I went to the game at Oakland yesterday. It was a really ugly game. Both teams' plays were bad. I have been so fond of Yao's game and this time his performance and attitude really pisted me off. He did not look like he has any motivation playing the game, many times, he was wide open and with hesitation, he simply passed the ball to his teammate and did not show any leadship and desire to win. After being yelled by JVG, he played slightly better, but then turned into another slow performance. Besides, in the halftime practice, he did not practise seriously and looked very lethargic. After missing a couple of shots, he didn't show that he wanted to practise a little more to improve but instead went back to the bench to rest when other teammates were still practising. The Bay Area fans liked him so much that he was the only visiting team player who got applauded whenever he made points. However, his show and attitude were really below average and deserve to be blamed and made many Bay Area fans who like him very disappointed. RoyJones
I agree that when Yao started missing his shots, he became really hesitant to shoot from the outside. I saw a couple of instances where he had an open 20 footer and decided to pass. I know that Yao played a poor game, but they have to keep going to him. In that 3rd quarter, he wasn't getting any touches. They should have just kept him camped in the low post and work through the bad shooting. He was getting the same shots he always gets, but they were all going in and out. For the most part, I think Yao is getting better at being more selfish. But becoming "The Man" doesn't happen overnight, and his confidence seems to wane sometimes. But he is getting better and improving all the time.
Well, I blame both of them. Eventually, after such a terrible game Stevie gave us a chance to win by hitting his shots. But then he also took away that cahnce with his bumping into Oakley while trying to rebound. Yao and Stevie were abused last night.
Aha....Yep,YAO should be blamed this time. But the main problem would still be steve,you so called "scapegoat".
Wow. just because you're missing your shots while your team mates are turning over the ball 7 times, you get the blame? Tonto.
Sometimes when you are off, for whatever reason, you know it. Maybe Yao had the sense to not shoot long jumpers if he felt bad, for whatever reason. What's wrong with giving a teammate a shot if you believe they have a better chance of making it? Steve seems to go to his teammates a lot more when his shot is off....the bad side to that is, the other team knows when you are not confident, or are having an off night, and they adjust the defense to attack our next strongest point. True, he didn't seem into the game, but who knows the real reason? I don't. Maybe he was up all night cruising the city, looking for a future home.........
I think he meant why there aren't any "Trade Yao for Brad Miller" type of threads coming out. Yao had a bad game. No one would argue with that(although there is a thread on how much GS got away in terms of fouls). We sucked as a team, really, except for Mobley. No one's shots were falling. However, this sort of a game is really an exception, rather than the rule, of what one can expect from Yao. He just had one of those bad days.
Of all the players on this team, I think Yao might be the most guilty of taking teams like Golden State too lightly, and only showing up when there's a big game. His stats when going against Shaq/Duncan/Garnett are so muchy better than when going against the likes of Potapenko/Foster/McCarty or any other marginal center. I don't know why he continues to take nights off. Maybe he's thinking about conserving his energy or something.
I can be labeled as a YOF. for i have rooted for rox after he play for them and i am chinese. BUT, i cannot endurace all ur guy's blame objected SF. if u have watch the GS game. u should notice SF really play with heart. Recall he have steal the ball twice? in a row. keep be aggressive. well, it is just a off night for all therox player. All guys FG is terrible. Give them time, they will figure out the problem. I think SF and others did a pretty good job to fit JVG's system so far in this season.
so yao can never have a fault?? He can miss all the freakin shots in the world, but thats okay? How many tos did yao get last night?
Clearly the fact that Yao had a bad game undermines all the criticisms of Steve this year, and points out that those criticism are unfounded and petty. Good players never, ever have bad games, and the fact that Yao had one clearly demonstrates to all who are really looking where the problem has been all year. His 54% fga is a mirage if it doesn't guarantee a great outing each game, and Steve's under 40% is also shown to be a deception now that we know he's secretly been carrying Yao...
This seems logical and I don't disagree that it's partially true, but a major part of the discrepancy in Yao's performance is the different matchup guys like Potapenko and Dampier bring. They play a fouling, slow, physical defense against Yao. They punch him off the ball, and push him when he has it. Shaq and Garnett don't really do that. I don't doubt that Yao maybe lightens up, but these guys also present matchup problems for him that have plagued him since he's been in the NBA.
i bet you didn't say anything at all during that this month when yao avg'd 18 pts/12 rebs/3 blocks on 49% shooting and yet you can say he's to blame for one game. if that's you're logic, you should like burn francis at the stake for his lackluster SEASON yao had 2 TO's vs GS btw.
You guys are overreacting a little bit, the orignal post was not that controversial. Yao did have a bad game against GS last Friday, especially since our expectations of his performance have risen. Macbeth, this does not take away from his performance in any other games, nor does it have any bearing on Francis' game last friday or his season, they can be judged on their own merits. But the fact remains that he performed poorly last Friday. Acknowledging this is not heresy, it's reality.
Agreed that the original post wasn't necessarily going as far as I suggested, was more reacting to subsequent posts, and indeed anticipating others. You may be able to merely see Yao have a bad game, say so, and move on. Others clearly do and will draw deeper albeit curious sweeping conclusions from same.
Players are known to have bad games from time to time - it happens. The key is limiting those outings so it doesn't happen all the time. Correct me if I am wrong, but Yao has had far LESS bad games this season than Francis. But I enjoy reading these posts that continue to defend a player who obviously is unable to fit into our offense - it is comedy at its finest!
