At a time when the Rockets need Ming he is not coming through for them at all. He is hurting them at the most crucial time of the season because he is either on the bench in foul trouble or becouse he is tired or he is being ineffective on the floor. I am not saying that the Rockets should not go into Yao when he is open or when he has great position but that they should not focus so much of the game in trying to get Yao ball but instead be more creative offensively in getting Yao the ball and also try getting other players invovled into the offensive flow as well. Now is the time for Yao to step up and prove to everyone, especially fans like me who still have doubts about him and his abilities to prove to them that he is not like Francis or Mobley who fold down when the team needs them the most. The offense is so Yao heavy that is they don't get anything from Yao then the team struggles to score points. The offense is so focused on getting the ball into Ming that when they don't they have no other option but to jack up a Wild shot. Van Gundy's system is all based on Yao and his post up game and when Yao is going 3-10, 5-18, 4-12, or whatever he has been shooting the past games the Rockets are dead becasue they have no other offensive sets but to run post up plays for Yao. If Yao is to be the man that everyone claims he is or is going to be then this is time he should be showing and not only on the offensive end, and if he does struggle he should at least have monster games on the boards and in the lane blocking shots. Yao has to come foward and carry this team on his back like the true ALL STARS do for thier team. He has come foward and take charge and have big games becasue if this team does not make the playoffs he is as much to blame as Francis, Mobley, and Van Gundy.
Free Steve Francis!!! We need Steve to get back to his old ways and be the "franchise" again. Yao is not ready to be the "man". He's still weak, and teams have figured out how to stop him. We all know the only reason Steve is playing so poorly this year is because this offensive scheme is holding him down. An all-star point guard with all that ability needs to be unleashed, not reduced to a low post passer or a supporting cast. Let him do what he does best. Let him run the offense without hesitation. We need to let him know that we'll only go as far as he takes us. After seeing this collapse happen before our eyes, I'm willing to give the reigns back to Steve. Yao, you had your chance. It's time for Steve to take over.
steve had his chance for 4 years and led us to how many playoffs??? nevermind the fact that he's taken more shots this than ever, right?? ....
wrong... Steve has taken less shots per game this year. In fact, if he continues on his current pace, he'll have 153 more shot attempts than when he missed 25 games in 01-02. The percentage of team shots he's taken is exactly the same as last year at 20%, while Yao's percentage of the team shots has increased from 12% to almost 18%. Mobley has about one less FGA per game, but his percentage of the team shots has slightly increased from 18.5% to 19% While Steve has probably sacrificed the most for Yao shooting wise, the downside is that it has exposed his floor leadership capabilities. He's still a mediocre point guard, but to still run out the "ball hog" argument is pretty weak...
you're right. my bad. either way, if the % of shots he's taking is the same, how is he sacrificing more of his game?
His ft attempt is down. I think that probably means he is taking fewer attempts driving to the basket.
Wow! Did I read this correctly? A-Train is defending Steve Fancy? What is that strange oinking sound coming from the sky?
Just look at Yao and Cat's shot numbers. Since he controls the ball most of the time, he controls shot attempts. Plus, Jim Jackson shoots more than Posey or Rice did last year.
steve has settled for jumpers all season. he is only an average jump shooter, so its obvious that by taking low % shots is fg% will go down. 150+ FTA's less than last year is really bad, but proves that he doesn't take it in as much. if he would make 80% of those 150 he could have increased his ppg by at least a point and a half. and since he has gotte better at finding the open man when he does drive his ast total would increase as well. the problem is JVG doesnt want a pg to drive it in. he wants a pg to be able to shoot and pass and of course play D. thats no steves game, but istill dont think he ill be traded ths summer. give him one more year with the other pieces in place (like a backup pg like barry, ward, snow....a pf that can shoot and play d) and we'll see how he does.
It was pretty funny watching the game with Warriors commentators noting in the 4th quarter when Troy Murphy picked up his fifth foul that Steve was just driving and looking to jump into people instead of making the basket, and Murphy should have just let him shoot the ball. Maybe that's what Steve needs to do--drive straight into spastic big men who seem to give Yao so much trouble and foul them out. In that respect, Yao is so reminiscent of kids in karate classes--they do great in the gym and in tournaments against other disciplined fighters, but get their *sses handed to them in a street brawl. While Yao definitely needs to get stronger and have better stamina (two plays in the 4th were pretty telling where he didn't even raise his arm to contest shooters maybe 5-7 ft. away -- both made their shot), I just don't think he'll ever get to a point here he can be a jungle gym for a bunch of 250+ lbs ball players to hang on for 25-35 minutes a night. Watching Yao's slow development has given me newfound respect for what Shaq does night in and night out. Having said that, has anyone else noticed that there's been a string of fines for criticizing refs in the NBA recently? Is NBA turning into WWBA?
I also wonder if we have to take the reigns off of SF3 and let him play his game and let Yao take a back seat for awhile? I guess that would have us taking a step back but im worried about making the playoffs. J
You can't blame all of this on Yao...He's been the one constant, along with Jackson, throughout the season...I really think JVG doesn't have control of the team, which, by summer he will, when SF is traded...
Steve misses too many important layups lately. If he was penetrating and dishing with effectiveness then that would be a different story.
Combination of SF's leadership both on court and at lottery table will likely land another #1 pick this year which is the highly savilated Emeka Okfor.
Van Gundy doesn't have the players to run the double post offense. Steve and Cat need to get into the lane but with Yao and Cato plugged in the Paint all game, they have no room to be inside. Van Gundy needs to ditch the post offense and come up with an offensive game plan to get everyone involved, not just Yao. Trading Steve Francis would be a HUGE mistake, and it would set this franchise back a few years.
When back a few years Rockets always made playoff, even got two rings. Nothing could be worse then Francis ran the offense and Rockets couldn't make the playoff years in and years out.
