Everybody seems to want this team to win RIGHT NOW. I think this team can win it all but it's going to take some time because some of our players are a little immature sometimes. Otherwise I think the Rox are having a great year. This is the first year in the last five that I've actually looked forward to watching games.
As much as I hate to say, look at the Lakers.... Phil Jackson took the team to the next level by forcing the "dump down to Shaq" triangle offense. Van Gundy is not exploiting the players strengths on offense. First we have Yao setting picks for Steve... leaving Yao a long jumper, Steve a long jumper or a lane with the opposing center clogging the lane (who would usually give Yao the 20 foot jumper). What is wrong with Yao taking the long shot? We have our tallest player on the floor not inside fighting for the offensive rebound where Yao gets alot of put backs when he is in there. How can we get Steve/Cuttino a closer shot and better penetration? We need the offense to have more work off the ball, more screens and back cuts.
I guess I do. I won't even bother to name all the times he's semi open. Just in the last 3 games I counted about 6 - 8 times. The worst one? During the Spurs game. Steve turned to ball over pretty much as soon as he crossed over half court. Then, a rare thing happened: the Spurs turned it right back. Yao hasn't made it back down court yet. Mo Taylor with the ball at half court on a 2 on 1. Horry was the lone man back. Instead of passing to a wide open Yao for a easy 2, MoT drove himself and bricks. We were lucky though that he was able to get his own board and put it in. Of course, had it been TD instead of Horry, he would have stuffed it right down Mo's face. Other examples? The funniest one, the Wolves game. We had Yao jumping up and down for the ball while Cat dribbled at half court. Other times? I counted so many PnR, screens, reposts in which Yao is 3 steps ahead of his guy and doesn't get the ball. Unless we're playing against a LOUSY defence, your center is not going to get more open than that. This team has a knack for not noticing Yao and even you know it.
My 2 cents. First of all, I don't think guards refused to pass to Yao on most occasions, they just don't have a good court vision, or lack of the skills of passing. Secondly, Yao does need paly more assertive and aggressive to win the confidence of his teammates. And he is directing into the right way of late. I truely believe that he will get it soon. Lastly, yes, SF and Moebly need to improve on their passing skills right now. But I don't see any friction between them and Yao. Particullarly, I think SF and Yao are getting along really well. Why the hell the fans of Yao and SF are attaking each other on this BBS so often? BTW, I read an article in which Yao said like I am not as good as Duncan and AI right now. But I think I can be in that class in two years. Maybe we have to be a little more patient -Littlefish
It never was about selfishness. When Yao first came into the league it was because he wasn't good enough. Right now it's because Yao is not almost there but not quite AND the guards can't pass/poor courtvision, etc. However, only the end results matters and the end results aren't good. IT DOESN'T MATTER why Yao Ming doesn't get the ball as often as he likes, what MATTERS is Yao Ming doesn't get the ball as often as he likes.
Here's something you should try, In the next game look and see when ANYONE is open and doesn't recieve a pass instead of just concentrating so much on Yao. On every play, someone will be open for a while and not get a pass. It's part of basket ball. Players don't have the luxury of the overhead view you get on television. There have been times when Yao has the ball and someone else was open and he didn't pass it to him. Does that make Yao selfish? What you are actually saying is, Yao is my favorite player so I want to see him shoot it all the time and I lose interest when anyone else shoots it.
the same thing can be said about you. don't just concentrate on Yao when he plays like a girl and ignore the great things he does other times. and it's part of basketball that Steve has to defer to the second best center in NBA sometimes. and just because Steve is your favourite player doesn't mean you have to say negative things about Yao every freaking time.
Juugie... you should get some of that, what's it called again? Oh yeah, credibility, before you try to lecture somebody else. There is NO excuse for a big man to be wide open and not get the ball in the post, even when we're talking about the likes of Eddy Curry. When you have a good big man that doesn't get the ball WIDE OPEN in the post, it's idiotic. Hey, why score the easy baskets bey giving it to the big man when he's open? Let's score some style points and play the hard way. Of course the Rockets, when playing the hard way are extremely injury prone. But what's the harm right? I invite you to find another team, any team, that is not willing to give the ball to the big man for a dunk while wide open. The reason the other players sometimes get open is because other teams cheat double team Yao, that alone should tell you he should get the ball when NOT covered. Yao is not my favorite player, he just happens to be the top option on my favorite team. Why do I point he should get the ball? Well gee, I thought it was the DUH factor. Any team with a good big man gives him the ball. Didn't think it was that hard to figure out. PS. If other players get MORE open than Yao, yet shoots LOWER percentages, what does that tell you?
But that's not really the issue, is it? The problem is that the Rockets occasionally ignore Yao on plays that he is designed to be a part of. When he gets waived off in a post play, or ignored on a pnr when the guard decides to flash blindly into a guarded lane for a turnover... that's tough to take. Of course, there's the secondary issue that he's the most efficient scorer on the team... by default, meaning that whoever else has the ball is less efficient. You always need to be constantly aware of your best scorer. Your criticisms are out of place. Have you yet realized that you're not arguing against a cache of YOF? Goodness... have you not yet noticed that even clutch himself, hardly a YOF, has decided that the team has to go through Yao... and that Yao is the best force on the team? You can disagree. But the "you're just biased" stance rings hollow given the # of people who clearly are not YOF siding with a position that you try to pigeon-hole.
Well lets look at something. How do you get better conditioned? you keep playing more and more.. you don't train for a marathon by running 5 miles constantly. Its time we start gradually relying on him more and more.. maybe push it up a shot or so avg a week or a month.. until hopefully he's getting I'd say between 17-20 s/g that should put him at around 20-22 pts a game which would be great.. Not only that but when yao is working he is working the guy on the other end too.. its not like yao's running laps and the opposing center is sitting there watching him.. I'd have to guess that its more strain on the other guy when yao has the ball than it is on yao. Remember shaq, yao kept going at him time and time again.. and shaq yes the great almighty shaq started to get a little lazy.. and he fouled.. fould out that is.. which is what yao should do to everyone.. remember the days when the Jazz defended Hakeem with 18 fouls? yeah that will be easier on yao than harder. Mike.
