I don't want to pile on Yao too much- I really want him to do well and I think he is a wonderful person- but he will get calls when he asserts himself more consistently.
he certainly does. but did you see that in my original post, i talked about when yao gets embarased, he actually gets angry and dunks at will. then, coincidentally, yao gets his dunk blocked from behind, and on his next possession, he moved a 250lb man underneath the rim and almost tore the rim down. i think this happens too many times to consider a coincidence. think if yao played like he just got dunked on every possession. who in this league could stop that?? nene didnt even have a chance. i guarantee if yao started playing like that, he would get calls left and right because the league rewards aggression.
One of Yao's problems is that it is nearly impossible for him to back down an opponent once he has the ball. He simply can't dribble cause the ball has too far to bounce. As for the getting embarrased anger situation. Yao's been like that since he got here. The first time that happened was a nasty dunk where he completely facialized Theo Ratliff in Atlanta and then got a technical foul for "taunting". He really does need to learn to do it whenever, though.
I think Yao is a better player if he trim down his weight. I think it's probably the weight that affect everything he does on the court from being slow and not able to do things he want. But of course....the coaches want him to gain a bit weight so he can be a force inside. I guess you can't have it both way. If you want him to be a force inside..then you're limiting his quickness by gaining weight...if you want him to gain back a bit of quickness and athleticism, then you want him to lose weight. It's a double edge sword thing. My 2CENTS!
and think about it the one game Yao got 21 points, 20 rebounds against Ben Wallace and the Pistons. The reason: he was late for the game and he wanted to make up for it.
On the other hand, even MJ needed something to motivate himself. He always played well in the MSG against the Knicks.
Great pots very positive and makes me feel good about Yao. But I don't think he can be better than them lol. But yeah I'd like tosee Yao dunk on some more people I don't think they'd let him if they realized what he was about to do to them lol. and btw I remember that one time Yao dribbled from the 3 point line and slashed in and laid it in..I think Steven Hunter and Garrity or Declerq were guarding him.
i don't know about that... KG is a an awesome rebounder and a great on the ball defender too. If Yao can be 90% as good as Duncan is. That'd already be pretty good.
i forgot about that one. in fact, i know i left out many. but thats the thing. im not saying he could dunk every time he wants to, but when he uses his power and quickness he cant be physically stopped. its not just backing them down, he bumps them and explodes. its like he wont be denied. if he just attempted to play that physical every play, he would be the #1 option, he would get the refs on his side, and the rockets would probably be a title contender. then yaos production would be huge. he would get every player in foul trouble just like shaq, excpet he doesnt shoot 50% from the line, so how do you stop him??
I can't imagine Yao ever being as good as the TD and KG. As one of the YOHs mentioned before, the man lacks quickness, which shows up in his subpar rebounding numbers, and inability to block shots from guys a foot shorter than him. Offensively, I think he has a decent chance to be up there provided the planets are aligned for him properly (right coach, pass first PG SG SF PF, refs don't job him), Defensively, it would embarass me to even try to compare him to KG and TD
Yao needs to be left to bulk up in the offseason.No Olympics,no Chinese National team,No excuses.Heck,I'm still of the opinion,with his body,that he will add 30 lbs. over time.I agree that if Yao plays with fire he becomes the #1 option.TMac would love to see this,as it says the titles are on the way.If he adds the power game,I see him putting up 26 - 28 and 12-14. If he goes there,your talking top 5 center.(all time)
I am here to say that I was once VERY shy (there is no way you could tell that from meeting me now), and I was once a HUGE a-hole and have since become a very nice guy (ask anyone who knows me). The answer is a definitive yes, people can change. Yao took 16 shots last night and for the most part, I have seen him take at least that many in most recent games. As far as the support group, just wait until we develop some chemistry. I am seeing flashes of it right now and if we get some consistent chemistry, we will be VERY dangerous this year.
This is my biggest gripe about the NBA these days. Some players get calls every time anyone breathes too close to them while Yao gets hacked every other play and pushed every single play and then gets ticky tack fouls called on him on the other end. I thought about compiling a video montage of obvious non-calls on Yao, but I just don't think I have the time or disk space to put it together.
Here is something about Yao in CBA: 97-98 10ppg 8.3rpg 98-99 20.9 ppg 12.9 rpg 99-00 21.2 ppg 14.5 rpg 5.3 bpg 00-01 27.1 ppg 19.4 rpg 5.5 bpg 01-02 32.4 ppg 19 rpg 4.8 bpg FG% 72.1% What's more,in the 01-02 championship series vs Rockets(a CBA team,at that time Rockets was a legendary team),he average 41.3 pts 21 rebounds and 4.3 blocks.And in the crucial game,he scored 44 points (21/21,100% FG%),grabbed 21 rebounds and sent 7 block shots. In CBA,Yao also didn't make huge leap in his third season.--Just progressed a little.But he promoted himself a lot in the 4th season.And in the 5th year,he was just a monster. Maybe the history will repeat itself?He won't let fans surprise this year.He will be a 20+ 10+ player next season and will dominate in his 5th NBA season.Maybe.Let's see.
Good to great threads I must add - on a consistent basis. More power to you daddy. In all I believe Yao has it in him to be greater than our widest imaginations. He is just developing slower than we anticipated in an unfair comparism to the Amares and Lebrons of this world.
That tends to be true for many superstars, somewhere during their 3-5 years are when they really turn it up or something clicks within them. Hopefully, this is true with Yao. Stuart
Yao can't do the things KG and Duncan do in term of athleticism. You can make a point for Yao being a better passer. We keep wishing that Yao can do things that he is not naturally good at but we are not utilizing the skills that he does possess. I think Yao can do some good in a Portland/ Walton type offense.
