JEFF SAYS YAO'S GOTTA GET NASTY By BRIAN LEWIS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 5, 2003 -- Yao Ming is such a talent, so prodigious in both size and skill, that he's made the Rockets his team in just over a year. Now, says coach Jeff Van Gundy, the only thing keeping the 7-foot-6 Yao from dominating the whole NBA might be Yao himself. In Houston's 86-75 win over the Nets last night, Yao showed why developing a nasty streak on the court is the one hole in his game. Yao towered over the Nets, but despite playing a team without forwards Kenyon Martin and Rodney Rogers, the Rocket center too often was invisible. He showed flashes of brilliance among his 10 points and 11 boards - but not what Van Gundy calls the "disposition to dominate." "There's no physical basketball skill that he doesn't have," Van Gundy said. "But that disposition to dominate every night [is missing]. He's a very kind man, which is great. But at some point you have to develop that disposition [that], if you get 10 [points] early and they're playing you single coverage, to want to get 12, 14, 16. That disposition is what stars have, and it's in the early stages of [Yao's] development. "I love his humility. But you don't want him trying so hard to fit in that he can't stand out. If he gets single coverage every time, he should be thinking score every time." Last season, Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 49.8 percent shooting. He came into last night averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 boards and 64.3 percent shooting - the latter second-best in the NBA. But against the Nets, he didn't even take his second shot until 8:58 was left in the second quarter. When he got position, there was a highlight-quality spin move around Alonzo Mourning and a baseline jam. But too often he deferred to lesser teammates, or settled for long jumpers. "I have to be meaner," acknowledged Yao, who has worked with assistant coach Patrick Ewing to develop a more aggressive, physical style. "There is a cultural difference, but there are also aggressive players in China." Said the Nets' Jason Kidd: "He might be too unselfish, but that's never a problem. He's getting more confident. It's a matter of time before he really dominates this game." http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/42305.htm
Once the problem is identified, the solution is much simpler. Yao WAS mean at the Asian Championship this year. He need to yell in Cat/JVG's face that 9 shots a game is not going to cut it!
Listening to some DMX, Ludacris, and Jay Z may work for Yao. You know what the Wolevs did for Nesterovic? They taught him how to hang on the rim, how to stare at players after dunks, and how to cuss. Believe it or not, it was the turning point in his career.
I have been hoping for long time that some guy could kick Yao's ass to let him know what he really need to improve. Now JVG spoke out. Good.
I always think it is very easy to teach someone to go bad instead of good. Yao will be a bad boy soon. KH
Now that's a relieve, hearing those words from JVG himself. Because I'm sure JVG is a man who means what he says.
Nets: Yao a big man still making small strides Wednesday, November 05, 2003 BY DON BURKE Star-Ledger Staff Just give me the damn ball. That, or some equally pointed derivative, is what Jeff Van Gundy is waiting to hear from Yao Ming. The Houston Rockets new coach hadn't heard that phrase or anything like it from his 7-6 center in the season's first three games and he didn't hear it last night at the Meadowlands. In fact, Van Gundy knows he may never hear it. But a coach can dream, can't he? From Our Advertiser A passive Yao -- who took just one shot in the game's first 21 minutes -- recorded his third double-double of the young season, pulling down 11 rebounds and scoring 10 points in the Rockets' 86-75 come-from-behind victory over the Nets. Yet even with that statistical line, Yao was hardly a factor. His crowning moment may have come in the second quarter when he spun baseline around Alonzo Mourning, who was playing against him for the first time, and threw in a dunk. Later, after the Rockets had opened a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Yao dropped in a 13-foot fadeaway over Jason Collins to push the margin to eight with 2:09 to play and all but end the Nets chances. "A lot of times we were scrambling trying to double-team Yao," Nets captain Jason Kidd said. "That puts a strain on your defense because you're trying to protect everybody else. That's the gift they have over there." While Yao was a welcomed gift to the entire NBA last year, bumping up attendance in nearly every arena he played in, last night there was little of the buzz generated last season when the Ming Dynasty passed through the Meadowlands for the first time. Fans of the NBA's only player from China turned out, but not nearly the way they did last season. A sellout crowd of 20,049 watched that March 31 game. Only 11,784 were on hand last night. One Yao-hoo did hold up a sign that read: "Yao You Can Be The Best." The fan, however, was wearing a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey. Van Gundy, too, believes Yao can be among the best. But it won't happen, he said, until his 23-year-old center changes the almost deferential way he plays the game. "We'll have made great strides when he comes over very emphatically and tells me, 'Give me the ball' and not nicely," Van Gundy said before the game. "When Patrick Ewing said it it was never kind and so I knew where he was coming from and that was good. And then the pressure is on him. If you're going to ask for it, then you have to accept the responsibility and I hope that Yao, as he becomes more and more comfortable, will do that." Chances are he will, but last night was clearly not the night. Yao made just four of 10 shots. Afterward, he criticized himself for "thinking too much" on the court, although when asked how he thought he played he said "not bad." "At the beginning of the game, I don't think I played very well," he said through his translator. "I wasn't aggressive and I was thinking too much. I wasn't getting my shot off as well as I'd like and I was looking for better opportunities. ... I don't think today I was very aggressive. I think I can be in the future." "He has this demeanor of humility and team first," Van Gundy said. "Yet you don't want him to try so hard to fit in that he can't stand out. When he gets it in a spot and he has single coverage and he has it every time, he should be thinking score every time until they bring that second defender. His nature is, 'If I score three or four times, what is everybody else going to think?' "As a coach, I'm thinking, 'Score again.' There's no physical basketball skill that he doesn't have (except) that disposition to dominate every night. ... He's a very kind man, which is great. And yet, you have to develop that disposition that if you get 10 early and they're playing you single coverage, to try to get 12, 14, 16. That disposition is what stars have. That's in the early stages of development." Yao is learning from one of the best to ever play in Ewing, now an assistant on Van Gundy's staff. "He's doing good," the former Knicks star said. "He needs to be a little more aggressive, but he's fine. He's a very good player. He's got a lot of talent. The sky's the limit for him." http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1068014142157000.xml
Last year our wish was for the guards to quite ISO. Looks like that wish is going to materialize soon. This year, our wish is for Yao to take up ISO. LOL......
I agree with everything JVG says. But when you watch the game clips of the Nets game, Yao was often doubled before he could even get the ball. Other times, he was aggressive and got called for offensive fouls. Actually, over the last 3 games I believe he had at least 4 offensive fouls already. Pretty uncharacteristic of him. I do not necessarily agree with the DEMANDING THE BALL from his team mate bit. I suppose its not always a negative thing to do so but why cant the coach just tell the team that Yao needs more touches? Obviously, this assumes that Yao works hard and gets good position but creating conflicts between players is not a good thing IMO. There must be other easier ways.
That is not a common problem every coach ever has the oppertunity to face. I don't know if JVG has any idea how to fix it. Has he ever had to deal with this kind of problem? Anyway, Yao draws double team even without the ball. That helps. Yao was happy to draw the defense attention and let teamates to score. If our shooting keeps at this level, other teams won't double team Yao until he gets the ball. Then we will see a change in his game. But still, they need to teach him "score as many as you can when you are hot".
What is there that yao has to think about? He is the biggest guy in the league who has the size and skill to dominate almost everyone in the league not name Shaq. I wish Yao has 1/2 of Steve's mentality (toughness).
Quote from Jason Kidd: "A lot of times we were scrambling trying to double-team Yao," Nets captain Jason Kidd said. "That puts a strain on your defense because you're trying to protect everybody else. That's the gift they have over there."
Ming needs to bring that stinky cheese every night. If that doesn't start moving people around, then I say it's time for his elbows to take flight.
I watched the game tonight and definately noticed the Nets going to great lengths to double Yao every chance they got. Not only that, when Yao was in the game, Alonzo seemed to always look to shoot alot of soft jumpers, which most of his total 8 points came from - except the strong dunk over Kelvin Cato. Alonzo also had only a total of 4 rebounds.
I really hope Yao could change his attitude. I know it's not easy for him, as I said, he is too polite...which is really not so good for him to dominant or even survive in NBA. But I know he can do it, like he did in China, he need FREE HIS MIND!!! I hope the day will come soon, then we will see a totally different MAN! A man like Neo in Matrix...confidence and patience are key to success! to YAO, tO me, to everybody...
Compared to Neo, at this stage Yao is deciding whether to take the red pill or the blue pill... But everybody knows he IS the ONE!
