This guy is doing nothing for the rockets right now but hurting them. In the Denver game he almost lost the game by himself. Yao is not playing any sort of defense and cannot seem to hold on a feaking rebound. Earl Boykins was taking rebounds away from Yao, Earl freaking Boykins. Yao was allowing all kinds of weak lay ups in the lane and was allowing Marcus Camby to go crazy on the offensive end of the floor. Denver was not afraid to take it to the hole on Yao because they knew they were going to get a hoop or a three point play. They had no fear of his shot blocking and they were taking it to him all night. The most frustrating part is that Yao is becoming a ball hog. He is forcing shots that are not there in the middle of double teams. If the offense has to go through Yao, as Van Gundy wants it to, then Yao needs to know when to pass and when to shoot. Yao was getting pushed around by Marcus Camby and he was taking shots that has no chance of going in. He was taking wild shots, he was trying to draw a foul and then just throwing the ball to the rim and just wasting a crucial possession in the 4th quarter. Yao was killing the rockets in the 4th quarter especially, since he couldn't secure a rebound or a pass from his teammates. Yao needs to wake up and realize that the most important games of the year are happening and that having good games against the Hawks, and Magic are nice but they are also meaningless. Yao should look to the team's leader and follow in Steve's footsteps. If Van Gundy allows Steve to play real ball then the Rockets have a chance to beat anybody, but if he stays with the Yao garbage the Rockets are going to get swept.
Yao used to play with chinese players wich you cant even compare with NBA players... Yao proved he has an all-star game, but he still dont have the endurance. only time will give him what he needs to dominate an NBA game as Shaq does. i think when yao achieve his 5th season he will be a complete player... but, for now, we need a good rotation for him
its amazing how the more consistent player on the team, when in a bad stretch, is asked by some fans to follow the lead of the player who has been inconsistent all season, but has just had one great game. if this isnt a case of bad memory, i don't know what is. i mean, lets just forget about who the leading scorer on the team is. granted, steve has been keeping his assist numbers high, and i like that, and its great to see someone step up when someone else is taking a break. what i would really like to see, which ive only seen maybe 4 times this year, is both of our top guns work as a two headed monster and dominate at the same time.
What happened to Yao? You know as well as anyone Amed. Remember? Yao is overrated and will never lead anyone anywhere? Who said that? I think it was someone with a lot of credibility on the board. You are absolutely right. We need to go back to playing through Steve. Put the ball in his hands just like when he led us to the playoffs the last five years.
Yao is just in a shooting slump. No big deal. Come playoff time, if the guards give him the ball he'll score. It still amazes me that cat still takes more shots than Yao sometimes. That should NEVER happen.
Considering his "conservation" could have cost us a chance to even appear in the playoffs, that would be pretty pathetic. I somehow doubt he's "saving" anything. He's inconsistent and tired.
Exactly, he is plagued with the inconsistancy that all the Rockets possess. JJ seemed to be the only guy immuned to it, until he hurt his back. Man, we would be a great team if Yao and SF could contribute 50pts+ night in and night out.
So YAO should drop his shooting FG to 40%, dribble the ball out of his own feet, drive into a crowd of defenders, throw up a wild shot when there is no way to go? Yeh, he should have followed that leader They guy is a good player, not great yet. Just an inconsistent, tired, second year good player with a lot of potential to become a great player some day.
Haha Rudy allowed Francis to play "real ball" as you like to call that iso crap steve plays and what was the result? No playoffs for you!!! Francis took advantage of Rudy and it cost Rudy his job in the end.
um... you just have to take amed's stuff with a grain of salt. if you read his posts in the other threads it's like "yao stinks" "yao stinks" "yao stinks." I mean maybe he's not the MDE but he doesn't stink.
I never take what posters like him and Juugie right. It's just entertaining to read for a good laugh.
what happened to alaa aldebnaby or whatever? i remember he was like one of dukes best players....oh well i digress but at least its not one of the same comments again in a new thread
I hope so, cause as much as I criticise Yao, I know we can't win in the playoffs if he continues to play like garbage.
Yao is worn down. This has been a concern all year and it remains. This will continue to be a concern until he is able to overcome it. Big men expend a lot more energy than little guys on the floor because of all the banging in the paint and because they have to drag their large frames up and down the floor at close to the speed of guys half their size. Building stamina is particularly tough for them and this is particularly true of Yao who never had to endure the punishment of seasons this long or this phsically exhausting when he was growing up in China - part of the disadvantage of coming from a system that didn't put him in for 40 minutes at a time. He was rather sleight of frame when he came into the league as well, so he still needs to build muscle. For guys like Yao to physically mature, it takes years, not months. He'll need 3 maybe 4 full seasons in the NBA to completely mature physically. There isn't anything wrong with him. It just takes time.
What I noticed about Yao was... you can tell he was frustrated.. except he pretty much didn't do anything about it. Isn't the game 90% mental and 10% physical? Yao needs to stop thinking about flowers and wreck havoc out there. Bang hard and show some damage.. give himself an image the league will surely be intimidated of.
perhaps we should rest him for a game or two Rocket River I would not care if we became the 8th seed . . . I just want Yao rested and some folx healed
I'm actually getting a little worried on how Yao has been playing lately. I understand that players go through slumps and that he is probably tired as hell, but he isn't doing anything out there. 1. He is playing further away from the basket than he has all season long. 2. All his shots are short, sign of fatigue. 3. He is getting pushed around the basket, which is a foul most of the time, but he is still being pushed around none-the-less. Even though I think its going to pass. Yao's basketball schedule isn't going to change anytime soon, Olympics-Asian Champs. (Is it every year?)-NBA 82 game season, all back to back to back. With a guy of Yao's size, it's going to take its toll.
Yao is not hurting Rockets if you think about the whole season, Rockets wouldn't make the playoff without Yao's service.
