JVG's patience with Yao = His new dominance?

Honestly, I think Yao would have thrived more in a motion offense, more like what Sacramento has. I think his all-around offensive game would have developed more.

Yao is a very good shooter (as evident from his free throws) and we know he can be a slick passer too. Both those skills, which made him unique as a rookie, have been surpressed since JVG got here. In the current system his role is to play like Shaq, when I think he's naturally more like Sabonis or Divac.

 

Dumbest poll ever!.....I don't think Yao's game has changed a bit. He is still the same guy, just more agressive. This has nothing to do with VanGundy. The biggest difference I see is Yao's determination in wanting the ball and getting rebounds.

 

yah construct a thread with JVG, credited, & Yao ...

stupid taxes are immediately DUE!

 

I'd really like to see a forum vote on this topic, but I had no option to vote for. But regarding your options:

1. ? JVG deserving or taking credit for Yao's development would never happen. The Thibodeaux stuff he's suggested to the press overtly and otherwise has been disturbing though on a lot of levels.

2. ? JVG's not a horrible coach, but hell yes he got lucky with Yao.

3. ? I do think JVG has hindered Yao's development, but the 20 &10 thing is irrelevant in such a cosmic way that even JVG has denounced it.

4. ? Thibodeax may be the best coach Yao has ever had but JVG saying what a great job Thibodeaux's done doesn't mean he was the best coach possible for Yao - all it means is Thibodeaux is preaching JVG's mantra. He seems to be doing a very good job at that.

GrapeJuices this poll is so bad that I'm suspecting it was from the Colbert Report. Hopefully you were just having an off night.

 

You have a 7'6'' 320 lbs. mass of muscle and you want him shooting jumpers? I agree that his passing game should be developed more, and he should never forget how to shoot, but lets face it, I'd rather have a monster down low than 7'6'' Korver.

 

Yao had a nice tough shooting from 10 or more feet before. Yao's assists dropped after JVG came. And Yao's creative moves have also disappeared.
Now instead he was forced to be a wresting machine down low. He also lost that ability to shoot from outside.

 

Yao would not be the dominant scorer he is today if he had never developed his awesome low-post game. I suppose it's technically possible, but I can't imagine a pivot center playing at the elbow getting you 30 and 13. I mean, Hakeem could have hung out up there and made nifty passes too, but a high-percentage shot is a high-percentage shot. Yao would still be an all-star if he played out there, but if you want to draw double-teams, if you want to draw fouls, if you want him to DOMINATE, It's got to be from the inside.

The credit goes to Yao. He's done all the work. The coaching showed him the path, Falsone's workouts gave him the means, but who takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

That's not to say those who would like to turn Yao into Vlade Divac are alone in that wish. I'm sure that there are quite a number of NBA teams out there who would love to see the same thing.

 

Dude, if he's scoring 30 points a game on 50% shooting, who gives a DAMN if he loses a couple assists?!

 

It's funny how 75% of the forum thought JVG was a moron for not putting Yao in the high post yet now that he has become a monster, you don't hear anything.

 

you guys are nuts if you would prefer that Yao play the Brad Miller/Sactown or Sabonis style of play. dominant big men in the nba do most of their damage in the post. granted yao hitting 15 footers is great, but it's demoralizing for opponents when yao get the ball down low and continue to score despite fouls along with double and triple teams. what's the point in having a guy yao's size out on the perimeter when he can physically punish the opponents down low? i'm glad that yao adapted his game and hit the weight room.

 

Most fans do not understand that Yao would never be a great midrange jump shooter if it is his main weapon. His shot release is a bit slow. If he relies mostly on his jump shot from the elbow, his shot will either be blocked eventually as teams adjust for his main weapon or he has to rush his shots.

That's why Yao has to develop that post game. To say otherwise simply means that you haven't watched enough basketball

 

I will give JVG and his coaching staff credit for toughening up Yao but I still feel he is making Yao too one dimensional. Yes Yao is a 7'-6" 320 lb monster but he is much more. As many have said Yao has a combination of talents rarely seen among big men with good court vision and a soft shooting touch. Instead of thinking of him as either Shaq or Brad Miller we should be consider him as being like Walton, Sabonis or Ralph Sampson at the height of their abilities. Big men who could play well in the post but also do much more.

 

Actually it's pathetic and shows how a lot of people couldn't be objective and fair if their life depended on it.

 

The poll itself is OK, but this post is dumb.

 

I think a lot of NBA coaches would have seen Yao as a good high post player. And perhaps he would have been. Perhaps he would be Brad Milleresque or even better.

However for him to truely "dominate" JVG knew that Yao had to do it in the low post, get him close to the basket. He stuck to his guns and it looks like it is paying off. JVG haters can hate on him, but it looks like the way he is using Yao offensively is the right way.

 

or they're the 25% who thinks that JVG slowed Yao's development down and Yao is soley responsible for his recent play. you know, i have to say, i don't know what it's called when a mind that says when a man fails it's not on him and on another, and when that same man succeeds it not on the other but all on him. or its like when things were going bad, Yao was not accountable for his performance and JVG was responsible. but when things are going great, Yao is the man, and the only man, who is responsible. I guess thats what thats about. It seems to me that you can't have it one way without the other. To me it seems If you think Yao is soley responsible for his own success then you cannot be one who thinks it was NOT Yao and only Yao who was responsible for his own past failures.

 

He stuck to his guns, what a joke. Doc Rocket posted this, I posted this and several other posted this strategy almost 2 years ago. And now jvg is doing it out of desperation. What are his other options, let Alston drive the lane post up Howard. It's only after Yao started demanding the ball down low and showed success that Van Dummy finally realized well maybe Yao is an option. So I give him credit for not being a total idiot. Yao is and should be our number 1 option and that goes even if we get a healthy Tmac back. Oh and by the way I am a Rocket only fan.

 

its the same line of thinking that says it's the players unless the team is losing, well then it's the coach. but if they're winning, oh no, it's the players. the coach, well he's just there to help them lose when they start losing again. yeah thats it.

 

I recall either seeing an article on chron or a thread here last season saying that JVG told Yao: If they are not giving you the ball, you call a timeout, choke me and say: tell them to give me the damn ball. It's probably not that dramatic, but I am sure he said something similar to that. The thing is: with tmac playing as well as always last season, with poor entry-passes last season AND Yao's inconsistency to receive the ball down low last season, it's understandable he didn't get as much touch as we would like to see. Now that he has proved himself in the past few weeks, I forsee even when tmac comes back healthy, Yao will get plenty of touch.