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Yao Ming is back and ready to catch up !!

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by pryuen, Oct 5, 2007.

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dragonz Member

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cby508 said:

maybe these reporters are actually yao's bodyguards~!
Im from Hangzhou,China,now study at Beijing.

...hmm,maybe we should stop talking our personal topic. its a topic about yao....
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hi, im from Hangzhou as well !!!!!!
I live in Houston right now tho

#21 dragonz, Oct 5, 2007

Rover16 Member

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Who doesn't want to sex yao when they read stuff like that?

#22 Rover16, Oct 5, 2007
ray007 New Member

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Come on YAO.Come on Rockets.

#23 ray007, Oct 5, 2007
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2 short interviews from sohu.com with Yao Ming after his first training with the Rockets on Day 4.

Summary of the first one.

http://sports.sohu.com/20071006/n252487156.shtml

When asked about his body condition, he said he is still suffering from a cold/flu, but he believed he will get it over in 2 to 3 days' time.

When asked about his impression of his new head coach, Rick Adelman, he replied humorously that Rick Adelman speaks with a very low voice than Jeff Van Gundy; this presented a challenge to him, as everybody knows that he got some hearing problem (with his left ear), and therefore he thinks he has to get very close to Rick Adelman in future (so as to be able to listen to his instructions better)

When asked about Steve Francis's return, Yao Ming said he is extremely happy about it; he still remembered how Steve Francis treated him and taken good care of him in his first 2 seasons into NBA when he was still a rookie, and he still felt indebted to Steve. He also commented that Steve Francis is a very humorous guy.

When asked about all the personnel changes in the summer, Yao Ming said the Rockets management had done a lot of work during the summer to bring about all these changes in order to make the team much more stronger. There are a lot of new players on the roster, some rookies, some traded from other teams. And he said: This is the team I want !!

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#24 pryuen, Oct 5, 2007
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The summary of the other interview.

http://sports.sohu.com/20071006/n252487138.shtml

Yao Ming expressed that alot of things happened to him in this summer, but those had become irrelevant and not important anymore, and no one will care. What is utmost important to him now is to focus on his preseason training and preparation for the new season. He said "We had some walk throughs of the new systems/tactics this morning. They are rather simple and easy. All I need is time to be able to get used to it."

Since it is a completely new systems, there will be a process before the players will get used to it, and on this, Yao Ming said: "In the new systems, every player has his opportunity to initiate offense, and this will relieve the burden on the shoulders of Tracy and me. I believe we will have to raise our tempo and speed, and our team needs to play much faster in the new season. and of course, that will present a big challenge to my physical strength and stamina."

Yao Ming also talked about his initial feeling/understanding about the new systems. He said: "In the new systems, there are a lot of penetration and lane cutting, a lot of no-ball movement, a lot of shooting out from the perimeter, not only just 3-pointers but also mid-range jumpers. I particularly like those no-ball cutting and penetration in the new systems/tactics. That will create a lot of easy scoring opportunities for the exterior players (i.e. the guards).

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#25 pryuen, Oct 5, 2007
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pryuen, i enjoy your board presence. great job!

#26 ico4498, Oct 5, 2007
rayden Member

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LOL ..... too funny not to post this .... LOL ...

#27 rayden, Oct 5, 2007

pryuen Member

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More details from Houston Rockets.com.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Yao-238523-34.html?rss=true

Friday October 5, 2007 6:00 PM

Big Man on Campus
Yao arrives in camp ready to learn Adelman's system

Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

AUSTIN -- Between obligations with the Chinese national team and hosting a charity basketball game with Phoenix point guard Steve Nash, Rockets star Yao Ming married his longtime girlfriend, Ye Li.

The ceremony, which was held at a glamorous hotel in Shanghai, was covered by every tabloid worthy of a spot next to the super-market cash register.

"I'm off the market now," Yao said. "It's a totally new life."

In eight months, he wouldn't mind scheduling another life-changing ring ceremony.

The five-time All-Star center arrived on the University of Texas' campus for Rockets' training camp Friday with hopes that Houston's retooled roster has made enough significant additions to make a run at an NBA title. Despite being jet-lagged from a long flight from Shanghai and dealing with a cold, Yao participated in his first training camp workout with little trouble.

Having spent the summer learning Rick Adelman's offense in China, the center already felt somewhat comfortable in the Rockets' new scheme. He was also pleased to meet some of his new teammates and get back to work.

"Our general manager did a lot of work in the summer," said Yao, referring to new Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. "The team is much stronger. There are a lot of new guys. I think this team is the one that I want."

The big question is how Yao will fit in Houston's revamped system.

Since training camp opened earlier in the week, Yao's teammates and fans have been waiting to see how the 7-foot-6, 310-pound center would fit into Adelman's up-tempo offense. He was mostly a low-block pivot under Jeff Van Gundy, rarely playing near the elbow. He also had more time to get up the floor in Houston's half-court sets.

He'll be asked to do more with Adelman. Rather than just camping out on the low block, the center will be more on the move this season and will have to get up and down the floor. The hope is that he'll take more spot-up shots near the free-throw line and be able to establish postion down low more easily after slicing down the lane from the elbow.

The Rockets saw a center on Friday who could adapt well to Adelman's scheme.

"He already seemed pretty comfortable," Rockets star Tracy McGrady said. "He didn't ask any questions when we were going through it so I guess he's been studying. He's getting up and down the court and he's in great shape."

Adelman said there has been a misconception about how he plans on using the center. While he does want to utilize Yao's passing ability and pull him away from the basket at times, the coach still wants Yao to post up down low. He said it would be silly to pull the center away from a spot where he has been highly successfully.

"We can't give that up," Adelman said. "What I don't want him to do is play 36 minutes where he just gets pounded the whole time coming down the court. He goes down to that low post and gets hit and hit. The guy is just an unbelievable shooter so why not try to get a little variety with what's he doing. I think he's ready for that. I've said all along that Jeff did the right thing with him. With a young player, you've got to give him an identity first. I think making him a low-post player really developed him into a really good post-up player. And now, after four years of that, he can start expanding and doing some other things. That's what I'm hoping he can do."

Yao is open to the alteration in his game.

"A lot of cuts, a lot of off-ball movements and a lot of (mid-range) outside shooting," Yao said. "I particularly like those elbow cuts because that can make us some easy baskets or open a perimeter shooter. I'm still working on it since it's my first day so it's still new for me."

He's hoping to pick it up quickly so that he can have another celebration in June.

Notable: Rockets forward Chuck Hayes returned to practice after missing part of Thursday's workout with a sore left foot. "The foot is fine," Hayes said. "It's getting better and I should be painless within the next couple of days." ... Yao Ming said he's looking forward to re-uniting with Steve Francis this season. "It's great," Yao said. "I still remember my first two years with him. He really took care of me when I was a new guy coming to the United States."
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#28 pryuen, Oct 5, 2007
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Foolish me.... to have wasted some of my time translating those 2 short extracts from sohu.com, which are, I believe, extracts from the following Fran Blinebury article.

nWo34Life said:

http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2007/10/meet_the_newest_rocket_the_cro.html

As if the practice courts inside the Cooley Pavilion at the University of Texas weren't already crowded enough, the Rockets brought another player into the training camp mix on Friday morning.

Tracy McGrady, for one, was ecstatic about the latest acquisition.

"He's a free agent that we picked up," said T-Mac, grinning ear-to-ear, after working out with the new arrival. "He played over in Shanghai. I was scouting over there this summer and I told the organization about him and, man, here he is. He showed up.

"Very cheap. We got him very cheap. He's very big, 7-6, got a lot of talent. Can run the floor for a big guy. Very fast. Very fast."

That's about as long as McGrady could hold a straight face in sizing up the new guy -- Yao Ming.

"It's good to have him back," T-Mac said. "He obviously knows the offense. We were making calls and he didn't ask any questions while we were going through it. So I guess he's been studying.

"He's in shape. Being married, he looks a little slimmer. So I wonder if that's stress. But seriously, he looks real good. He's getting up and down the court. He's in great shape."

* * *
For all those who are staying up nights worrying, fretting and climbing the walls, you can calm down and lower the dosage on your medication. Rick Adelman's plan is not to reduce Yao's effectiveness in the low post.

"No, no, no, that's the last thing you want to do," Adelman said. "You can't give that up.

"What I don't want to do is have him play 36 minutes where he just gets pounded the whole time coming down the court. Go into that low post and you get hit, get hit, get hit.

"The guy is just an unbelievable shooter. So why not try to get a little bit of variety into what he is doing? I think he's ready for that.

"I've said all along that Jeff did the right thing with him. Any young player, you've got to give him an identity first. Making him a post-up player, developing him into a really good post-up player. Now, after four years, he can start expanding and doing other things. That's what I'm hoping he can do. It's not gonna be constant post-up, post-up. He can mix in some other things. But the primary concern is getting him down in the post."

* * *

The new guy himself is relieved to finally be back in Texas, preparing for the new season.

"It's a long trip, obviously, to fly back to Houston," Yao said. "Now everything is done and I just need to focus on training camp and learning the new system.

"This morning we ran a lot of our plays and I think it's pretty simple. I just need to take time getting used to it and to play with my teammates and know all of the chances we can have in the new system.

"In the new system, everyone will get a chance to take care of the ball, creating plays. I think that's a lot of pressure on Tracy and me. I believe it will speed up our team....We'll play much faster and that will be a big challenge for my conditioning."

Yao is feeling the effects of a minor cold that began in China, but said he should be over it and at full strength in a few days.

Yao is very receptive to Rick Adelman's offense and the potential for getting scoring chances in different ways than just setting up in the low post.

"A lot of cuts, a lot of off-ball movement," he said. "A lot of outside shooting. Not 3-point shots. The middle range. Particularly, I like those off-ball cuts. That can make some easy baskets or open the perimeter shooting."

Yao then proceeded to go into his own stand-up comedy routine:

Question: Your first impressions of Rick Adelman?

Yao: "After Jeff Van Gundy, his voice is much lower. That's another big challenge for my ear. Everybody knows I have a bad ear. So I need to stay closer to Coach."

Question: Are you ready for your first season as a married man?

Yao: "Yeah, I'm off the market already."

Question: What's it like having Steve back out there with you?

Yao: Steve Novak?

* * *

Being reunited with Steve Francis is an added joy this season for Yao.

"It's great," Yao said. "I still remember my first two years here and he took care of me as a new guy who came to the United States. He's a very funny dude and everybody knows he has a tough heart."

* * *
Chuck Hayes shook off a bruise to the top of his left foot and was back on the floor Friday morning. He also stayed on the floor late, working on his free throw shooting. His form has changed slightly. He's standing more upright rather than leaning across the foul line. But he's still got that hitch at the top.

"He's shooting them pretty good in practice," said Adelman. "The next thing is to get that to carry into the games."

A career .627 free throw shooter, Hayes has been working with director of player development Kenny Atkinson.

"He's helping me trust my legs," Hayes said. "Over the summer, he had me shooting with just one hand. Now I've got my other hand on the side of the ball.

"It's all about making it a repetitive thing. And I have to work on running up and down the court, getting banged and being tired and then go and make them, like I'll have to do in games."
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#29 pryuen, Oct 5, 2007
vcchlw Member

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pryuen said:

Foolish me.... to have wasted some of my time translating those 2 short extracts from sohu.com, which are, I believe, extracts from the following Fran Blinebury article.
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We all appreciate your great effort, pry. It's still a good read.

#30 vcchlw, Oct 5, 2007
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pryuen said:

Foolish me.... to have wasted some of my time translating those 2 short extracts from sohu.com, which are, I believe, extracts from the following Fran Blinebury article.
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Hi Pryuen, I think youd better be more careful before you translate articles from Sohu Sina now. Seems that they now lurk more in this forum and translate the interesting pieces/articles they can find here.

#31 roxfan123, Oct 5, 2007
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pryven, Thank you for all your time and wonderful work.

naismith

#32 Naismith, Oct 5, 2007
pryuen Member

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Photos of Yao Ming during interview, in his warm-up and shootout practice together with Steve Francis right after the team walk-throughs in the morning session of Day 4 (Friday October 5).

There will be a second session in the afternoon. There maybe more photos to come.

#33 pryuen, Oct 5, 2007

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Photos are good. Keep em' coming Pryuen. Your work is truly appreciated.

#34 TTRocket, Oct 5, 2007
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For all those who are staying up nights worrying said:

Whew. Here I was waking up in a cold sweat and climbing the walls at night worrying that Adelman would turn Yao into Vlade and just shoot 15 footers all day. Glad to hear that Adelman will do what most thinks is common sense and put the 7'6" post scorer primarily in the low post.

You never have to worry about Yao's work ethic and loyalty to the ball club. I don't doubt that he's studied the offense and worked on his game rigorously. Appararently, his teammates (like Tamc) nitced.
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#35 Coca Cola Scola, Oct 6, 2007
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rayden said:

LOL ..... too funny not to post this .... LOL ...

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How tall is that trainer? Yao's legs are almost as tall as he is.

#36 Coca Cola Scola, Oct 6, 2007
rayden Member

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I think he's listed at 5'6".

#37 rayden, Oct 6, 2007
pryuen Member

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Big Yao easily gels into the new Rick Adelman systems !!!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5192980.html

Oct. 6, 2007, 12:20AM
Yao lends ear to new system
Impaired hearing means adjustment for center to coach

By JONATHAN FEIGEN

AUSTIN — For all the changes rushing toward Rockets center Yao Ming in his first practice of the season Friday, his first adjustment came before the first beads of sweat dripped to the floor.

There would be time to get accustomed to the new offense, get to know new teammates and coaches.

First, however, he needed to brush up on lip reading.

"After Jeff Van Gundy, his voice is much lower than Jeff," Yao, who is almost deaf in his left ear, said of Rockets coach Rick Adelman. "That's another challenge for my ear. Everybody knows I have a bad ear. I think our trainer did not tell him that. I need to stay closer to our new coach."

After that, however, Yao seemed to have little difficulty, despite missing the first three practices of the Rockets' training camp.

Looking good

He went through plays Thursday evening with Rockets assistant coaches Jack Sikma, Elston Turner, T.R. Dunn and R.J. Adelman. But Friday's first practice of the camp's only two-a-days drew the familiar raves.

"He really looked good," Rick Adelman said. "He's picked things up so easily. We've been working on it, but he's going to be hard to guard. He's so versatile. He looked good.

"He's such a smart player. He picked everything up right away. He looked like he had been doing it all along."

Rick Adelman said the Rockets have "kept it pretty simple" in camp, and have not put in plays for specific individuals.

That changed Friday when Yao took the court.

"With Yao here all of a sudden, I knew what I wanted to do with him," Rick Adelman said. "We haven't done that because we don't have a big post-up player like him. Nobody does. But (Friday), we put in some things for him to get to the post on the run. Now that he's here, it makes a huge difference.

"I can see already, our offense looks a lot better with him and Tracy (McGrady)."

That much has not changed. And Rick Adelman added that his use of Yao on the low blocks will not change, either.

"No, no, no," Rick Adelman said, rejecting the notion that adding high-post passing to Yao's duties would remove him from the low post. "That's the last thing we want to do. You can't give that up. What I don't want him to do is play 36 minutes where he just gets pounded the whole time down the court. In that low post, you just get hit, get hit, get hit.

"The guy is just an unbelievable shooter, so why not try to get a little bit of variety in what he's doing. I believe he's ready for that. I've said all along, Jeff did the right things with him. Any young player, you have to get an identity first. He's really developed into a post-up player. Now he can start expanding and doing other things. But the primary concern is getting him down to the low post."

Teammates, meanwhile, joked about Yao's ability to run.

"He can run the floor very fast, very fast," McGrady said while laughing. "He's in shape. He looks good, he looks real good."

Yao did not quite agree with the school reunion-type talk. He predicted that running with the Rockets' increased tempo will be at least as great a challenge as hearing his new coach.

Prepared to run
"In this new system, everybody gets a chance to take care of the ball, create plays," Yao said. "I believe it will speed up our team. We'll play much faster. That will be a big challenge for my conditioning.

"I think it's pretty simple, you know. I just need to take time to get used to it, and also to play with teammates to know every chance we have in this new system."

As always, he was speaking in the same low-key tones as Rick Adelman. But there was a confidence that came through loud and clear.

"Our general manager (Daryl Morey) did a lot of work, a lot of things to make our team stronger, a lot of new guys," Yao said. "I think this team is the team I want."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com
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#38 pryuen, Oct 6, 2007

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Man, with all this optimistic and hype articles gave me, Rockets better go through the first round!!!

#39 normy85, Oct 6, 2007
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pryuen said:

Foolish me.... to have wasted some of my time translating those 2 short extracts from sohu.com, which are, I believe, extracts from the following Fran Blinebury article.
Click to expand...

Pryuen, Those chinese sites such as TOM,SINA and SOHU will translate all the articles/blogs that Feigen or Blinebury write and post on their own websites. Most of the time, they don't even mention those are from another site called "Houston Chronicle" and pretend those are from one of their own reporters. So be more cautious, check up the Chronicle site before you find something new in Chinese sites and want to translate.

BTW, my deepest respect to you for your dedication to Yaoming and Rockets.

#40 longbow111, Oct 6, 2007

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