From nbc.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt, Do you think that Yao Ming will have a sudden impact in the NBA or it will be a gradual process? And will his presence make the Rockets a playoff-bound team? Thanks from Summit Houston, Texas Summit, I think the Rockets¡¯ expectations are fairly low for Ming this season. They say he¡¯ll probably start out playing 15 minutes per game and they¡¯ll see how he progresses from there. Houston knows the 7-foot-5 Ming won¡¯t turn the franchise around right away and they realize that developing him into an impact player in the NBA is going to be a gradual process. Even if Ming develops quicker than expected, with all the talent in the Western Conference, I don¡¯t know how the Rockets could make the playoffs. I don¡¯t see a lot of playoff teams from the West failing to get back to the postseason. Seattle is one team that could drop out, but then there are the Clippers, who could jump into the playoffs. It remains to be seen how Ming will fit with Houston. The Rockets are a guard-oriented team led by the multi-talented Steve Francis. They need a strong inside presence and all indications so far show that Ming isn¡¯t that type of player. He doesn¡¯t have a strong low-post game and he¡¯s not a power player. He prefers to score from the perimeter so he doesn¡¯t solve Houston¡¯s interior problems offensively. Another short-term problem for Ming will be his communication. That was a major concern when Toni Kukoc first came from Croatia to the Bulls in 1993. There were a lot of problems between Kukoc and then-coach Phil Jackson in the beginning because Kukoc didn¡¯t understand a lot of what Jackson was saying. Kukoc just nodded like he understood and that stunted his development. Ming might fall into the same trap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, who sent that email?
I don't think this guy knows much about Yao. Weren't just about all his shots from his last game in the PAINT. I just get a little sick of hearing he isn't a post-up player. I also think Yao knows enough English, from what I heard, to not make huge mistakes. Not to mention that Houston could probably make the playoffs without Yao. So with him, they should do pretty well. This is all my opinion, anyway.
Yao pushed around but finishes perfect Chinese center gets mixed reviews despite not missing a shot in Worlds exhibition loss. Nearly every time Yao Ming tried to position himself close to the basket, a burly Canadian standing at least a foot shorter muscled him away. The 7-foot-5 Chinese center couldn¡¯t miss whenever he got the ball, but it was getting the ball into his hands ¡ª and getting it to him near the basket - that proved most challenging Friday night in Yao¡¯s first game in North America. ¡°LONG TIME SINCE I played against a guy stronger than him,¡± said Yao, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Let the record show that ¡°him¡± in this case was Canadian center Richard Anderson, a husky and friendly fellow who spent last season making $500 a week in the Austrian League. According to Anderson, who¡¯s listed at 6-6 and 260 pounds, the Austrian League is somewhere between the Norwegian League and the British League in terms of quality of competition. Anderson claims he can bench-press 335 pounds, and his biceps and shoulders are right up there in the same league with those of Karl Malone or Jahidi White. The comparisons end there, however, which might not bode well for the Houston Rockets when they eventually work the 21-year-old Yao into their lineup. ¡°I keep hearing that this guy is a skinny guy, but his legs are gigantic,¡± Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said, accentuating the positive. ¡°He¡¯s got a great foundation.¡± Yao also has a great touch, as evidenced by his 6-for-6 shooting from the field and his 5-for-5 effort from the foul line. But he will need to get stronger - much stronger - to be able to hold his ground in the NBA against players who will push him as far from the basket as possible in an effort to negate his height advantage. ¡°I need more weight training,¡± Yao said sheepishly after China¡¯s 94-66 loss to Canada. Yao¡¯s body is only slightly disproportionate, with the muscles in the lower half of his frame looking much more developed than those in his arms. He is not a lanky giant in the mold of Shawn Bradley, Ralph Sampson or Chuck Nevitt, but he also won¡¯t be mistaken for Hercules the first time he steps into the Rockets¡¯ weight room. ¡°His upper body is what he needs to work on,¡± said Anderson, who said Yao was the most talented center he ever has faced (second place went to Luc Longley). ¡°The first time he grimaces when you give him a little shove, you know you can play with him. ¡°If he can find a way to handle the physical play, as long as he doesn¡¯t back down, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Anderson said. The competition will get tougher next Thursday, when Yao faces the United States in an exhibition game. Yao gets another chance to play against American centers Jermaine O¡¯Neal, Antonio Davis and Raef LaFrentz when China is grouped with the U.S. team in the opening round of the World Championships, which start Aug. 29 in Indianapolis. Tomjanovich, who met with Yao at his hotel room for more than an hour Thursday night, said he was most impressed with the poise Yao showed while facing such a physical player in Anderson. Houston¡¯s coach believes Yao will find it easier to receive the ball deep in the low post in the NBA, because teams can¡¯t pack in their defenses and collapse toward the middle as much as they do in international basketball. When Yao was able to get his hands on the ball against Canada, he didn¡¯t always do the right thing. On one play in the third quarter, he was matched one-on-one against a backup forward the size of an average NBA guard. With his back to the basket, Yao hesitated and decided to pass the ball out to a teammate at the 3-point line for a shot that missed. Canada grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball upcourt for an easy score, taking a 20-point lead. On the flip side, Yao did show some flashes of dominance. Advertisement He blocked five shots and threw down one emphatic dunk, slamming the ball over Anderson the lone time in the first half that he managed to receive the ball deep in the post. Suitably impressed was Canadian guard Steve Nash, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks and has seen his share of serious dunkers during his years in the NBA. ¡°I think he¡¯s going to create his own legacy and he¡¯s going to be a great player in the league,¡± Nash said. ¡°Houston¡¯s real fortunate to have him.¡± From nbc.com
All these talk about Ming has no low post game, he is a perimeter shooter really amuse me. From what I have seen so far in all the video clips on CBA games and reports on his recent warmup games for the World Cup, he hasnt been a perimeter shooter by a long stretch. He scored most of his points within the paint. As a matter of fact, maybe that's why his FG% is so phenomenal. Who is this Matt guy anyway?
I'm getting pretty sick of these predictions having the Rockets out of the playoffs. Could someone PLEASE explain to me how the Jazz, Sonics, or Clippers are in any way better than a healthy Rockets team? Frankly, I think the Rockets are at least twice as talented as those teams, and just as good, if not better than the Wolves and Blazers. It's amazing how quickly analysts have forgotten about the 45 win season. This guy expects a Jazz team, which has lost Bryon Russel, Donyell Marshall, and now that Lopez fellow, to make the playoffs over the Rockets? What? When is this team expected to make the playoffs? 2010?
Point guard is supposedly our strongest position. Each of those teams has a better starting point than we do. Just a thought. Go Rockets!
Huh? Maybe you need to rephrase that. Each of those teams has more of a <b>pure</b> point guard than we do. Better player? Uhh....no.
I am most happy to hear Nash used phrases like "his(Yao's) own legacy", "going to be a great player" to describe Ming. That came from a player who is surely tired of very tall center . He knows what is good and what is not. Barring any serious injuries, Rockets will definitely in playoff, imo.
It's a travesty that Matt Goukas gets paid for stuff like this. He should be better informed than that. Goukas really made himself look like a chump, IMHO. This is the kind of guy who'll be saying "I knew from the get-go that Yao would be a star!" after Ming starts showing what he can do.
you'd take miller or pasty over steve? payton at this point is better but the rest of the sonics are weaker on paper.
Achebe:- I expect such a post from a person from Everytown USA, who's main hobby is Snowboarding! Steve Francis is one of the 3 best PG's in the NBA!
I hope Ming will be great, I will be dissapointed if we do not make the playoffs, but...there is a lot of denial on this board.
Not surprising. Look at another thread on this forum "What kind of a fan are you? Blind or Objective." Being biased is what is so fun about spectator sports.
One thing that i notice here is that the posters seem to ignore the fact that Ming causes a lot of players to change their shots. Now if i remember correctly that could be considered defense. There is no stat for this but if there were Ming would rate pretty high.
Wow. That's harsh. I've had my doubts about us making the playoffs as well, but to say "I don't see how they'll make the playoffs" is pretty bold... The way I see it, Kings, Mavs, Spurs, Blazers and Lakers are locks, but after that there are 3 spots and 6 capable teams. Minnesotta at this point is very, very thin, if Terrell isn't 100%, or if they have another injury to a regular they'll be in trouble. Clippers are in the position the Rockets were last year. They just had a decent season and added major piece in Miller, so people are putting great expectations on them, but the reality is nobody knows how things will shake up. Will McInnis and Miles' contribution be easy to replace? Will Miller mesh up well with the rest? Sonics will not make the playoffs sans Lewis, so there is a big question mark there still hanging. If they do sign him, they are in good shape, though. Booth is coming back, VladRad is healthy, and Kenny can be moved easily around the trading deadline for a solid contributor if they decide to make a run of it this season. Suns I think look the best of the bunch. Marbury, J.Johnson and Matrix are an awsome 1-2-3 and Alton Ford and Amare will be contributors at 4. any contribution from Penny and Googs will be gravy. Utah looks the worst. Major player turnover, the geriatrics duo looks like they are already thinking past this year, no backup PG, and the center position is just pathetic: Curtis "loose screw feet" Borchard, Ostertag, Amechi and the weaker Collins brother... My prediction is that Utah will break down in big way, and Sloan will just flip out and check into an psychiatric clinic after a 13-28 first half. Minnesotta will finally NOT lose in the first round because they won't make it to there. Clippers will hover a bit above 0.500 all season before Miller, Kandi, Brand and Odom start worrying just for their contracts and play selfish ball. That leaves Seattle Phoenix and Houston to take the last 3 spots...
1st off Payton is a better point guard & player than Francis. Not as athetic for sure, but a significantly better player. Miller is Francis' equal at this point. He led the league in assists for Christ's sake; for Cleveland! He delivers the ball exactly where needed & makes other players better. Something Francis does only at times. ... 2nd off: Unless Garnett goes down, the Twolves will make the playoffs. That leaves 2 spots open. Clips, Suns & Sonics are in the same category as the Rockets & it's gonna be a battle. I'd predict Clips 7th & Rocks 8th, but it's far from a lock. Finally the Jazz are over. Losing Marshall is the final nail in the coffin.
All other factors held constant, I think the Rockets will make the playoffs if Yao averages 12 and 8, the Rockets are just one decent big man away from making playoffs when healthy. Not to mention that: 1. The sf spot will get better with the addition of Boki and a supposedly rejuvenated Rice. I am not hyping Boki up but our sf spot can't be worse than last year's, or worse than that of the 45 wins season's. 2. Eddie Griffin will be better and more consistent. He's poised to have a good season if what he did in the summer league is of any indication of his improvement. 3. Oscar Torres is not out of the picture as a solid backup 2 and he can be better. The Jazz and Supersonics are in downward spirals. The Suns still need a frontcourt in the Wild Wild West. Amare Stoudemire is a Kwame-Brownlike raw HS rookie and will take time. The Clips are the Rockets equal in terms of talent. The Timberwolves will find themselves get caught up in the playoff race against the Clips and Rockets. The Rockets have a chance to win over the Paperclips and T-Pups depending on how well they gel. I'm quite optimistic about the coming season.
Although, compared to Shaq, Yao is skinny. But, compare him to other players, and his arms aren't that thin. I think the first time you see him in person you will surprised of how large he is. Not just his hight, but everything. Hakeem looked skinny on TV/pictures. But the first time you saw him in person: Holy cow!!!
