<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CUnnWoRWvdA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> 1. I forgot How skilled Yao was as a Rookie before JVG decided he should never pass the ball from on High again . . . .I realize that Big Chief Triangle would have been INFINITELY a better coach for YAO than JVG 2. I forgot how fun this team was to watch . . . . I think they needed another year. 3. Reminds me how much I still disliked the TMAC trade (Lateral Trade with no net positive - more 1st round exits against weaker inferior opponents) I needed a moment to just reflect and some positivity today . .. Rocket River
amen. yao was already highly skilled when he came to the league. i cant remember who made the decision that yao needed some extra weight. but that was a bad decision, esp. in hindsight. after our championship runs in the 90's, the time we drafted yao was the only time i've truly had title aspirations. oh all the mishaps and the what-couldve-been's...
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I HATE and I LOVE reminiscing Yao threads. The guy was a citizen of Houston and China and he carried that citizenship gracefully and honorably as the world came down on him; question after question, criticism after ciritisism, from all media outlets throughout the world, yet he would smile and joke with wisdom, even at a young age. I hate the fact that he is no longer in Houston and we can no longer watch the gentle giant transform into a monster on the hardwood. I hate the fact that hes one of the most under-appreciated skilled big man of this era, or any era for that matter. I hate that Tslack gave up on him. I hate that C Dawson couldnt do more for Yaos time here. But, he is not just a citizen of small time Houston or small time China anymore. He is now one of the greatest citizens of the WORLD. For that Im grateful to have seen him play in person and the fact that he represented us with pride for a short period of time. All the best Yao. Thank You.
Miss him. Watching that video kind of makes me feel nostalgic for the red, white and blue color scheme as long as blue was only a trim color and red is the primary. Watching videos of Yao is great and all, but it doesn't highlight how frustrating he really was though. All the countless times he stumbled on to the floor and took him forever to get back up, and he was on the floor like 5 times a game lol...the sometimes too passive mentality. The boneheaded Dwight like fouls and then how he'd hang his head or smack his head knowing he did something bad which i always thought was terrible body language. He needed more confidence in himself. Most frustrating of all is how poorly he was reffed. I can only imagine how much better he would have been in the 80s or 90s where they let big men play and not the 2K+ era where they've made it a perimeter player game only. The NBA officially killed the back to the basket big man when Yao left. We will never see true giants again.
Watching that makes me happy and a bit sad- almost to the point of tears. That brings back a ton of rocket memories as well as some personal memories tied to that time. Oh what could have been. I love and respect Yao soooo much and am happy he was a rocket!
He was an amazing player and an even better person. I wish he would have given it one more go, hell he could still play today as a backup big. DD
I still remember the excitement, that I felt after his first breakout game against the Mavs in his rookie year. We all feel great pain at his shortened career because of his injuries. His best performance undoubtedly was against the Lakers in the playoffs. He led us to victory, coming out of the tunnel after getting hurt. There are quite a few, it seems who feel it was wrong to make him into a low post player, because he got hurt so often. Yao had very unique skills, with his back to the basket and shooting, and we didn't get to see that after he became stronger, but I feel JVG helped him to become a true center. Jump shooting is never enough for a big man.
In hindsight it was unwise (and you can argue that the chance of an injury would increase with him playing more under the basket). But that being said. yao became a trully dominant player when he started to play under the basket. He was so dominant at the beginning of the 06-07 season.
he cant dude. he had even broken the same foot (left?) before he got to the NBA, reportedly took 5-7 inches off his vertical, had a bit of bounce when he was younger. hes broken it countless times, sometimes a 7'6 300 pound guy just isn't meant to run up and down hardwood with elite athletes year round. As much as it pained me to see his last injury, and just hoping he had another go in him, he earnt the right and then some to just walk away while he still could.
I was very pissed back in the years when Yao was not allowed to use his skills more under JVG. He was told to play like a robot that he could only use the moves that was taught in practices.
to clarify, i agree that jvg as a great coach certainly helped yao in many ways. and a true dominant center should primarily work around the hoop in the low post. yao was quite nimble in his first couple of yrs here b4 he gained some extra weight (a conscious decision). and he had a good mix of post moves and mid-range j, both were quite unstoppable. under jvg, the back-to-the-basket move was overused and he became almost one-dimensional offensively. that, along with the extra weight, eventually took a toll on his huge frame. a properly mixed use of his skill sets would've most likely prolonged his nba career and also would've been more beneficial for the team, i believe. i also think rudy t would've known and done better in developing and utilizing yao, from his coaching experience w/ hakeem, had he stayed w/ the team. we had some bad luck too. still remember the night chuck heyes fell onto his knee and ended yao's season that yr., while he's playing at the mvp level.
I'm not sure if there's a better negative endorsement for the "Yao was ruined by the coach who made him big!" theory then its wholehearted endorsement by one of our single dumbest posters by startin this thread. Yao was "ruined' by genetics that made him huge, and this "ruin" led to him being the one of the best 2-3 low post players in the world for a few years there. And yeah, I am wistful for the 43-39 lottery team days that averaged 93 ppg - they just need one more year! "The thing I take away from these highlights is his consistency!
