I say Yao can pad up his rebounding stats if he decides to fight the boards with his teammate(which isnt bad at all).
Yeeeaaah, that's what I thought at first, but when I watched him play I could see him making a difference on the boards, but it wasn't necessarily going and getting the ball himself. I couldn't pick my finger on it. Then some poster a month or two ago started a thread on rebounding differential. Turns out someone had been keeping track of how many rebounds each guy in the league got compared to the guy they guard. So if Yao is matched up on Jeff Foster and only gets 6 boards, but Jeff gets even fewer (say 4), then Yao has a rebounding differential of +2. And, as it turns out, Yao was #2 in the league in this category at I believe +1.7. Can't remember who was #1. Shaq was at +1.4 or something. So whenever I see Yao getting hardly any rebounds, I look at his man, and it's surprising how often this seems to hold true. So while he doesn't always have the mobility to go get the ball himself, he usually wipes out one of the top rebounders for the other team just with his size.
That's because AK-47 is a freakish defender. They guy will come in and block anybody in the league. JVG would probably soil himself if he had a chance at AK-47.
What I saw last night is James shoot two ariballs under yao's defense, and being held to 1/5 and 3 points, sonic's other 3 big men combined with 1/4 and 4 points. Go figure! Yao's boards skill need to improve, that is for sure. But his defensive influnce on this team is way underrated, even by rox's fans. Our premiter defense is average at best. Wesley is pretty solid, but both james and sura's one on one defense are not that good. T-mac has talent, but he has to use a lot of energy on offense, which definetely affects his defensive intensity. Our pf is bad on defense (although howard picks up a little bit of late). The reason that rox is a good defense team, to a great extent, relies on three persons: Yao MIng, Deke, and JVG.
Rebounding differential is like trying to create an assist to turnover ratio without an inherent rational basis for so doing. If a 7'6" center grabs 4 rebounds in 30 minutes of action that's subpar, even if former Harlem Globetrotter opponent only grabs 2 rebounds. Sure, other teammates grabbing rebounds is someting to look at, but when the backup center grabs more rebounds than the starter in fewer minutes there's an endemic problem that needs to be the subject of increased focus and training. Some say rebounding skills cannot be taught. That donkey poop. Understanding how to box out and see where the ball will hit the rim or backboard may be instinctive for some, but don't forget that Malik Rose led the NCAA in rebounding at 6'7" and on shear will-power alone.
I guess James wanted an autograph not because of the 22 points. It must be how Yao had outplayed him in the game. Yao have had 30+ points games before and I didn't hear the other centers asked for his autographs. Anyway, we judge the performance of a player by what we saw in the game, not whether the other players asked for his autograph or not.
Yeah, I'm not quite sure why Yao isn't getting the defensive rebounds. I had thought maybe it's because of his defensive responsibilities. Patrolling the lane plus guarding the post, he doesn't really get into good position. But then I started thinking when Yao's on the bench, Deke's rebounding - for the limited minutes he's getting - is pretty doggone good. So now I'm just not sure why Yao's not getting his hands on more defensive rebounds.
i agree yao really needs to step up the rebounding- big time. yao does have his faults. but you cannot underestimate his mere presence. deke is a great defender, but i still see teams pretty much running their offense w/him out there. when yao is on the court, the flow of the game almost always changes- many teams look really hesitant, maybe even a little deflated (sonics come to mind), settling for jumpers. his frame takes up so much of the paint and when he is roaming, setting picks and helping- i mean the guy is bigger than practically everyone in the league and trys to go after everything- he's not "mean" but he does intimidate. its not just because of his offense all these centers try to go at him (how many airballs have i seen?) and foul him out.
Maybe Yao is concentrated on more than Deke is. Maybe Deke has had a little more time to get it right. Yao will improve. He can't be all we'd want so early in his career.
I think we have to remember that Deke is a great rebounder. If he was younger and was still able to play 35 minutes a game, he would be amongst the league leaders. There's no shame in being a worse rebounder than Deke. If Yao got his 35 minutes a game and "hogged" the boards that he now lets teammates grab, he'd be at 10+. Since he doesn't care about stats, this probably won't happen. I don't think boxing out is his main problem. He does usually prevent the opposing center from rebounding. His main problem is holding onto the rebounds he does get. He probably loses a couple a game because of his inablility to hold on to the ball. He should also do a better job of pulling the ball to his chest immediately after he gets it. It's a lot harder to bat a ball out of someone hands (without fouling) if it is close to his body. If the ball is held to his chest, his elbows would be bent and in their "sharp" position too. This isn't the CBA where he can just hold the ball high over his head and assume no one will be able to swipe it.
RocketForever, I was being 1/2 sarcastic. Of course we judge athletes by their performances...unless you're Anna Kournakova. -P1st, Snd
Please, just stop it. I can't bear even entertaining the possibility of getting a Kirilenko, even though I'm certain it will never happen. Just in passing mentioning we'd get him in any capacity is too much. Not your prototypical 4 spot player, Kirilenko could still play both the 4 and 3 depending on our lineup, and the defense he could provide Yao would do wonders for our team...
We can dream, right?... We have tons of very exciting expiring contracts next year. You think Utah would entertain trading Kirilenko for those? ... OK, throw in the second round pick in 2010 as well!
Sometimes I think if someone has Tmac's offense with Kirilenko's defense (they both have similar bodies)... It has to be superman! Assume 13 years from now, a 6'9 high school phenom named Andre McLenko comes out like that, the NBA need to simply cancel their seasons for the next 20 years and make 20 trophies for whichever team that will draft him.
I'm no longer buying this "excuse." If Yao truly had the rebound, he'd control it and pass it off. He's taller and most likely in a better position to control the board. If another guy's getting his hands on it - Rocket or opponent - Yao's a step too slow. Or he's not playing at/above the rim like he should. I dunno, maybe someone needs to do a better job of yelling "shot" so Yao can get ready quicker.
Right on. It's all about how short the skirt she wears in the game... ...I can't believe I actually agree with something P1st S2nd has said...
Nah, doesn't matter who you are, you have to perform, in one form or the other... if you know what I mean.
