I'm an infrequent poster here so I apologize if the great basketball minds here have already debated this. I've noticed many posters here and commentators around the NBA have praised Yao's quickness and softhands while criticising his lack of physical play and aggressiveness required of an NBA center. If that's the case why not switch Yao to the Power forward position where he could use his quickness and soft touch while leaving most of the under the basket banging to Cato? The Rox could use Yao sort of like the T-Wolves use Garnett by having him set up at the top of key to run the offense through opening up the baseline for cuts by Francis and Mobley. Meanwhile Cato whose more comfortable with post play stays low and bangs away. Yao can still use his deft moves to go to the hoop or shoot jumpers while still closing in for offensive rebounds following shots by others. This arrangement would also help by pulling other teams' bigmen away from the basket in man on man sets to clear under the basket of a shotblocker for cutting guards and allowing Yao to shoot midrange jumpers over shorter players or drop passes to cutters in zones. On defense Yao could switch to going down low in zones for his shot blocking and rebounding. Again similar to some of the things Garnett does. Just throwing this out there as a thought. I'm sure there are some holes in my idea and would like to see what the posters think.
I completely agree --- let Yao play PF. It more naturally fits his skills. That coupled with a steady hand bringing the ball up (not Francis, Mobley, Moochie) --- a team could survive one of these but not all three
This may be a short-coming of Van Gundy. He does not seem to have a creative mind as it relates to offense. He can draw up a defensive play with the best of them, but his imagination on offense is almost zero. NBA defenses are forcing the Rocket players to fight through their weaknesses. That's a recipe for disaster. Dumb folks who think height is equivalent to strength think Yao can just bowl his way into the paint as if the defender doesn't exist. A muscled up 6 foot guy can stop a skinny 7 foot guy from getting position if he uses proper technique. I don't have to see Yao try to force his way into the paint for an awkward fadeaway to know that this it's not working anymore. It may work if the defenses are stupid and they don't double Yao and Yao actually makes the shot, but most intelligent coaches understand Yao's weakness in this area of his game. When Yao is set on his feet without motion, he has the ability to make great passes to cutters. Yao can shoot free throws pretty well. At the top of the key, Yao can probably make a good percentage of those shots if the defender just sags off him. Les Alexander may have to hire an offensive coordinator like what Mark Cuban has done with his coaching staff. If Van Gundy continues to stay with this stagnant offense, the NBA is going to kill the Rockets.
"You, sir, should post more often. That is a thought-evoking suggestion." thank you kindly but being more of a nerd than a jock I waste my internet time posting on discussion sites about news and legal issues. Also being stuck in Minnesoota means I don't get to see the Rox much so I'm often at a loss keeping track of what's going on with the Rox. Still I've loved them since the offense was going through Jon Lucas and Allen Leavell. We sure could use those two now.
This suggestion clearly makes somes sense, but it is highly unorthodox. I think with Yao and Cato on the floor the difference between center and PF are blurred anyway, just like between Duncan and Nesterovic. However, I don't feel like Yao's skills will be best utilized in the Kevin Garnett mold. 1. Yao, like Shaq, is unstoppable when he catches deep enough in the low post. The only think that needs to be worked on is that he needs to catch it there more often. 2. Yao is unfit to set up on the high post to have the offense run through him (many have suggested that he would be best on the high post like Bill Walton) because the Rockets lack the slashers, shooters, and ball movement to make it work. 3. This is the most important one. Yao does not have the quickness or the face to the basket game like Kevin Garnett. KG is probably 2X as fast at Yao, Yao wouldn't be able to drive to the hole like KG. Furthermore, all the problems Cato has chasing down quicker 4's would be amplified with Yao at the four. Some of these points may be solveable but in the end I feel Yao is undeniably a center.
My god, I can't believe this. Is this a joke or something? Do people have any idea how to play basketball? Yao plays PF? Yao is even a little bit slow in playing the center position. Now that's great that he is going to be burned by the opponents' PF every time he defends. Oh, wait, that won't happen because Yao will foul out in the first quarter after commiting 6 fouls.
The board is best served by exchanges among nerds (intellectuals), jocks and those who fall between -- just as the country is best governed by consensus rather than by far left or far right doctrinaires. Most of us really don't understand all the intricacies of the x's and o's of basketball but that doesn't stop any of us from pontificating as though we do. We are, afterall, just basketball fans, so please do not shy away from communing freely.
Another joke, I suppose. I guess I am unstoppable if I am the only one under the basket with nobody defending me. Yao is far from unstoppable. He is just a decent center, he is not even as good as Ewing yet, let alone, Robinson, Hakeem or Shaq. But you know what, in your dreams, Yao is unstoppable.
Read the post. It says -- when Yao catches DEEP ENOUGH he's unstoppable. When Yao has good position within 8 feet, he's FG% is as high as Duncan and Shaq. He has great back to the basket moves and a softer touch than either. Just not as strong yet. In general, Yao is obviously not as dominant as Shaq and Duncan, but you don't see me making those assertions. But hey, your know what? In your dreams, you know about basketball, so keep on making your uneducated comments.
I'm not a self-proclaimed genius at B-ball but I was just making a suggestion to inspire our stagnant offense. Anyway on defense how we keep Yao from playing man on man against KG, Nowitzki or Duncan above the 3 point arc is play zone with Yao low.
I see what you mean. I'll try to stop here more often. As for basketball knowledge most of mine is limited to playing in Middle-School and college IM. I played forward and center in middle-school and guard in college, these days I feel good if I my joints don't ache so I can play b-ball.
He can do this at the center position as well. I would like him to set screens and picks at the top of the key ala Brad Miller and Divac. When they leave him open, he can hit the jumper, and when players begin honoring his outside game, he can go inside to confuse the defense. So far, Yao has ben forced to either side of the basket, he never sets up at the top. We know he can hit open jumpers, I just think he doesn't want to do it because people may label him as "soft" for not taking it inside.
Or better yet, get a pf that can shoot the 15 footer (eddie) and have him high post like Duncan, then that way Ming can roam around the low post all he wants. Damn, I wish eddie would get his life back in order damn it.Eddie could be the "Horry" to Mings Hakeem..
I've always been advocating setting up Yao at the high post part of the time (he needs to go low too to be very effective). I am more and more convinced that forcing Yao to fight for deep position all the time is not good for him or for the team. Yao has PF skills but not PF speed. That's the dilemma. But if we play more movement basketball, setting the center up high gives you a lot of options, especially with Yao's passing skills. That also solves the problem with playing Cato at PF.
