Give Rockets some time to adjust to Yao By Ric Bucher ESPN The Magazine Although Shaq's cranky left knee and problematic right big toe made Yao-Shaq II into the roundball version of Al Capone's vault, at least it means the murmuring in certain corners about coach Rudy Tomjanovich's competence or Steve Francis' selfishness won't get any louder. Then again, it says a lot about the power of Yao that such noise is being raised at all. In any case, any win over the Lakers without The Big Ache can't carry as much (mistakenly) monumental meaning as that fluky overtime victory over the three-time defending champions back in January did. Before that eventful night, the Rockets were a surprisingly fun little team defying projections right along with their No. 1 pick from China by flirting with a playoff berth. Now, of course, to hear the rabblerousers tell it, they're the Team of Destiny that the ever-reckless Rudy T. has decided to let his handpicked pilot, Stevie Franchise, auger into the land of lotteryville again. "It sort of surprises me," says Tomjanovich. Me, too, unless this is someone other than the Rudy T. who coached the Rockets to two titles, an NBA star-laden Olympic squad to a gold medal and, perhaps most impressively, a rag-tag group of non-NBAers to a bronze medal in the '98 World Championships. Or this Francis is someone other than the gutty point guard who has earned mention in the same breath with Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd as a rebounding point guard, one of the more selfless blue-collar contributions a player can make. Tomjanovich, like it or not, believes coaching a team is a collaborative effort with his players, particularly his stars. It's why he has the second-longest longevity among current NBA coaches after the Jazz's Jerry Sloan, who for all his gruff demeanor puts a lot of trust in his top players as well. In light of having the second-youngest team in the league, he has adopted a less histrionic style on the sideline, both in and out of huddles. "I feel like if I'm not acting in a calm manner, my team is less likely to act that way," he says. Francis, in turn, is like every young star who believes when winning or losing is in the balance, his back is best suited to carrying a team where it needs to go. "We try to get the ball to him," Francis says of Yao. "We're all looking inside. But if I look in and think he's not holding his position strong enough, I have to go someplace else. But I don't think anyone's not trying to get him the ball." Should Francis trust Yao more? Sure. What's taking him so long, considering they've already played 50 games together? Hmmm, well how long did it take Kobe to trust Shaq? Or Hakeem to share the ball with Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell? Or MJ to find Scottie Pippen and the rest of his supporting cast? "Steve gets so competitive, sometimes he doesn't always make good decisions," Tomjanovich says. "But I've had conversations with him in the middle of the night about how guys are feeling, how he's doing as a leader. The kid has a good heart." Yao, of course, does, too, which is why the number of touches he gets in a game far outnumber his attempted shots. He is both unselfish and patient, a combination that isn't always effective with a 24-second clock and a team that doesn't always space well. Understanding that the Rockets have been a perimeter-oriented offense for several seasons now and that feeding the post doesn't come instinctively, assistant coach Jim Boylen keeps track of how many times Yao touches the ball during the course of a game. Tomjanovich frequently asks for updates and will adjust his play-calling accordingly. They estimated he has been averaging about 30, although he had an unofficial 20 in the first half against the Lakers. "The good thing about it is, it hasn't been a struggle for the other players," Tomjanovich says. "I've had teams where you could feel the tension and that hasn't been the case." Hasn't and probably won't. But it will take time. It always does.
horrible article. it's an insult to fans who watch all the games to see this hack, who has no clue what he's talking about, project his bogus opinions to millions of readers worldwide, but, i guess that's life. the guy doesn't have a clue though.
Yeah, he covers b-ball for a living and actually talks one on one with Rudy and Francis, but he still has no clue
haha. what a freakin sucker you are. he covers b-ball for a living, and spoke to rudy and francis, so he automatically knows what he's talking about, right?? that makes a ton of sense, idiot. guess what? i watch 90% of the rockets games, and a crapload of other NBA games, and I write about it on CC.net!!! and, get this....true story....i have spoken to: Francis, Taylor, Collier, and Nachbar this season!!!! looks like i got the same creds! you prove my point to a 't'. many people will buy into whatever the hell he says, just because he is a writer for espn. just like you! please don't argue with me on this, just respond saying, "Rocketfat, you are right, I am wrong, and I am dumb. Point taken." an emphatic double roll of the eyes for you, my boy!
I think it's pretty clear now that it's his Rockets teammates who should adjust to Ming, not the other way around.
Right on the money IMO But would Franchise be wise enough to defer more to Yao ? QUESTION Right now, the odd is not very good IMHO.
This article pretty much sums everything that has been said and disscussed in this forum, nothing new IMO
You would get alot more credit and respect if you did not sound like a complete moron. Thats not to say you do not have a right to your opinion but why should we "buy" into what you are saying over the sports writer? AT least he gets paid to do it while you are nothing more than a fan...just like the rest of us.
Hey Dennis, would you do me and others who have that moron on ignore a favor? Don't quote his posts, just respond to them so I dont have to see his moronic and juvenile rantings. Thanks
Intesresting take considering that there apparently were people around league and the media who have said Rudy is a poor coach and should be gone. Also do we as fans take Francis and Rudy for granted because we see them more? Darn, there's that reference to being young again. Maybe there is something to the "being a young team" thing. Could it be more than an excuse? Could it actually be a fact that a team needs time to gel together? The writer brings up some interesting analogies. You know he might be on to something here..... I guess the fact that Ming averages 30 touches a game blows the "give Ming the damn ball" arguement out the window. Could it be that the players( Francis & Mobley) and not the coach are the ones who need to adjust? All and all, a good article but a little too happy for me. I believe the Rockets have a long way to go before they are to be considered a GREAT team but if they continue to improve ( making the playoffs or not, does not matter as long as improvement is shown) this can be a special team. To me, next year is the year of record. That is when they will stand or fall.
I didn't know you were payed to be a fan. So you are a proffesional fan. Wow, you must really know your stuff since you get payed. Wait a minute, nobody pays you for going to Rockets games and posting on this website. Also, you don't have any objectivity since you claim to be a Rockets fan. Bucher could care less what happens to this team, his job is to give us an opinion and because he has obviously been doing something right to get this job, I think I'll value his opinion a bit more than yours. Nice try, but your elementary school stuff doesn't convince me of anything. What a dork, "please don't argue with me, blah, blah, blah, watch me be an ass, blah, blah, blah."
The writer is a hack. It was only a few years ago that he was a nobody 3rd string Warriors beat writer for the Contra Costa Times. His basketball knowledge back then was laughable and always foolishly overly optimistic. He somehow managed to get a few gigs writing a couple segments for those annual basketball magazines, and hokus pokus, he's a frickin bball expert now.
yeah, all you guys calling bucher a hack are right! we all knew that tha rox were going to be playoff contenders at the beginning of the year! yeah! and the only thing holding us down is rudy t and stevie! yao ming is god and all things are possible wth god on your side!!! and forget about all of buchers thoughtful analysis and insightful points!! this team should be a 4th seed coming off a season of 28 wins...
