What about attitude? Leadership? Those are innate, right? Yao could become a great player. Maybe one of the greatest centers ever, right? He has all the physical tools. The height, decent mobility, footwork, soft shooting touch, passing ability, and a humble personality. But, I have a question. Everyone talks about building the team around Yao. As much as I like Steve and Cat, it should be pretty clear it wasn't Rudy's niceness that was the reason behind their stubborn ways. I don't know if the message will ever be clear. Maybe for a few games, but not forever. Guards, especially 6'3 guards, don't lead teams to championships by themselves. Jordan was the greatest of all time. The Spurs had Duncan (post player), the old Rockets had Hakeem (post), the Lakers have Shaq (post) and Kobe, the Pistons had Isiah, Dumars, and Laimbeer, the Celtics had a bunch of hall of famers, the old Lakers has Kareem (post) and Magic. See the trend? Point guards don't lead championship teams in the NBA. It's usually a post player with great role players who buy into their roles. Or it's two superstars and good role players. Jordan was an anomaly. So I can see how people want to build around Yao. What I'm saying is that I'm not sure you can build around Yao. Does he really have the attitude to take over a game. He seems to lack that intangible. It's how he was brought up. How often do you see him REALLY demanding the ball? I don't want to call him soft or lacking heart just yet. But what makes you think his court presence will change? Yeah he'll gain confidence as the years go by. But, what convinces you all that he will want to take over games and makes sure he does. I'm not questioning his ability to do that, but I'd like to see some reasons why he has that internal "it" that all the great ones have.
He wants to win, you could tell by his look of anguish many times when Rockets are losing. He even said several games ago that he had to take over because if not, they would lose.
He doesnt have that 'win by any means' attitude that all great players have. If winning means you have to be more aggressive or assertive then you do it, you don't make up excuses as to why you can't or why you havent been so far. If he thinks that it conflicts with his beliefs and morals, then thats his decision and only he can make it, but it does limit his abilities as a player. I understand that he has the weight on his shoulders, from us the fans of the Rockets and also the people of China. I just hope he uses that to his advantage to push him further and doesnt buckle under the pressure. I'd like to see that winning fire in his eyes and more intensity
My guess is he knows he's letting down an uncalculable amount of people when the Rockets lose, it's probably eating at him badly.
The expectations of Yao are just ludicrous. Even if Yao turns out to be like Vlade, I think the Rockets will be happy. Not every #1 pick is going to be a superstar like Shaq or Duncan. Lebron looks like he will be a superstar, but noone was going to get him except for Cleveland. NBA made sure of that. Look at previous #1s in Candyman, Elton Brand, and Kwame Brown. Elton Brand is nice, but he's no superstar. I doubt he will ever dominate like a Shaq or Duncan, but he can be a very important part of the puzzle. Candyman and Kwame Brown are stiffs. Will Yao be a very important part of the Rockets? The answer is yes. He already is. Does he have to be Shaq or Duncan to be worth the draft pick? No.
and all I am saying is, if he wants to be a great player, he's got to realise that the only person he is letting down is himself. He has to let go of everyone elses expectations and want to win and be the best he can be for himself, because tahts what will push him further. Everyone else shouldnt be a factor. Its the same with all of us, if you want to achieve or do anything, you don't put your all into it if you are only doing it for someone else or because you are afraid of what other people will think. Fear of failure is a great motivator, but a desire to win is far greater force
The reason Yao Ming hasn't be as assertive as you want him to be is he just doesn't want to step on other people's toes. Give him some time, most importantly give him some opportunities for him to singlehanded lose a few games, that is, you go to him even if when he gets stripped near the end of the game, then you will see him as a totally different person. As it stands now, Yao Ming even doesn't get a chance to fail, how can you expect him to be assertive and take over a game? Shrimpie
You're underestimating how good Vlade is. He's not Shaq or Duncan, but he has been a very good center for the Kings. He's in his late 30s which goes to show how effective he has stayed for such a long time.
You're forgetting Magic Johnson. He was leading the Lakers to championships when Kareem had quit running the floor on defense. I take your point that Yao and Steve may not be the right people to build the team around. There definately is an attitude / heart problem on this team. If the last game is any indication of the current Rox they looking like the anti-1994 Rox. Skads of talent but no chemistry in the clutch.
This is exactly what I meant. Of course he wants to win. So does just about every other player. That doesn't mean much. I like how everyone will ignore this very important question. It's one of the biggest questions about the future of the Rockets. Do I need to write out a long-winded 3000 word post? If you think that a #1 pick is supposed to be a solid player like Vlade, then keep up with the BS. #1 picks are supposed to be superstars. Especially when they're 7'6 and have skills. When I say superstar, I don't mean just being famous and all that. I mean franchise player. Top 10 in the League, one of the best at your position, or something really close to that. With the center position being as weak as ever, Yao could be the 2nd best center and it doesn't mean much if he doesn't dominate. Yao SHOULD be like Shaq in his own way. He should be that player where everyone else gets frustrated because he's so unstoppable that it's unfair. I don't think he has that attitude. He seems complacent and lacking that desire. I don't know if he can develop that since it is innate IMO. If that's the case, then stop complaining about Francis because at least he really wants to take that game-winning shot and put the team on his back. He wants to take over. He's doing it the wrong way, but until Yao shows a change in attitude, I don't know how people can say we should build around Yao, get rid of Steve & Cat, and expect a championship.
People here keep saying Yao be more aggressive as if he doesn't want to. I'll admit that he's not playing as tough as I would have liked, but has anybody here ever thought that he's stuck between a rock and a very hard place? Think about it, the Rockets are losing in the 4th and Steve is doing one of his now world famous dribblemania, and Yao says GIVE ME THE F*CKIN' BALL, what's gonna happen? Team chemistry will be screwed up ever after if a trade is not done (especially if the Rockets lost even though Yao got the ball, cuz nobody can do everything). We know Yao is a smart guy and I think this is why he hasn't done it yet. This is JVG's job. He either needs to drill it into Steve and Cat to look for Yao a bit more or pull a trade (right now I'm leaning very much on trade). PS. Most sophmore players don't demand the ball, for obvious reasons.
#1 picks do not mean squat unless that pick is a person who is widely known to already have a monster game. Everyone knew about Hakeem dunking on folks at UH. David Robinson was a physical specimen out of the Naval Academy. Shaq and Duncan were slamdunks coming out of college. From a talent level, last year's draft was not big like the draft that had Kwame Brown picked at #1. Aside from the hype, Yao hadn't dominated anywhere in the U.S. He dominated the Chinese leagues. Come on. That's not even close to NCAA March Madness tournament in level of competition. One of the biggest reasons why he was drafted and coveted as a #1 is the ECONOMIC VALUE. Why do you think the Rockets uniform looks like the Chinese national team's uniform? Why do you think a Chinese beer company is giving $1 million a year to Les Alexander for 6 years with a possible contract renewal later on? Why did Toyota want to put their name on the new arena? If not for all these revenues, tickets would have to be increased to pay for all these big contracts that CD gave to a few mediocre players. Yao can be Eric Dampier in terms of career, but he'll still have a billion people on the other side of the planet cheering for him.
That's what one goes through as a number 1. Candy man and Kwame are labled as busts. Brand isn't a bust, but for a number 1 pick over Francis, Odom and that draft class, he is still below expectation. The same would go for Kmart except that draft class was very very weak (Mike Miller won rookie of the year). Yao is still getting a pass because he's still a project that's developing and improving just fine. But if he doesn't get to atleast Smits level, he'd be a bust. And if he doesn't atleast get to Duncan's level, he'd be below expectations.
I agree with everything you're saying. The point is that Yao is being pointed to as the centerpiece of the franchise. People want to get rid of Steve and Cat and build around Yao. Yao's not a normal #1 pick. Not just because of the money & fanbase from China, but more importantly because he's 7'6 with a ton of skills. If the Rockets drafted Yao to be a cash cow who's a decent player, then people need to stop thinking we're going to build around Yao.
I hate to say it but you have a good point. It was no secret that the NBA were salivating over getting Yao for just the same reason that politicians will make longwinded speeches about human rights violations and then cave in on giving the PRC Most Favored Nation Trade status. A 1.2 billion market.
Steve and Cuttino are both shooting guards. That's why people are saying trade. That is evident after more than 4 seasons of non-playoff seasons. The 2nd half of the Sonics game was an illustration in chaos. Nate McMillan expectedly turned up the defensive pressure, and this team just collapsed. A competent point guard is expected to lead the team in times of turmoil on the court. Steve had an opportunity to lead this team in through the storm. He did not, and the play on the court devolved into the between the leg dribbling and bricks that have been the norm the past 4 seasons.
