These are random highlights of Yao (almost 4 minutes worth), including clips from the 2002 Summer Olympics. Both his rejection of Gary Payton and of Vince Carter are on there. Keep in mind he was 19, almost 20, then. He's had almost 2 years of development since that time. Some of the clips you may have seen, some you have not. Definitely worth watching. I recommend saving it to your hard drive (right-click on the link) because I'm coughing up a lot of bandwidth transfer to make this available and I'd appreciate users downloading it just once (thanks). It's <B>9 megs</B> and can be downloaded in the Multimedia section (you need "Real Video" to view) http://www.clutchcity.net/multimedia.cfm I'd like to get an unofficial poll via comments here: <B>Did your impression change of Yao from these clips?</B>
Sweet clips Clutch!!! I was already pro-Ming, so these clips didn't change anything. They did make my joy at having him even greater for a number of reasons. 1) He's a lot quicker than I could hope for. 2) That jumper sure looked money to me. 3) That cross court pass off the low block for a wide open three brought back images of a past Rockets center who shall remain nameless. 4) Dude was getting hammered. May be more ready for the NBA pounding than I thought. NO brainer #1 pick IMO.
I like the Hakeem spin on the baseline for a reverse dunk! (around the 2:15 mark of the video) The other thing reminiscent of Hakeem was when he stole the ball from the guard and drove down the court to dunk it. He's quicker than I thought, despite everyone already saying how quick he was. He also seemed a bit more tenacious than I expected. Especially on that one sequence where he kept going after the rebound one-handed and finally put it in. Nice clips, Clutch. I guess I'd feel safe saying "I want Ming".
By the way, another way to share this clip amongst everybody is via several people downloading it and serving it up via something like Grokster, Morpheus, etc.
That Peter May article in the Boston Globe you provided the link to was the best I've read yet. Man, Yao sounded exciting. This film really shows his potential. He's in such control when he plays. You can tell that he's been well schooled in the game. What's not to like? This is from two years ago?? Damn, we've struck it rich!
thanks very much clutch. that video is friggin awesome. i can't believe an anti-ming guy watching that and not coming out somewhat changed. this guy's talent is ridiculous at his height, actually any height. he seems to have all the tools and above average with all of them. like dod mentioned my favorite part is the hakeem baseline spin. WOW!
WOW!!!! Ok a lot of yao fetractors would say "those are higlights, of course he'll look good." But i think high;ights are waaaay more important than "lowlighhts" because they show at his best (at the time) what a player is capable of doing. I was impressed. 1) Yao can dribble a bit, and is really pretty quick and agile for his size. 2) on the play where he blocked Gary Payton's shot, he came from the help side...(showed movem,ent--agilty/quickness and understanding of team Defense). 3)That jump hook at the beginning (if he developed it at will be unstoppable) its a little ugly though 3)The jumpshot over KG (he froze him 1st with a fake pass, then shot the ball with no hesitation) He showed poise...didnt look nervous at all. Also showed a good understanding of the game by freezing KG with the fake pass. LOLOLLOL look at how KG just drops his head...hahahha 4) Baseline Jumper at 1:23 got the and 1 Shows that he can take a body bump and score. Great shot...ive NEVER seen Bradley even think about attempoting that shot. 5) 1:37 My favorite highlight...He Attacks the basket to tip a miss...misses and puts it back up.. Hopefully NBA players will teach him to gather and dunk...But still shows he isnt some softie. 6) Baseline spin dribble dunk over i think (wang zhi zhi)..beautiful move...shows agility and balance and willingness to dunk the ball. 7) 2:24 dribbles around a man (shows he knows how to dribble) Anyone who has ever played basketball can tell whether someone else knows how...he is a co-ordinated dribbler..looks like he has a purpose..Then he kicks it to the open man....Once again shows great knowledge of the game. Great Court sense. 8) Steals the ball from half court to dunk...I dont care if thast against kids...what 7 foot 5 player in the league could dribble like that? Hell what 7 footer could? Shaq, Vlade, maybe a few more. MY FAVORITE PART is how he knocks the ball up in the air after the dunk (HE SHOWS FLAIR?ATTITUDE) 9) 3:18 another favorite... He steps to the middle and drops his shoulder and elbow a l ashaq to clear his opponent--then scores... GREAT MOVE..... Shows his aggressivenes.. That guy guarding him isnt small either, and he gets knocked back a bit. As he gets bigger and better, he will do that more. 10) 3:37 Great crosscourt pass, shows court sense and passing ability. Not many centers besides Shaq and Vlader make that pass.
A Few things: 1. His spin moves look pretty good. I particularly liked his spin move at the 3-point line, drive, and then dish to the 3 at about the 2:30 mark. 2. He has good body control. He uses his legs well for positioning on offense and defense - I guess that is why he is so dveloped there. Also, the fact that he got a rebound one-handed while falling backwards and still put it up (although missing) smoothly shows some coordination. Not anywhere near Bradley's awkwardness. 3. That hook shot early on can go off against anyone (not to mention his fadeaway). Also of note is that he started most of his moves with his back to the basket and often initiated contact. 4. He did seem more aggresive than advertised - hustling and pumping his fist. This is a little different than some of the negative reports about his desire. 5. Most of those guys defending him seemed about 6'8" +. Not too far off from what he will face in the NBA. Sure, he looks huge comparatively. But he looked huge next to Rudy. As someone who has stood next to/in front of Rudy, that is not that easy to do. He will still have to adjust, but that video looks promising. Didn't really change my opinion, though. I have always been pro-Yao.
Did anyone else take notice that almost all his offensive sets took place from the LEFT BLOCK !! He is a center, pure and simple......and I saw a drop step, ala Dream shake.....could it be????? I think this kid is going to add a TON to the Rocks. A low post player is going to make this team deadly. DaDakota
How can anyone not like the skills of Ming. I especially like how he worked with the trapezoid lane. Once he gets a chance to play with the nba lane, his positioning will be closer to the goal and results will be better. Make no mistake, once he gets the ball within x range, its over. It will be no one that could contest his shot within a certain range. Whats good is he keeps the ball high, which is vital for a big man. I can't wait.
Great footage Clutch! I really enjoyed watching that video. Did someone say Ming did not have post moves or did not operate in the low post? HUH? Looking at the video it appears he is on the low block on many if not ALL of the possessions! Not just on the low block but with his back to the basket! What was all of this BS about him not playing in the post??? WTF?? He looked very fluid in his moves. His mid range jumpshot/fadeaway was great. He looked very active on the court, not someone who was just going to stand around and use his height as his crutch. He looked active trying to rebound, block shots, move for position in the blocks and accept contact in the paint etc. I liked the agressiveness. That aspect has not really been talked about much and seeing more video shows that side of him. Other things I noticed: At around the 1:44 mark in the video when he gets that rebound with one hand. It looks like his hand is so big he catches it and palms it at the same time like he has suction cups on his hands! Amazing! Blocked shots. Notice that with the majority of his blocked shots (not counting the Payton swat) he doesn't just block the shot into the stands but yet keeps the ball in play! Sign of a good shot blocker. Around the 3:40 mark he is in the low block and fires a pass across court to a 3pt shooter. I can see him doing this A LOT with the Rockets. Rice, Francis, Mobley, Griffin. Hello! Another funny thought that came to me as I was watching that video.... I bet he would be MURDER to an opposing team's inbound passer late in the game if he stood right in front of him with his arms out! Talk about throwing the inbound pass over a wall! Bottom line with this video, the ESPN video, the Music Video that was put together for Ming here at ClutchCity.net.....is the MORE we SEE of Ming in GAME action, the BETTER he looks! These are things that Rudy and CD have been seeing for a WHILE now. These are things that many of the scouts have been seeing. NOW we can see WHY they love Ming's game so much and about his potential! I am really looking forward to seeing more of Ming during the World Championships in August! Hopefully some of the China games will be televised. Chris
Theyll show at least one China game because they are in the same opening group with the USA and Germany (Dirky)
Thanks for the download Clutch!! The thing I am especially excited about, having seen all of the posted Yao Ming highlights is his turnaround jumper. Haven't seen that here in Houston for a while. His form is excellent, and he gets good separation, and a quick jump. His accuracy appears to be dead-on as well. I'm also impressed with how he moves without the ball -- he sets himself up for easy scoring chances, and offensive rebounds nicely. Yao also has an excellent Defensive awareness, it appears. He seems to know where shots are materializing, and is able to counteract them quite effectively. Given some NBA experience, Griffin and Yao could be rejecting 7 shots a game between them. I would like to see him try to keep the ball in play when he blocks it, rather than throwing it out of bounds. But I won't complain if it goes out of bounds each time either. If you haven't watched the other Yao video (the one mixed with the song and Rockets intro video), download it! I get chills every time I hear the line "and they say that a hero could save us" and it shows Yao Ming there.
