Questions & Answers By JONATHAN FEIGEN

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/sports/feigen/qa/index.html

Yao's minutes based on need to deal with fatigue and resulting foul trouble

Question: Last time I checked, there was one starter, Yao Ming, on the Rockets shooting around .530 and every other starter was hovering a little above .400. It seems that Yao Ming can't really get into the flow and rhythm in a lot of games because he doesn't get that many touches for somebody that makes such a high percent of his shots.
He also gets very few minutes for a player of that caliber. Now I know that he's a big guy, needs his breaks, and gets into foul trouble at times, but Jeff Van Gundy seems to take him out way too long, possibly to get Dikembe Mutombo (playing in his last year or two) some minutes.
It's hard to fathom having such a player that can help your team to only use him 31 minutes a game, which is comparable to what a quality sixth man gets. Why is he sitting on the bench for 17 minutes a game?
I think the Rockets would win more games if Yao Ming would average over 40 minutes a game and Yao, along with Tracy McGrady, averaged 20 shots a game. (Yao is currently averaging only 12 shots a game).
What is your take on this?
Bob in San Diego
Answer: The Rockets would love for Yao to stay on the court longer. He would probably lose some effectiveness at 40 minutes, but 34 to 36 would help.
The problems, as you probably know, have been foul trouble and fatigue. He is dragging around about 310 pounds every night. He tires more quickly than players weighing 70 fewer pounds, and when fatigue sets in, he tends to pick up an extra foul, making the problem of getting him more playing time even greater.
His foul trouble also does not always come at the most opportune times, often forcing him to the bench before he might need a break.
(This week's) game in Boston was a good example. He was clearly in the midst of one of those nights when he is on top of his game. But tired more quickly than usual and needed an early rest. When he returned, the Celtics' perimeter penetration got him in foul trouble and he had to sit again. Mutombo has done a good job, but the Rockets want Yao on the court more than he has been.
As far as getting him more touches, people talk about that as if it is a simple decision. There are occasions that choices are made, but the ability or inability to get Yao the ball in scoring position is a challenge for him and the team. Saying they should get him more touches is sort of like saying when they shoot, they should get it in the basket more often.
It's on him to get better position and keep it longer and up to the Rockets' perimeter players to be ready to deliver the ball when he is in position to receive it. You could bowl the ball to Charles Barkley and his defender could not get around him. Magic Johnson could keep his dribble and hold off his defender as long as necessary until the moment he would deliver an entry pass. But that's why they were among the all-time greats, and they did not have to deal with zones.
The Rockets are not choosing to keep Yao on the bench for 17 minutes a game, or to have him unable to get the ball where he wants it more often. But what you're describing is not doing things differently, but doing what they are already doing better.
Posted: Feb 2 2005 8:56AM | E-mail the writer
________________________________________
Too early to predict deep playoff run by Rockets

Question: Is the Rockets team age really important? I don't think so. The drop in turnovers from these "older guys" is why the Rockets are winning. The game (versus Celtics) had 12 turnovers. In the Stevie Francis/Cuttino Mobley days, we could expect 19-22 turnovers every night. When Jon Barry, David Wesley and Rod Strickland regain their shooting touches, the Rockets will go DEEP into the playoffs, don't you think?
Tom in Houston
Answer: Let's see if they can get in before predicting a long playoff run. But I do think David Wesley and Jon Barry will shoot roughly as they have throughout their careers. The Rockets do take care of the ball better than they have in past seasons or even earlier this season. But they have so much trouble with quickness -- a shortcoming only partially due to their advanced years -- that they have to shoot well to make up for the advantage other teams have against them.
Posted: Feb 1 2005 12:53PM | E-mail the writer
________________________________________

Rockets, Yao showing progress

Question: I see this Rockets' team has made dramatic improvement in the past few weeks, and Yao Ming seems to feel more comfortable playing his own style down in the paint. I think Jeff Van Gundy finally realized that he is not Patrick Ewing who loved to play a hard low-post game, Yao can probably release more power using his short-range turnaround jumpers.
My question for you is, do you think Rockets will make another move in this season to acquire a true point guard? Bob Sura is nice but he has been active on the injury list in the past, do you think Wesley and/or Barry will be good enough for this Rockets team?
John in New York
Answer: Things have picked up of late. Yao seems to have worked his way out of his slump, finding teams that have sent only token double-team help instead of the clamps and quickness that have given him trouble. Ewing, by the way, was also shot mid-range jumpers. Yao can also do both. He has called on his shooting touch with confidence lately, but he can score at the rim, too.
As far as adding a point guard, I think they would like to, but it is difficult to imagine a point becoming available that would make them want to restructure their backcourt. They would be open to upgrading the position off the bench, but the players dealt up against the trade deadline generally are high-dollar salary cap moves.
In adding Rod Strickland rather than out-bidding Detroit for Carlos Arroyo, the Rockets seem to prefer having Bob Sura remain at the point and to have believed that adding Arroyo now would prevent more substantive changes later. Arroyo will be an effective player in this league again. But he is owed $4 million a year, and probably would have pushed the Rockets into luxury tax territory, making him an $8 million backup point guard. That would be fine with me -- unless it prevented the Rockets from using the traded player exception or mid-level exception in other ways. Sura is a better option for the Rockets and the Rockets have been down that path, overpaying backups, before.
As for Barry/Wesley, both need to get their usual shooting touch back and have been around long enough that they probably will. But the Rockets will surely look to upgrade one of the backcourt spots -- either with a two, or with a point with Sura moving to two -- either by the trade deadline or in the off-season.