Even if he score 0 point in the rest 6 games. To get 21+,he needs another 34 pts.95 pts(15.9 ppg) for 22+,156 pts(26 ppg) for 23+. To get 10+ rebounds,only 43 rebs left,7.1 rebs per game. It seems that he will get 22+10 or 23+10 this season. A great leap for him.
It is looking good for the future of the Rockets but I suspect that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and that there is still much more to unfold.
I think the leap is still partly due to the dwindling of TMAC's effect on the court, so even Yao has a great performance, the team still goes backward. When TMAC brings back his performance and demands more shots (hopefully it will happen next season), Yao's numbers will go down and 20+/10+ performance will not be as consistant as we see this season. However, the combined effects of Yao and TMAC will no doubt give Rocket a leap forward.
If Yao is doing all this damage with TMac out, isn't he just going to do more damage with TMac in. We are going to be an offensive juggernaut next year. Mark it down.
hmmmm...I haven't heard a Shawn Bradley comparison for a while... Or even a Rik Smitts mention... I think it's time to trot out all the critics so they can offer an apology. Apologies will have to be limited to 30 seconds each so we can get through everyone within a 24 hour period...
If he can average 21 reb/g the rest of the way, he could get to 11 rpg! If Yao ends up at 22 and 10, that's pretty good. But I don't think he'll get much recognition from the media unless he can do it on a good team.
Keep in mind that Yao's average after ASG is much higher than his season average. I think his post-ASG stat should be the reference for the prediction for his next season. Everyone sees Yao's improvement, so though Tmac will take away Yao's touches and rbs, Rockets will still try to go through Yao on offense, since that would make everyone's, including Tmac, job much easier. I predict overall, Yao will have the same stats next season as this one, assuming that neither him or Tmac gets injured for a prolonging time. Edit: I forgot to celebrate I have passed 1000 posts!
I think Yao's numbers will stay about the same with TMac back, but his field goal percentage will go up. He's not getting the easy dunks from TMac that he used to when McGrady was playing. Also, the team seems to have figured out passing into the post, as well as re-posting. However, Ratliff had a ton of success fronting Yao in the Portland game, so that looks like something they still need to work on.
The Portland game was an anomoly. Theo was fouling Yao left and right and the refs weren't calling it because they didn't care.
The only way that Yao's numbers will go down as a result of Tmac coming back, is if Tmac jacks up too many shots. He'd better make a good percentage to justify not getting Yao as many touches as he is now. Yao's field goal percentage is outstanding, for the most part, even with a lot of shots that aren't point blank dunks (Stromile). Tmac is a good shooter when his shot selection is good, or when he's on fire, but if he's slumping, we can't afford to have anybody try to shoot themselves out of a slump when Yao is next to automatic.
Because Rockets doesn't make the playoff, while Pistons and Heat clinched theri playoff spot pretty fast, Yao will most likely make the all-NBA 3rd team.
here we go with stats again... I think JVG has a a point.. when a guy is at 19.9 and 9.9, he is not good..when he is 20.2 and 10.1, he is a super star...
At some point you have to wonder how much winning factors into the equation. Wallace leads Yao by .5 in bpg and 1.2 in rpg, but Yao outscores him by 15 ppg.Wallace is great at what he does, but even his defensive numbers don't dwarf Yao's anymore. If Yao gets worse that 2nd team, then a lot of coaches are hypocrites. They're sending 3 guys at him, and singing his praises after every game, so they better follow through and vote for him.
