Yao's struggles remain on rise Big man held to four points By MICHAEL MURPHY Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Have your TV on long enough and you can't miss him. Yao Ming pitching Apple Computers. Yao in a Super Bowl spot for Visa. Yao doing ads for ESPN. And next month you will be able to see Yao in Atlanta, where he will be the Western Conference's starting center in this year's All-Star Game. It's called Yao-phoria. When they say the man is large, they're not only talking about his 7-5 height. The big man can be seen everywhere -- except on the basketball court that is, where Yao practically has disappeared over the last few games. The latest example came in Friday's 98-74 loss to the Detroit Pistons, when Yao took only four shots, making one, to finish with four points. Yao, who added six rebounds, did not block a shot and he didn't dish off an assist in 23 minutes. Four shots? Yao was diplomatic when discussing his part -- or lack thereof -- in the offense. "They had very strong centers," Yao said, "but I think it would have been very good if we could have gotten them to collapse the defense inside and gotten the outside guys some looks." Yao's counterpart on the Pistons, Ben Wallace, who will start for the Eastern Conference in next month's All-Star Game, had nine points, a game-high 18 rebounds, three assists and three blocks to spark the Pistons to the win, which broke their nine-game losing streak at Compaq Center. Some of Yao's struggles can be attributed to Wallace, the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year. "He is very strong," said Yao of Wallace, whose chiseled physique makes Karl Malone look almost fat. But can the 6-9 Wallace really hold Yao to his lowest-scoring game since another four-point effort in a Nov. 24 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, just his second start? And Wallace had nothing to do with Yao's struggles over the preceding few games. Over his last five starts, Yao has averaged 8.4 points while shooting only 33 percent from the floor. And in the 17 games since a Dec. 18 contest against Indiana, where he finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds, Yao has averaged only 11.9 points on 42 percent shooting. Part of it is defenses figuring out his game and forcing him to take shots from spots on the floor where he isn't comfortable. "He's got post moves," said Rockets forward James Posey. "I like him inside. He just has to stay with it. I think a lot of guys are being real physical with him, and I think he has to adapt to it better. He has to realize that's what they're going to do and get better post position and stick with being aggressive." Another factor in Yao's struggles is he is still trying to work the jump hook into his repertoire. Given his overwhelming height, Yao never has had to use anything more than his turnaround jumper to get a good look at the basket. The NBA is teaching him otherwise. "A lot of times I have to use the hook shot," Yao said. "It depends on the defender. A lot of times that's the only way I can get my shot off. If there's an opportunity, I'll use it, but it's not a shot I used much when I was in China. I didn't need to use it there." So, how difficult can it be to learn? "It's like if you had to start using chopsticks to eat," Yao said. "If you had to get adjusted to using chopsticks." It's called growing pains, if such a concept can be applied to a 7-5, 300-pound player. Every rookie, regardless of size or skill level, goes through it, and Yao is no different.
It is called giving the ball to our franchise. Give him the ball and quit babying him. 23 minutes is not enough.
It seems a pretty common opinion, that for a variety of reasons, Yao is tired. My questions are, how much rest does he need and can he get it during the season? Or for that matter during the off-season - considering his national responsabalities.
I think they should have him come off the bench again. Only problem is that it might kill his confidence. But if he really wants to be a good player, he'll get a second wind and find a way back to the starting lineup.
Besides being tired, I'm really concerned about Yao because he does have national responsibilities for years to come. Even people like Steve Nash (who plays with great national pride) have taken a summer off to recharge the batteries for a long season. I'm not sure if Yao can continue his strength training in his practices with the Chinese national team. I'm also not sure whether he will improve his skills practicing against inferior (non-NBA) competition during the summer.
Its just that he has almost played an entire year with him playing in china and coming to america by this time the chinese season would already be over with thats why hes so tiered
I don't buy the tired act. When you do something for so long, your body does sort of get accustomed to it. When I started working for a warehouse 9 hours a day 5 days a week (doing heavy lifting et al with my 120 pound weakling frame) a few summers ago, I was tired at first, but I got used to the schedule and the weekend was all I needed to prepare my body for the next week. So I think Yao needs to get it together and stop letting the excuses of him being "tired" affect his mindset. Go out there and hit some big men and USE his friggin' 296 pound frame to full effect. Stop playing like a timid bambi. We know Yao can do much better. Maybe it's harder for big guys to recharge their batteries, though. I don't know. But personally, I think Yao is playing sub-par even if he the most tired man in the world.
Well, even if he wasn't tired then, HE IS MISSING HIS SHOTS. At first, every shot was beautiful and went in. Now he's missing EVERYTHING. ???
Yao is a skilled player... I wouldn't think that it'd be so difficult for a player with his skill level to pick up a simple hook shot. I've been preaching forever for Yao to use the hook... hopefully he will incorporate it sooner than later. LLJ: You don't buy the tired excuse, but what about the fact that nearly every rookie hits some sort of wall in their first year. It's not just a phenomenon that's affected Yao you know. Yao is only more likely to hit the wall with his lack of rest over the past 2 years.
Sure, I think Yao is a little tired. But his "slump" is beginning to look a little protracted, even for a rookie. Usually they slump for about 8 games or so. If you don't count Yao's explosion in Orlando, he really looks like he's been in some kind of haze for the last 12 games or so. Pau Gasol's slumps last year didn't last more than 9 games. Great rookies like Hill, O'Neal and Kidd didn't hit protracted slumps. I mean if we're expecting Yao to be a great player, we have to compare his ups and downs with other great players in their rookie years. One thing about the "rookie wall" is that they tend to at least go in first and spurts. They usually come out refreshed after maybe a 2 day rest and then slump again in the next game. But the Rox go on a 2 day rest...then 3 day rest...still no Yao. I'm not a Yao basher, I like him, and the fact of the matter is that he doesn't "suck" and he hasn't "peaked" because we KNOW he can do much better still. And so, I am blaming Yao himself for his poor play. He should at least come back a little energized after a 2 day's rest.
Well I still love Yao although he is struggling. I know he will adapt... But sorry. Amare Stoudemire will be the Rookie of the Year.
Well, I think Yao has implied that he's not the first option in offense saying that he wants the guys to get the outside shots. But he doesn't want to criticize his teammates or the coach. I think he can still bear with it until oneday he's going to shout: "THEY DON"T PASS ME THE F_KING BALL!!"
Don't worry about Rookie of the Year. What matters is what happens during the rest of the career. And even though Yao hasn't played worth a damn for about a month, he's still got a better upside for his team since he's a natural passer. Dunking and athleticism comes and goes, but passing is eternal. That's why the people with the longest and most effective careers were good passers. You can stick someone who's on the downside of his career in the starting lineup as long as he can pass. Of course, Yao hasn't been passing well lately either...but be that as it may, passing big man are very valuable commodities.
LLJ, Please, don't compare Yao to any other rookie in the history of the game. No other rookie has ever had to go through the sheer VOLUME of basketball Yao has played in the past 3 years, NON STOP. Even before the season, everyone expected him to take some time off to rest. Now we're 40 games into the season, so it's FULLLY understandable that after breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record at some point, he'll hit the rookie wall harder than anyone in the history of the game. It's unbelievable how people are saying he shouldn't be tired. Even the other NORMAL rookies are wearing out right about now. What makes you think the one who is MOST involved with his team, who has played non-stop basketball for 3 years, who has the international media hounding him everywhere, won't hit a much larger, longer rookie wall? Aren't you taking these things into consideration? He's never had proper training, and his physical fitness condition was horrific when he came in. Now with practice, lifting weights, games, commercials, All Star games, other C's testing him non-stop.. I can't believe he's still alive.
Murphy neglects to mention in the article that Yao's recent disappearance has coincided with that of Griffin. Yao doesn't yet have the game that will allow him to dominate inside without a little help. Taylor and Morris haven't provent to be much assistance. My prediction: Even though Yao is obviously exhausted, his stats will get better starting in the same game in which Griffin returns.
I think it is a combination of physically tired and confidence suffering as well. you can see he is taking less and less shot, if his confidence still high, I think he will put up 10 + shot in a off day as well. if you see kobe or iverson, they will take 20+ shot even in a offday, and sometimes, they get hot again at end. and the they end shot about 45% for the game. I think Yao need to get his confidence up, and his teammate should have trust on him as well by keep passing him the ball. you can't get hot by taking 4 shot a game!
Yes, but the guards control the ball. He shoots every time he gets the ball. HE DOES TRY TO SHOOT. He never looks to pass anymore...maybe he wants to score. He is very frustrated these days...even missing those free throws... I believe Eddie will help a little...not much..
I think Yao's has been taken totally out of his comfort zone. It's clear in the Chronicle story too. He's use to facing the basket and having plenty of time to shoot a jumper even when he's close to the rim. After being blocked a few times, he's rushing the shot now and he's got a lot less confidence in it. Yao is also not very athletic. He doesn't have the speed or quickness that a lot of NBA player's have and the scout sheets seem to have completely figured this out. Every single one of his shots is challenged straight up. They're not playing "body" defense on him; opposing teams are trying to block his shot knowing he can't elevate and knowing they can recover if he's pump faking because he's slow (relatively speaking). He can still be a dominating player but he needs to learn to shoot the ball a lot higher and take up more room with his body to keep the defender away. I am also not sure about the wisdom of feeding him in the block everytime. How much experience does Yao have creating his own shot in the low post? Getting him the ball inside isn't enough. Rudy needs to use the team to get him the ball when's he's open, not just when he's in the paint. He's also not being given the opportunity to shoot his way out of a slump. No amount of practice is going to give him his shooting touch back in a game situation. He needs to take more shots in the flow of the game. I wish Rudy would just for once play Yao without Cat or SF for a 10 minute stretch and let Yao be the decision maker.
I would like Yao to be in with Cato while Steve and Cuttino sit out. But the problem is...CUTTINO IS NEVER ON THE BENCH. About Yao...he is just a rookie. Yao is slow...I thought everyone was saying he plays like a small forward but in a bigger body... I think he should not fadeaway. He is so tall...but his fadeaways get blocked all the time by 6-10 midgets. He is too slow and gets blocked easily. He is still good when he is very close around the basket. His turnaround jumper has not been going in the ENTIRE PAST MONTH. I hope he improves...
I went back to rewatch the tapw of the Pistons game. Yao does look a bit tired, but not that bad! His stats/effectiveness won't be half as bad if the guards tried to help the big man! He doesn't get any easy looks. He was consistently ignored in the PnR. On several occasions he got the late pass from PnR. Most of his shot attempts came from very bad offensive play, where he has to go against Wallace + one or two more defenders. They resulted in low-percentage shots. Yao has too much pride inside himself. I can see his frustrated face for every shots he missed. Where our guards can shoot and clank all night long and still don't "get it". Yao's confidence is clearly shaken quite some lately. For god's sake he shot 2-6 for FT. Fatigue would have nothing to do with FT. Yao is a 75% FT shooter this season. Rudy T and the guards better create some easy plays for him in the following few games to get his confidence back! For the vast majority of the seaon, Rockets have played this stupid guard-oriented offense. The big guy is constantly ignored on the offense. There are a stretch of games in Nov and Dec where Yao got most of shots off class. Now Yao is fatigued and are no longer getting these offensive plays, Rockets started its rollercoaster downward spiral...
