Yao is not a beast under today's rules, too many factors prevents him from being dominant night in night out. Therefore, he can't be build around under the low post mode, surrounding him with shooters all that stuff. However, that doesn't mean he can't be built around at all. He can be build around in a multi threat mode - being the best player and the leader but wouldn't need to carry the team all the time, just the time when the team needed him the most. Yao is great at dominating in stretches and defending the low post, go watch games and you see Yao causes a lot of players missing their shots around the basket. Those things are good enough to keep him around. His impact on the game is huge when he's in the groove. So the meaning I take of building around is being untradeable(unless it's a superstar in return) and Yao is that type of player. You keep that kind of player and keep adding pieces to the puzzle. No single player on the Spurs, the Pistons and the Mavs is capable of dominating a game night in night out all by themselves, that doesn't mean that those teams don't have players to build around. Central players on those teams take turns to abuse the opponents. Yao is that kind of player, keep him and build around him with other all stars, unless Tracie decides to show up.
Yao DOES something great. He is practically unguardable one-on-one at low post, an amazing FT shooter, an excellent passer as a big man. He may only be a decent shot blocker but his height alone changes a lot of shots. Overall he is still a great player. Yao does have some obvious flaws, and I don't think they can be improved by much. That's said, you can still definitely build around Yao, but you need a reasonable supporting cast to maximize his strengths and cover up his flaws. He needs somebody to make consistent decent entry passes, and is willing to make passes again when Yao reposts (Rox has none). He needs better perimeter shooters as his teammates so the defenders can cheat as horribly as right now (Rox has none). He needs a bit more help from the power forward for taking the share of rebounding (Hayes is just not a starting power forward). He needs the Rox guards to defend the guard penetration better so we don't have to see those guards charging at him time after time to draw fouls. His teammates also need to move without the ball more often, cutting more often to utilize the space created by Yao. And Rox needs a younger backup C so he doesn't have to play 38+ min on regular basis. True, Yao is paid superstar money and should carry the team, but you can't expect a player to be your primary scorer, primary rebounder, shot blocker, pivot in offence, a game finisher..... Daxn, I even saw people here criticizing him for failure to defend three-pointers. You either give him a red cape or a break, my friends. Until then, it's just unfair to truly access his real value. TD or Shaq may be and I do think they are better than Yao, but I still don't think they can win championship with Yao's "supporting" cast.
Precisely, but then wasn't that it's purpose. The fact is if we can't build a team around Yao then we are screwed, cause we have already proved we can't build a team around TMac. Oh and don't be misguided and think we are going to get a superstar in return for TMac. We will be getting 75 cents on the dollar at best. So if the poster is right then it is time to scrap the team get rid of all the big contracts and lose so we become lottery bound, hoping for a superstar in the draft. We can then with all the cap space we have created go after a so called second legitimate superstar. Only don't be surprised if there are none to be found. My suggestion is let's actually try to build a team around Yao and see how it works. In order to build a team around Yao. You have to understand what he creates. He draws double teams all of the time and creates open players. We need the best 3 point aces we can find. He creates space in the middle (a rare occurence in this league) when opposing defenses front him. He creates easy baskets for himself whn other players guard him 1 on 1. He continuosly makes players alter their shots when trying to score in the middle. So what do you do to take advantage of these so called not so great assets that Yao brings to the table. You bring in a PF who could block shots and rebound along side Yao... so that when he alters someones shot, we have a force that can rebound and not allow a put back. You bring in 1 or 2 slashers that can drive to the basket and finish when Yao creates space in the middle when other teams or trying to front him. You bring in 3pt aces who can hit open looks when Yao is double and tripled. Alston is not the player we need for a Yao built team, and I don't know about McGrady. If Mcgrady will buy into this team is being built around Yao and he is fine with that then great. He brings so much to the table you have to want to keep it. But I just don't see him ever passing the torch over to Yao. If not trade for someone who will. So before starts suggesting you can't build a team around Yao and win a championship. Before we throw at the baby with the bath water, let's at least try it once. Build a team around Yao. After all superstars are rare commodities and hard to come by.
*BURP* Nice popcorn and beer. Oh, keep the entertainment coming guys. The soap opera started by the thread starter and the huge cast of characters trying to throw around their opinions in this thread keeps me entertained to no end.
Yao is drawing double/triple team on a daily basis, which means that we are playing 4 on 3 or even 4 on 2 for the other guys. You got to be kidding me if you think we can't build a team around that.
Do you believe a Tmac-led team can go anywhere in today's NBA? I agree to your point,Yao can be a very successful No.2. So you should get another No.1 for Yao ,for Rox. * + Yao > Yao + Tmac > Tmac + *. It's worse to build around Tmac than Yao.
Eventually, I m seeing a truly rational statement which really touchs me. Some of us in here may not be funs of the Rox and just enjoy rocking the boat
the fact that we only have two people scoring more than 10 points per game is enough to see that something is wrong. i agree on most of the facts from the first post but yao is our go to guy at the moment. our biggest problem at the moment is adleman's offensive system, it's just not working. if we had a working system, we could be a really good team because we have good defense. i want JVG back or get adleman to find a new good-working offense.
i got confuse with OP, you said you have played and been ROX fans for long time. so you should find out in the past 9 years, the team played we call " old style" win it all. that means champion team always build on low post game, even today rules, games, style....are changing fast. i don't see sun win it all, i don't see any high speed, fast tempo team win it all. i am sure yao can't compare with TD right now so as other great center. but he got potential, that is too many teams don't have. it is true the guy like yao beat by 6'8 forward is sucks. but it is part of today game, i have to say, it is defintly not yao's fault, it just today's game, today's NBA rule. the importance to me is, the problems of coach. yao's weakness has been talking for long long time, even 3 years old ROX fans see it. after that many games, our coach still not come out with a plan. i beat most games with Goldstate last year. teams played yao front before, why this year so different. only thing tells me is problem of coaching. speak to coach, i am ok to fire JVG, but why RA, look, i know RA is good , proven coach. but like JVG, if we are not playoff team, i am sure he can come out with suprise, just like some other good coach like clipper's Mike Dunleavy , Denver's Carl... those coach have been NBA long enough to know how to coach, but win the chamption? no, they can't. so if we only want to win a playoff serise, why not JVG, who been here 4years, take injury rox to 52 wins. not to mention, the JVG's rox problems still remain and plus new weaknesses keep coming out. just don't understand!!!!!!
the jury is still out with me... if Yao can be a leader... as far as im concerned this is still Mclady's team until they trade Mclady or he retires... the 2 years Tmac was scoring champ....32 and 28 points per game.... he averaged 24 and 23 shots a game lets give the big stiff 23 to 24 shots a game and see how many points he puts up...first... before we decide... so far Yao best years 22 and 25 points per game... he averaged 15 and 17 shots a game anyways...given a choice... who would you want to build the team around... Mclazy... or Yao?
agreed I love how all these post come out... the first Year the big stiff... is put out on the( HIGH POST ) after 4 years of pound the ball to him on the post... if anything... even more the reason to get rid of MClazy...since the coaching changed and offense... this year seems more taylor made towards Mclazy... HELLO!!! we opened the lanes up for Mclady... but he still is taking those I have to look good jumpshots!!!!
please list ACTIVE players we can build on, do not use arguments like shaq > yao because he has 4 rings. And then check if we can get them, if not, please lock the thread.
I say bring Yao off the bench. Start a more active center and bring Yao off the bench to play a power game against the opponent's waning starting center or their backup. Yeah I know it's crazy to pay someone crazy money to be a glamorous role player but I think we'd all prefer to calculate Yao's pay rate as dollars per win rather than per minutes-played (which is a meaningless measure). I know it will never happen...
Hit the nail on the head. How many guys in this league can you really "build around"? What the hell does "build around" mean anyways? Who are the Celtics build around? Pierce, the guy who has been there all these years? Garnett, the most well-known of their stars? I mean... Building around Pierce with Al Jefferson and Ricky Davis didn't work. Did people think you could build around Pierce back then? Building around Pierces when the guys around him are Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett works out much better. Bottomline: Yao may not be the perfect player. Yes, we know he's slow. But he's a real talent, and you don't have too many in this league. When you have a talent like that, you take your chances with him and let the chips fall where it may. If you give up, it may be years until you get someone as good as he is.
I think the whole idea of "building around" is overrated. The point of putting a team together is to put as much talent on the floor as possible, 1-5. The problem is that it needs to mesh as best as possible with strengths/weaknesses of each player. Honestly...Yao is maybe the 3rd best center, AT WORST, in the league. And every team needs a dominant big man, or at least wants one. Find other reliable talent. Find talent that can step up when needed to keep the defense honest. Find more athleticism to make up for what Yao isn't. We need one or two more slashers on this team. If we're going to be committed to Yao, which the Rockets are, we need more players like Aaron Brooks on the floor. You can't build around Tracy either, and I'd take a player that cares over an overdramatic, oft-injured crybaby any day.
why is there a interpretation that I'm talking about trading yao? I never stated that at all. What is meant about not being able to build aroud is to be the total focal point of the team. I think he's best suited as being a cog in the wheel. People will say he could avg 30 if he shot more. I couldn't agree more, but don't that have something to do with imposing your will? I mean if yao is 8ft from the basket, why kickout for a shot 23ft from the hoop? I mean when the game is tight and being the best shooter on the team with a 6-8'' height advantage, why kick out? I think yao is one piece along with tracy being the other. I think they need the other piece for this puzzle. Lets assume for a minute. If tracy was healthy as was last yr or the 1st yr, would this even be a point of discussion? I mean as much as people hate to admit it, tracy is the rox best player. tracy's inability to stay healthy is the center at the rox failures and kinda exposes yao. We as rox fans appreciate the effort he put forth, but all this stuff about trading ur best player for spot up guys is crazy. that's part of the problems with the rox is that they don't have enough multi talented players on this team. That's the reason the struggle without tracy. He's the rox best scorer, passer,playmaker and probably defender. 8f the rox could free him up from having to do everything, they probably could get more out of him.I guess I just really wish the rox would add another player and make it a trio. I would think different if yao or tracy would dominate on a nightly basis, but that's asking much.
Hey, man Why don't u change ur statement a little bit? before correction: Why u cant build around Yao after correction: Why u cant build around Yao with trash players AND Why u should build around Yao with quality, skillful and perseverant player combinations like Tony Parker/Ginobili/Micheal Finley/Oberto/Robert Horry/Barry or Steve Nash/Marion/Barbosa/Raja Bell/Diow/Grant Hill, or Kobe Bryant/Fisher/Fox. Oh, much better.
