. What's the point of bringing back anyone but Beltran?

at least Yao doesn't use steriods!!
Leave Yao alone, wait til the playoffs, then you can judge Yao.

Dude you must not have been watching baseball very much and must've missed last year's playoffs.

Anyway we saw Yao in the playoffs last year and he didn't play as well as he did in the regular season.

[Sishir Chang]

There's a lot to reply in this thread so here are my 2 Yuan on the mattter.

I agree that the Yao bashing gets overboard but sports writers and sports fans are given to hyperbole. The fact alone that we spend so much time pontificating about a game shows how in love we are with our own voices and when debating about things like this it usually becomes a pissing match to see who can be the most extreme in their opinion.

From watching Yao its undeniable that he has skills that show up everynow and then but consistency is a big problem for him. This is probably due to a lot of things, stamina, mental toughness, still not adjusted the NBA, youth, improper coaching or utilization. I'm thinking that Yao is so unique that his skills are shortcomings are also unique. When has there ever been a player so tall who could shoot so well, pass so well and instinctive moves but also have so many problems hanging on to the ball and establishing position?

I'm thinking that even though this is the middle of his third year Yao is still learning the NBA, JVG is still learning Yao, and the refs are still adjusting to him. Since I believe Yao is a smart person who does try hard I think eventually he'll figure it out at the same time as JVG or some other coach does too and then we'll see him performing more consistently.

Of course its undeniable for now that Yao hasn't proved to the next Hakeem and for him its unfortunate that he's hyped to that extent. We just may have to accept that Yao is Yao and its unfair to compare him to others.

Also in regards to hate I gotta agree with wizkid interms of hate among recent Rox I think Francis has him beat. Heck I've seen people blaming Francis for our current struggles and every thread about our current guards inevitably turns into a Francis bashing thread.

As for the basketball analogy to Derek Bell I think that would be Joe Barely Cares or Quitten.

[ivanyy2000]

Originally posted by Sishir Chang

Of course its undeniable for now that Yao hasn't proved to the next Hakeem and for him its unfortunate that he's hyped to that extent. We just may have to accept that Yao is Yao and its unfair to compare him to others.


More and more ppl can accept the fact that he is not next Hakeem or Shaq. But I believe ppl still expect him to play at his mentor Patrick Ewing's level. But he is more and more Rik Smits like. That is really frustrating.

[sydmill]

the quicker that we realize what we have in Yao the better it will be for everybody involved. expecting him to be a 24 ppg 11 rpg player (I got those numbers from the front page poll) is almost ludicrous. why do people expect him to be able to produce such stats? once we realize that yao is what he is the pressure will fade from him and the expectations here will decrease.

[snowmt01]

Originally posted by sydmill
the quicker that we realize what we have in Yao the better it will be for everybody involved. expecting him to be a 24 ppg 11 rpg player (I got those numbers from the front page poll) is almost ludicrous. why do people expect him to be able to produce such stats? once we realize that yao is what he is the pressure will fade from him and the expectations here will decrease.

Yao's inconsistency makes him a mystery. He absolutely
dominates in about 20% of games and plays great in another
30% of games. He obviously can do much better than 18/8/2,
which makes him very frustrating to watch in those bad games.

Will Yao be another JoeBarelyCares or Ewing? If the latter, we
should get at least 2 rings with Yao+Tmac.

[Summer Song Giver]

I keep hearing let Yao be Yao, to me that is the enigma, which player is he and will he find the middle of the road which allow him to make a solid contribution night in and night out? He is frustrating because you never know what he is going to give you. At some point he must establish himself on some level so the team knows exactly what his value is going to be. Right now, he is nothing more than a really good role player who simply can not be relied on to give the team a solid contributin consistently. That is ok for a Bob Sura or a Mike James but not from your franchise center especially in this stats for dollars NBA. Right now giving Yao the max is like shooting yourself in the foot. It is gambling with the future of the very franchise. Max dollars IMO are not to be gambled with, hopefully Rox management will feel the same way as me on this one. I do not want 24 and 11 from Yao yet if ever, I'd be happy with 17 and 10 if he was giving it to us every night for that is what a cornerstone is supposed to do. He does not have to be Shaq or Hakeem but he does have to consistent. If he can not do that then he will forever be nothing more than he is now.

[sydmill]

but that is the thing, he does have to be as good as dream or shaq or he will (deservedly so) be labeled a bust. since we drafted yao he has become the focal point of houston basketball. we changed our entire team for this guy, not just francis and co. but the uniforms, the endorsments, we made houston the mecca for chinese athletics. furthermore, yao is going to be the starter on the allstar team as long as it is a fan vote thing. as it is, yao deservesnone of what he has been given and until he starts to measure up to the greats he'll have the reputation of being a punk. pure and simple.

[Summer Song Giver]

Originally posted by sydmill
but that is the thing, he does have to be as good as dream or shaq or he will (deservedly so) be labeled a bust. since we drafted yao he has become the focal point of houston basketball. we changed our entire team for this guy, not just francis and co. but the uniforms, the endorsments, we made houston the mecca for chinese athletics. furthermore, yao is going to be the starter on the allstar team as long as it is a fan vote thing. as it is, yao deservesnone of what he has been given and until he starts to measure up to the greats he'll have the reputation of being a punk. pure and simple.

I could care less about perceived meccas, all star appearances or anything related to such matters, Yao has got to be more consistent but no he does not have to be Shaq or Dream, that's where we disagree; 99% of the league would be punkasses if this were the criteria.

[sydmill]

99% of the league is not handed the mantle of the next BIG thing. imagine if LeBron had not produced, that to me is the situation with Yao.

[yaoII]

this is one of the best posts ever!!!

[m_cable]

Oh yeah, well this post is even better!

[Francis3422]

Well, this went completely away from where I wanted it to go, everyone that usually bashes Yao has crawled back into their holes with their stat sheets and espn game reports. Oh yes, by the way, for Yao to get 24 points a game on 14 shots, even with 4 freethrows, he has to shoot 10-14 all the time.

[Panda]

Yao's mainly problem is inconsistency. The cause of inconsistency is mainly due to the role he's been cast into - he's mainly an opportunistic player rather than a systematic player, yet his character and approach to the game is more suited as a systematic player.

On the post plays, which lacks counter measures, Yao shots are often given by the defense. if the defense decides to block the post play by fronting, sandwiching or soft double teams, the play is usually over. Therefore, in this sense the post play for Yao is opportunistic. Yao's touches on post plays is consequently inconsistent. Yao also has the duty to create for the teammates, which further decreases the already low shot opportunities he has.

On the non post plays, the Rockets lack in plays that's designed to create for Yao or utilize his passing. When Yao is not setting picks for his teammates, he hovers around the court to find opportunistic baskets, the open layups or jumpers that happens to fall in his hands. No guarentee for Yao's shots, he's not Tracy McGrady, he's just used as a role player but expected to be the next big thing.

Yao may or may not be a great player, but the problem is not it. It is that Yao is not performing to his current level. Yao can be an eagle right now, but he's used as a vulture.The Rockets have adopted a formula that breeds such inconsistency. Yao himself needs to take blame for his lack of temper and will to fight against adversity, either against the system, the coach or the refs. When he is being forced into a role that doesn't suit him, or is mistreated, he doesn't fight back. He accepts his fate and tries to be the good boy. He passes the ball for the play and watch other dwarfs shoot the jumper that belongs to him. He needs to be told as a leader instead of asserting his role. His style doesn't mesh with the system yet his personality maintains the status quo. There is not many choices regarding the situation. Either change the system or change Yao, either his personality or his location. There is no guarentee which way will work, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out which way to go.

[Sishir Chang]

Originally posted by sydmill
since we drafted yao he has become the focal point of houston basketball. we changed our entire team for this guy, not just francis and co. but the uniforms, the endorsments, we made houston the mecca for chinese athletics.

I think that has more to do with Les and the NBA looking at Yao as a gateway to a 1.2 bil person market than as Yao himself being a superstar.

[Sishir Chang]

After today's game does anyone else think that no matter what happens this season the Rox should keep Mutumbo around to mentor Yao?

[olliez]

Originally posted by Sishir Chang
After today's game does anyone else think that no matter what happens this season the Rox should keep Mutumbo around to mentor Yao?

I am still baffled the EXACT role of Patrick Ewing on Rockets payroll.

Anybody can shed some light ?

:confused:

[wafna]

Does anyone know if the coaches actually work with Yao on his shortcomings instead of just talking to him about them?

They could have him press in on the ball for 20 min at a time between his hands and put him in the habit of pressing in every time he gets the ball.

They could have him chase rebounds from different angles in rapid succession to help him read where the balls are going before they hit the rim.

They could have him stay upright to defend outside shots instead of crouching down and away from the opponent while putting a hand in front of their faces.

It would be easy to have him do these things over and over. In sports, it's not enough just to think about them.

[Sishir Chang]

Originally posted by olliez
I am still baffled the EXACT role of Patrick Ewing on Rockets payroll.

Anybody can shed some light ?

:confused:

Maybe to keep JVG company.

[weig2000]

He did not dorminate Shaq, didn't not lead Rockets to the second round ... in his second season. He held his won against Shaq and Shaq had a very subpar playoff series by his standard.

No, he did not play great in that series, but not bad either overall.


Originally posted by Sishir Chang
Dude you must not have been watching baseball very much and must've missed last year's playoffs.

Anyway we saw Yao in the playoffs last year and he didn't play as well as he did in the regular season.

[rvpals]

Originally posted by Sishir Chang
After today's game does anyone else think that no matter what happens this season the Rox should keep Mutumbo around to mentor Yao?

Absolutely. That's if Deke can still play.

[Stone Cold Hakeem]

All this Yao hate wounds me. Seriously. Here we have 7'6 giant at the 5, humble as all can be, a serviceable rebounder and bona fide offensive talent and we cannot finad anything better to do but to tear him down because he cannot matchup to our (inflated) expectations.

Reality Check: Shaquille O'Neal couldn't live up to the expectations placed on Yao. Hell, Wilt the Stilt, man of a thousand lovers, couldn't live up to the expectations placed on Yao. Even if Yao grew into the 20/10 player we're willing to "settle" for, I don't think the critism will be quieted -- and that is too bad, because Yao is already showing he is a special player. We're not 6th place without him -- we are 6 from the league cellar, if we're lucky. His mere presence in the post is more than most teams can claim to bring to the 5.

This is not to say we should 'settle' -- but I really don't understand the lack of patience.