Headline: 7'6" basketball player is completely dominated by 6'9" player. Oops, that's not a headline ... it happens all the time.
Yao should try to spin out and pull the weight, when someone is fronting him and lean heavily towards him. Try to catch the ball that way.
Here's a thought: if someone is fronting you and leaning on you, why not just use the "pull the chair" trick and let them stumble and then get in front of them?
You are forgetting, Yao does compensate on the defensive end by completely letting all defenses go down like a mormon girl on the night of her senior prom.
The problem is not just fronting, it's fronting and put another defender behind Yao without the ball. Like I said, just start Luis Scola with Yao and opposing teams won't dare to put 2 defenders on Yao again without the ball. Look at Miami right now. Haslem can pop the open J if his man double teams Shaq without the ball. Chuck Hayes is a huge liability on offense!
Yao is who he is. A finesse player. His problem is not only beating fronting. He can shoot lights out if he is untouched, but if you get physical with him, it bothers him and he usually misses. Whoever plays Yao tough gets into his head. Until Yao becomes comfortable with physical play, which may not happen ever, the real problem is how to get Yao shots that he will be untouched. It's really frustrating to see he allows himself to be taken out by 6'9, 6'8, 6'7 guy at one end, and at the end he lets them score on him at will. He needs to sit, benched until we figure out how to play him in this kind of situation. It's frustrating. But, in all seriousness, how about some screens to set up Yao post position. JVG worked that to perfection last year. Adelman needs to figure it out quick.
harrington just owned him, so there still work to be down and Yao is really a defensive liability too when other teams put a power forward that can spot up jumpers on him at the other end
It's easy getting Yao the basketball when smaller man guarding him. 1. What happened to the pick-n-roll between Yao and T-mac? Isolate both of them on one side while the rest of the team on opposite site. Yao can either roll to the basket or pop out for an open shot. 2. Pass to Scola and have Scola lob to Yao RIGHT AT THE RIM. What about the spin toward the basket and throw the lob pass to him? 3. Yao can set screen for teammates who does not have ball, creating mismatch. If Yao were to set a backside screen on Monte Ellis, Alston and Head would get ball and they can throw to Yao with Ellis guarding him. The problem with Yao in the post is he doesn't hold on his defender's arm, and he stands straight up like a tree and the basketball is like like an apple that's hanging with low for people to pick.
After watching these past two games, it seems as if the Suns didn't try to front Yao as much instead of the Rockets finding a way to counter.
Chuck isn't THE problem, he is part of the problem. Now that this has been determined, I expected coach Adelman to try something different against the Warriors next month. We must try everything to make Yao effective against them. If nothing works, then put Scola in at center. He's the only guy that can hang with both Harrington and Beidrins.
Adelman tried something different after the first 5 minutes of the game. It didn't make a lick of difference. Teams like Golden State and Phoenix are going to send backside help regardless of who's playing that 4 position. When Bonzi was in the game in the third quarter, he was at the top of the key when the Rockets were trying to lob the ball into Yao. Barnes (guarding Bonzi), was still playing a "free safety" defense, and he was able to easily knock the ball away from Yao on the entry pass. When Chuck is in the game, the Rockets have ways to counter the fronting defense. Chuck comes up to the top and they run a pick and roll. If Chuck's defender stays on Yao, then that leave T-Mac with an open lane. If help comes, that leaves another player open on the weakside. You reverse the ball, the defense has to adjust, and that can free up Yao. That's basically what we did against Phoenix. The Rockets, for whatever reason, weren't sharp or alert enough to execute it properly against Golden State. That same lack of attentiveness is why we didn't fair any better with Yao when Chuck wasn't on the court. Now, I'm not saying the Rockets wouldn't be better off using someone else next to Yao when playing a small ball team. They very well might be. But I think we might be even better off using Scola at center -- not that Adelman would ever do it.
Harrington made his shots, Yao did not. Harrington shot 70% for the game and 80% from three. It was just his night.
I just watched the game again, Harrington and Biedrins was pulling and grabbing Yao the whole night, where's the damn fouls?!??!! Last night, Yao's shots was off too. If he would've pop those open J's, then that would've been a big difference. Once he pop those open J's on top of the key, the opposing defense will be scratching their heads cause they'll have a headache on how to guard Yao. I was also reviewing tapes of the old Sac Kings running the Princeton Offense. Rockets got a LOOOONG way to go to master that offense. Hopefully soon though, time is running out.
The solution to the fronting defense lies in the back court, not with Yao. When the Rox have perimeter threats that make the opponent pay for the wide opne 16 footers the fronting will stop. Yes, Yao can always do a better job reporsting, but having a guard that can actually pass into the post at the time Yao is open (with the possible exception of T-Mac) wouldn't hurt either.
I'd add Kurt Thomas to that list also. I honestly don't see a solution right now for all the fronting. It's a weakness other teams will exploit. I have faith that Rick Adelman will find one for him though.
