Increased production the result of center's attention to details By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Tracy McGrady went out, leaving a gaping hole that Yao Ming believed fell to him to fill. So he carried that burden with him, because Yao has for so long been moved most of all by his responsibility. Here is a guy who when he sat in the hospital — immobilized in the days after his toe surgery and with tubes running through him that he looked like a long, thin distillery — felt guilty he could not help his team. When he was playing and McGrady wasn't, Yao believed with unshakeable certainty he would have to carry the Rockets. He could not, of course. The Rockets lost each of those games, missing the players to get Yao the ball nearly as much as they missed McGrady. Yao, however, also was weighed down by the demands he had placed on himself. But now that McGrady's sore back is keeping him out for as much as five weeks, Yao seems different. It's not just that he has carried the Rockets since the All Star break, the best stretch of his career. And the Rockets will need more than just their center to replace all that McGrady brings them. But Yao has changed since back spasms began attacking McGrady as soon as the season began. Funny thing about lifting all that weight; it made Yao stronger. "Of course, it's a lot of pressure, but not as much as pressure as earlier because I have a lot of experience to play without him," Yao said. "I think it's better than earlier in the year because I learned something from those games I played without him. ... Those strengths will be helping me right now. "I know better how to play without Tracy." That, as much as anything, is what has changed. For Yao, it is always about all he can learn, how much he can improve, what he could become. Rigid learning curve Long before practices are scheduled to begin, Yao arrives at Toyota Center to go to work. He reports to assistant head coach Tom Thibodeau's office as much as two hours before the start of practice for 30 to 60 minutes of studying video, beginning with the previous game and moving on to the next opponent. He moves to the practice court for individual work before practice. After practice, he heads to the weight room for another hour (twice a week, not excluding the sessions after games.) "I think he prepares himself as well as any pro athlete," Thibodeau said. "His dedication and discipline are second to none. It leads to confidence for him. The way he works each day and in the game, he's prepared to play, and then he is very analytical after. "He's an amazing guy to be around. The way he works and then the way he tries to master things, his motivation, his work capacity, his intelligence, combined with his talent, will lead to continued improvement for him. When he comes in, he's very critical of himself. He's always striving to do things well. He sees what he wants to improve upon, and then prepares for the next game. "When the season ended last season with the disappointing loss at Dallas, he took three or four days off and then got right back into the gym. His dedication was phenomenal. And he wasn't messing around. He was real serious, day in, day out, all day." None of this makes Yao unique. Different players have different routines and schedules, but few reach excellence without a work ethic. But rarely has the improvements been more obviously linked to a player's studies. "It is infinitesimally small progress each day so it adds up so slowly it's hard to notice," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "But if you look back, even from (the end of his rookie season) to now, the improvement is so great." If spotting improvement can be like watching hair grow, there are snapshots of the season that are telling. The Phoenix Suns twice wrapped him in tight defenses, placing defenders in front and behind him in one game, and sending double teams in the others. He had his season lows of six and eight points in the first two games. In the third, determined not to let double teams render him offensively helpless, he had 27 points and 18 rebounds, often because he had learned ways to attack the sort of defenses he no doubt will see with McGrady out. "It's not just about the two Phoenix Suns games," Yao said. "I had the experience in the Olympics. I thought if I can do it at that time, score against double teams, why not now. Also, like coach told me, 'Why are they double-teaming you? Because they want to take you out of the game. You need to stay in the game.' "I'm still learning how to play against double teams in the last couple minutes. The last few minutes are much more difficult. Contact is much more physical." But that, he added, is just one example. The idea of the extra work is to improve in every way. "When I was out for 21 games, I had a lot of free time," Yao said. "I had nothing to do. In the first part, those couple weeks, I could not move. I just held my computer and watched film all day. That was a big help. You know, read to achieve. "It's not one thing (that) changes. Everything changes. If everything changes a little bit, it makes a big difference." Student of the game The assumption remains that Yao has become more assertive, more determined. The Rockets dispute the assumption, arguing that he appears more willing to attack because he has learned how and when and where. Forever the student, he has done better on tests because of the work that led up to them. "When he was hurt, he did a good job studying our team, watching how Tracy handles different defenses that are thrown at him," Thibodeau said. "Tracy has obviously been facing these types of defenses for many years. He knows how to read the defense and have the balance between passing and scoring. That's the one thing (Yao) has probably done a lot better since he's come back, to pass out of the double team well and also to score. "Jeff has challenged him from Day 1 to be a complete player. He's not analyzing just particular moves. He's gotten better at pick-and-roll defense, transition defense, rebounding effort, multiple effort defensively. When he's observing the tape, he is looking to see if he is doing it correctly. Is he using the proper technique. He has the ability to observe these things and take steps to improve. "It's a process. He's a mentally tough guy. If he has not played well in a game, he'll be discouraged after the game. But he has great determination to get better. This hasn't been all of a sudden, boom." These stats don't lie With his recent production, it might seem that way. Yao is the top-scoring center in the NBA, leading Shaquille O'Neal by 1.3 points per game. His averages of 21.4 points and 10.1 rebounds are career bests, and he has averaged 27.7 points and 13.6 rebounds in the nine games since the All-Star break. Progress, however, does not come in a straight line. The Spurs could slow or stop him today, and, with McGrady out, if they don't it is likely someone will. But in the Rockets' long, trying season, overstuffed with injuries, even the struggles can help. For Yao, who has said he can only be measured when his career is over, they are lessons, opportunities to improve. "Yao is not blessed with anything except God-given size and great parents," Van Gundy said. "Everything else has been worked for basketball-wise. There's a lot easier roads to becoming a really, really good player in this league. He had a difficult road, and he made it through his own internal drive to be great." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3717634.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like I mentioned in my thread a couple of days ago, with Yao's dedication to improvment and his relentless work ethic, Yao will be a fabulous player for years to come. Surely a top player in the league that will get better every year until he retires. And a guy that can win a title as the #1 or #2 guy. But to take that next step to "Greatness" begins tomorrow. How he responds in his most daunting task yet will be very telling of whether he's got that special something that separates the all-time greats and mere stars. He's got no Mcgrady and no margin for error if the Rockets are to make the playoffs. The pressure is all on Yao and we shall see how he responds. The good thing is that he's got some confidence going into his second big go-around without Tracy, and seems determined to do better. The future starts tomorrow. I can't wait.
All I can say is... Yao for KG anyone? Hahaha I kid, I kid. What I meant to say is, since Yao is 7'6'' shouldn't he be in the lab curing cancer? Jeez, what an underachiever... lolll jp. Yao is too cool. I hope he carries this team to the playoffs, and if not, I hope him and McGrady carry this team to a title next season.
Other Rocket players could learn from something from Yao and his dedication and practice habits. If Yao can turn 7'6" and little athletic ability into a monster game what should Stro do with so much athletic ability. Stro fans give him a pass when they make excuses about him being a bust this year but a guy that gets benched because he shows up late for practice isn't giving 200% like Yao is. Luther Head is also another who could learn something from Yao, a young rookie whose progress has stalled since a promising start, he needs to improve the mechanics of his shot and to get bigger and stronger.
That's NOTHING NEW in what Jonathan Feigen posted !!! If you guys had been following Yao Ming's career ever since he entered NBA (like what I did) and followed what I translated and posted on Yao Ming's activities on this site or other Yao Ming/Rockets sites for the past 3 years, you'll know that Yao Ming never stopped his pursuit of excellence, not even during his off-court time, summer vacation time or recuperation period from his injury. Did I report this on Clutchfan site before ??? While he was taking his vacation in the summer of 2004 in Sanya, Hainan, with his girl friend and friends, he took Anthony Falsone along with him and still kept his strength and conditioning exercise, sprinting on the beach and around the resort, even on his 24th birthday.
I wouldn't say that at all. The physical stuff is great, but the past few articles is the first time I've really seen reporting regarding Yao dedication to watching film, which is honestly where the bulk of his improvement is going to come from.
Umm i heard he was dedicated but I heard this season he's even more dedicated. That's all that is new to me. Besides people like reading about how hard our superstars are trying. IT's not so much that it's new or old, but rather good stuff about our beloved superstar.
The thing that is interesting is Yao's sudden jump in productivity happened during the regular season after an injury. Most dedicated stars improve in the offseason and display it the next year. Great players like MJ, Magic & Bird were workout and practice warriors and it looks like Yao is in a similar mold. It isn't a balanced lifestyle but professional athletes have short careers, and great players max out their dedication during the short window they have. Yao feels a responsibility to his team to be all he can be. The Rockets gave him a max contract when many doubted him and he's giving them max effort. It's a good partnership for both sides. He won't continue 28/14 the rest of the season now that defenses can key on him all game, but that's OK. It will be fun to watch. Maybe Rafer, Stro or Howard can play out of their mind for 10-15 games and help Yao carry the team until Tracy gets back.
shame on me. when i first came to this, i thought he must have been watching oscar films that he has missed all year long.
M_Cable That's WHY you need to come to YMM MORE to follow my reports on Yao Ming. He had built up that habit ever since his rookie season. Even in his injury rehabitation time during the past summer, the Rockets had sent him videos that he kept watching and analysing while lying on his hospital bed. Same while he was recovering from his toe surgery this season.
You are right - nobody else on this Rockets bbs has followed Yao Ming's NBA career like you have. You are the oasis in the desert, my friend.
I am glad to learn Yao has finally diverted much of his video game playing time to becoming a student of basketball game.
If Yao is as much of a diligent self-correcter as this article suggests, that's really good news. Diligent self-correcters get better with age. Even if they're athletes. Even if they're big men. In fact, the only thing that eventually halts their progress is physical decline. And even then, they find ways to adjust their game, adding strengths to compensate for their weaknesses. If Yao keeps at this, and injuries don't take him out of action before his prime, we could win a championship with him, even if -- I can't believe I'm saying this -- even if we had to replace McGrady.
