The only thing I don't like about Yao is his lack of athleticism. That's it period, he cannot get to rebounds because of it. However, if we had an athletic 4 like Jason Maxiell who is 6'7" but leaps out the gym and expects to get every rebound this would make Yao look better.
maybe all this talking by yao lately (that many of us have disagreed with) is the begining stages of being the vocal leader for this team. he is challenging his team and thats great because we know rick a will not challenge his team publicly.
Good read. Many people confuse toughness with athleticism. Live with the fact that Yao could never dunk like Howard or O'Neal.
considering he only needs to jump around foot in order to dunk? howbout having smaller players outrebound him, swipe the ball from his soft hands, and block him? or having devin harris and other pgs repeatedly having and1 plays against him?
Im so tired of everyone saying Yao isnt tough because he isnt aggressive enough. Like it was said, his skill set isnt about simply jumping up an dunking the ball. He is not the athlete that Shaq, Dwight Howard, or Amare are. If anything, a lot of times when Yao gathers himself to go back up strong he gets blocked or has the ball stolen. He isnt going to rise up over everyone and dunk it down simply cuz he is 7'6. You have Yao jump up as high as he can and it wouldnt match where Howard, Amare, or even Kobe or Lebron reach so why should he always try to slam it down. You think Yao isnt tough, why dont you go get smacked around by two or three 7 foot guys for 40 min and see what it is like.
You could have at least checked your facts before posting this bulls**t. 2007-08 Statistics PPG 21.5 RPG 10.20 APG 2.3 EFF + 24.61
Normally, I would discuss the fact that sometimes getting the ball to Yao just is not easy for this club. Teams make it a point to make it difficult for him to get the ball. I mean, if you can't get the ball, you can't take shots right? But I cannot disagree with you on the fact that he really needs more shot attempts. Many more.
I'm surprised at all the negativity in this thread! First, Yao is great! He's the best center in the league and he does it with somewhat limited athleticism; that's part of the toughness Feigen's piece was talking about. Are you SO demanding? "Yao's not good enough!" Please. Second, be happy about the win! The Rockets beat the Pistons! They held the Pistons to 77 points! They made some great offensive plays too. Come on. Enjoy and support the team.
I'm so sick of some comments! Some guys are just not being objective! How can you judge Yao's toughness when his teammates either unable to or unwilling to pass the f**king ball to him, he is obviously not getting enough shots!
I consider Yao to be a very tough guy. Its not easy for him to get off the ground or move laterally however which limits him more than a lot of people realize. But he tries and doesnt quit and that is what matters.
Roc?what's that? Anything to do with Yao or Houston? Now I seriously doubt you read the article right.
"I am not soft today" (I really didn't have any reason to post in this thread, but I really liked this picture and wanted to post it somewhere! )
