Greg Anthony: For Van Gundy's system to work, Yao must mature

Greg Anthony's points mirror Charles Barkley's from a couple of nights ago. This is Van Gundy's first time working with talented, athletic players. The mid-90's Knicks were a bunch of scrappy guys and Patrick Ewing. This will get you into the Eastern Conference finals. You saw flashes w/Sprewell and A.Houston but neither of them had the combination of athleticism and scoring like Francis or this year, McGrady. If Van Gundy actually told T-Mac "Just shoot", then this is promising. I can guarantee he never told Francis that.

Yao sells a *lot* of jerseys, he's not going anywhere. We have no choice but to be patient. Houston fans, media, and coaches need to build around T-mac and realize that this guy is more Arvydas Sabonis than Hakeem Olajuwon.

MrB

 

i need to proofread

...Van Gundy actually told T-Mac "Just shoot", then this is promising. - refers to an alleged meeting between player and coach prior to the Dallas game


...and realize that this guy is more Arvydas Sabonis than Hakeem Olajuwon. - "this guy", of course meaning Yao Ming.

MrB

 

Damn, I had just posted something about the more-Sabonis-than-(actually, I wrote "Ewing"). FINALLY!

Make Yao a passer, a shot blocker, a 2nd option behind McGrady, THANK YOU, Jeff Van Gump-y.

 

I will be thrilled if Yao can become another Arvydas Sabonis. Sabonis at his prime can easily be a franchise center in this league.

 

i have posted this before...

IMO the game has evolved in the past four or five years to a point where fewer and fewer teams are using a big man as an important part of their rotation. the time frame is prob even longer than that as jordan's bulls never had more than a serviceable big man... just someone who could rebound and get the occasional block. with the exception of duncan, hakeem and shaq... has there been any other team that has consistantly won with a serviceable big? in today's nba teams win with quickness and mobility in the post instead of size.

look at what seattle is doing...
look at what phoenix is doing...
look at that sac is doing...
look at what dallas is doing...
look at what utah is doing...
look at what det has done.

if Yao were in the mold of a duncan, hakeem or shaq... we would have a fomula for success. but he is not quick and powerful like duncan or hakeem and he is not a monster like shaq.

my point... and i have said this before...
we need to use Yao much differently and let him be the third fiddle on the team. i find myself thinking that with last year's team he was the third option behind stevie and cat. jj also provide offense and cato was great defensive help.

i really hate doing this... but i have to.

pg stevie/sura
sg cat/sura
sf jj/boki/bowen
pf cato/motaylor/padgett
c yao/deke

another year together under jvg... more offensive freedom... more depth with sura, bowen and deke...

this will be the last "what if post" i will post.

but my point at the beginning stands... the era of the big center has passed. we must adapt.

 

What have those teams done in the playoffs? Absolutely nothing. Detroit doesn't belong on this list, with the Wallace brothers they've got 2 allstar caliber big men.

 

i am talking about what they are doing now. not about what they have done. teams are no longer using bigs in the traditional way. the ostertags of the world are finding themselves used less and less for more effective players. the wallace brothers are not traditional bigs. they are lean, long and fast. not big and slow like yao.

 

And once these teams get into the playoffs they'll get smacked around by the Minnesota's and Spurs of the world. They're style works great in the regular season, i don't question that. However, it's doomed to fail in the post season unless you're in the East.

 

i disagree. you are using the twolves and an example... but garnett is not a traditional big man... that is why they do so well. detroit won last year using lean and quick big men. okur hardly saw any playing time.

the game is changing... teams are realizing that they can win without big slows. look at what teams are doing to the ROX this year. there is no difference in the level or quality of play of Yao this year. the difference is that teams are guarding him with smaller quicker players who deny him the ball. ANYTIME that a team single covers Yao with another big (dampier being the most recent example)... Yao does well. but put him against smaller, quicker post... and his game suffers.

 

Dave,

Very nice points, and with the rules now not allowing hand checks it is even more valid.

Nice read.

By the way, how is Cali? We miss you at the YMCA here in Austin...I have no one slower than me now that you left.



DD

 

Southern California is horrible... smog... traffic... urban sprawl... I can't believe how much I miss Austin and scoring on you at will. How is the ankle? The only good part of being out here is that my job at CSUSB is taking college girls camping!

 

Why are so many people blind to this possibility?

I agree whole heartedly, as I said before... Yao was hailed as potential, possible of revolutionizing the game of the center position, when he was young, scouted and drafted.
And he will never be able to do anything different to the point of changing any aspect of the typical center's role, if you force him to be like every other old great center annointed as great from the low post's traditional play. Forcing him to be something he's not, and depleting his natural skills by keeping them untapped and neglected.

When he came into the league, he was a 7'6 finesse player with passing skills, 7'6 WITH passing skills, with that high view advantage and passing ability, not to mention the fact of having a 50% mid range shot and driving skills for his size, you can not toss it all aside and make him a LOW POST "banger"!
ESPECIALLY when his weakness include stamina, strength and a complete lack of a "bangers" mentality and physical talent!

 

Hey guys!

Its a long article , but I'm willing to type it up for y'all this Thursday ---(will be out of town until then....)

 

Are you kidding? Where were Twolves a few years ago with KG only?

Unfortunately, there are not many quality low post big men.

 

HERE'S THE ARTICLE GUYS--Someone else typed it from another forum though

For Van Gundy's system to work, Yao must mature

By Greg Anthony
ESPN Insider


The NBA season's young. But the Rockets are still on the launching pad.

The powerful formula combining newly-acquired superstar Tracy McGrady and young titan Yao Ming has failed to lift the Rockets to their expected heights. The rumblings are starting and will only intensify if the losing persists.

Who, if anyone, is to blame? There is enough blame to go around.

Did GM Carroll Dawson sacrifice too much to get McGrady? Is T-Mac a winner? Can Yao be the next dominant center? Is coach Jeff Van Gundy creative enough offensively to help with Yao's development?

I think the answer might be a little bit of everything.

This team is built around this philosophy: Take a potentially-dominant center, team him with a superstar swing player, and surround them with complementary, serviceable talent. This formula should yield a winner, right?

So far the duo of Yao and McGrady has been less than dynamic. Entering play Saturday against the Sixers, the Rockets were 6-11 and losers of five straight games. They were tied with the Grizzlies for 12th in the Western Conference.

Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming
Mao's not the time to panic for T-Mac and Yao -- or is it?
Given this start, they would be thrilled to finish this season matching what they accomplished last season without McGrady: The Rockets were 45-37 record and landed No. 7 Western Conference playoff seed – their first postseason in five years.

Let's look at the trade. The Rockets acquired McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines from the Magic, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato to Orlando.

The reasoning then: The Rockets were not exactly thrilled with the backcourt of Francis and Mobley's decision making and its inability to involve Yao in the offense. Dawson and Van Gundy apparently felt McGrady was a better fit for what the Rockets were trying to do.

McGrady's led the league in scoring a couple times and is as gifted athletically as anyone in the game. But the one concern is his leadership capability. That's most important when there is adversity, and this disappointing opening of the TMac-Yao Era would qualify as adversity.

In his last performance, McGrady shined against the Mavericks.

He fell just an assist and a rebound shy of a triple double, recording 48 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. (The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki still overshadowed McGrady, as the Diggler scored 53 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, shot 21-for-22 from the free-throw line and secured the overtime victory.)

McGrady's scoring and all-around game is what's expected on the floor, but now more than ever his leadership is needed to help a struggling team out of this malaise.

This is tough task because McGrady's never been on a consistent winner in his eight-year pro career. Playing for the Rockets, on paper, seemed to be his best opportunity to dispel the notion that he is just another talented player who will fail to fulfill his potential.

This leads me to the next issue, Van Gundy's system. Look at Francis' numbers last year with the Rockets -- Van Gundy's first as coach of the Rockets. Compare them to McGrady's stats for this season, his first under Van Gundy's tutelage.

Last season, Francis had a single-season career-low in points per game (16.6) and matched his worst season average in passing (6.2 apg). His .403 field-goal percentage was his worst single-season showing for accuracy.
Will Yao be the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the next Rik Smits – a very good center, but never in the class of the elites of his era? Van Gundy has a team and a system built around a player who is not what he needs to be.

With the Rockets, McGrady is averaging 22.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. These numbers are far off the standards McGrady set in Orlando, when he elevated his game to superstar status.

The common denominator for Francis and McGrady is Van Gundy and his system.

This team was constructed with a dominant Yao Ming in mind. Thus far in his brief career, Yao has been anything but dominant. You have to wonder if he is destined to ever be.

Will Yao be the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the next Rik Smits – a very good center, but never in the class of the elites of his era?

Van Gundy has a team and a system built around a player who is not what he needs to be.

I do believe Yao can continue to improve, but maybe not at the rate that will satisfy ownership, management, and coach.

Right now, it's still too early to tell if this system is a success or failure. However, time is running out for the Rockets. If they don't start winning, the players will stop believing.

A once promising season could become a nightmare.

 

Here is one from ESPN's Chad Ford about Eddie House:

Lakers would get future second-round pick

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

The Charlotte Bobcats are in serious discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade that would send Lakers guard Kareem Rush to Charlotte for a future second-round pick, accoring to two league sources.

The talks have progressed to the point that Bobcats general manager Bernie Bickerstaff decided to waive guard Eddie House on Saturday to clear a roster space for Rush. House was the Bobcats' fifth leading scorer averaging 11.1 ppg.


Sources claim that Bickerstaff approached House on Saturday and told him that he believed the trade for Rush would happen Monday. According to sources, Bickerstaff believed that Rush would take most of House's playing time and wanted to give House the chance to earn playing time somewhere else.


House should have a number of options. The Nuggets, Heat, Celtics and Rockets are among the teams that have expressed interest in House.


Rush is averaging just 0.9 ppg this season. Last year he backed up Kobe Bryant, but he's been getting just 6 minutes this season.


Being traded to the Bobcats could be the best thing that happens to Rush. Expect Rush to quickly work his way into the starting lineup in Charlotte. The team has a hole at shooting guard that it has struggled to fill this season.

 

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=1939514 - From 12/6

Didn't see it posted anywhere.

The NBA season's young. But the Rockets are still on the launching pad.

The powerful formula combining newly-acquired superstar Tracy McGrady and young titan Yao Ming has failed to lift the Rockets to their expected heights. The rumblings are starting and will only intensify if the losing persists.

Who, if anyone, is to blame? There is enough blame to go around.

Did GM Carroll Dawson sacrifice too much to get McGrady? Is T-Mac a winner? Can Yao be the next dominant center? Is coach Jeff Van Gundy creative enough offensively to help with Yao's development?

I think the answer might be a little bit of everything.

This team is built around this philosophy: Take a potentially-dominant center, team him with a superstar swing player, and surround them with complementary, serviceable talent. This formula should yield a winner, right?

So far the duo of Yao and McGrady has been less than dynamic. Entering play Saturday against the Sixers, the Rockets were 6-11 and losers of five straight games. They were tied with the Grizzlies for 12th in the Western Conference.


Mao's not the time to panic for T-Mac and Yao -- or is it?
Given this start, they would be thrilled to finish this season matching what they accomplished last season without McGrady: The Rockets were 45-37 record and landed No. 7 Western Conference playoff seed – their first postseason in five years.

Let's look at the trade. The Rockets acquired McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines from the Magic, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato to Orlando.

The reasoning then: The Rockets were not exactly thrilled with the backcourt of Francis and Mobley's decision making and its inability to involve Yao in the offense. Dawson and Van Gundy apparently felt McGrady was a better fit for what the Rockets were trying to do.

McGrady's led the league in scoring a couple times and is as gifted athletically as anyone in the game. But the one concern is his leadership capability. That's most important when there is adversity, and this disappointing opening of the TMac-Yao Era would qualify as adversity.

In his last performance, McGrady shined against the Mavericks.

He fell just an assist and a rebound shy of a triple double, recording 48 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. (The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki still overshadowed McGrady, as the Diggler scored 53 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, shot 21-for-22 from the free-throw line and secured the overtime victory.)

McGrady's scoring and all-around game is what's expected on the floor, but now more than ever his leadership is needed to help a struggling team out of this malaise.

This is tough task because McGrady's never been on a consistent winner in his eight-year pro career. Playing for the Rockets, on paper, seemed to be his best opportunity to dispel the notion that he is just another talented player who will fail to fulfill his potential.

This leads me to the next issue, Van Gundy's system. Look at Francis' numbers last year with the Rockets -- Van Gundy's first as coach of the Rockets. Compare them to McGrady's stats for this season, his first under Van Gundy's tutelage.

Last season, Francis had a single-season career-low in points per game (16.6) and matched his worst season average in passing (6.2 apg). His .403 field-goal percentage was his worst single-season showing for accuracy. Will Yao be the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the next Rik Smits – a very good center, but never in the class of the elites of his era? Van Gundy has a team and a system built around a player who is not what he needs to be.

With the Rockets, McGrady is averaging 22.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. These numbers are far off the standards McGrady set in Orlando, when he elevated his game to superstar status.

The common denominator for Francis and McGrady is Van Gundy and his system.

This team was constructed with a dominant Yao Ming in mind. Thus far in his brief career, Yao has been anything but dominant. You have to wonder if he is destined to ever be.

Will Yao be the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the next Rik Smits – a very good center, but never in the class of the elites of his era?

Van Gundy has a team and a system built around a player who is not what he needs to be.

I do believe Yao can continue to improve, but maybe not at the rate that will satisfy ownership, management, and coach.

Right now, it's still too early to tell if this system is a success or failure. However, time is running out for the Rockets. If they don't start winning, the players will stop believing.

 

It was posted here :

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87740

But that thread title isn't exactly the greatest.

 

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