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[Chronicle]Rockets get most from Yao with extra minutes

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by scv_rockets, Dec 22, 2007.

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scv_rockets Member

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Dec. 21, 2007, 10:37PM
Yao runs up minutes
Rockets center playing his best in extended action

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

CHICAGO — Yao Ming lowered himself slowly into a chair in the Pepsi Center visitor's locker room and let out an exhausted sigh, almost a groan.

He had carried the Rockets through two games in as many nights, through two overtimes, through two of the league's best centers, and after all that, to within one second of finally beating the Denver Nuggets.

Then the Rockets fell short, with a last-second Anthony Carter jumper giving the Nuggets a 112-111 victory Thursday, and Yao wanted only to sit.

"Yeah, when I go back to the locker room and I have the stats, I'm like, 'Wow, another 40-something minutes,' " Yao said. "In the game, I don't have time to think about it. I know I play long, but whew."

Yao has never played as much as he has this season, never as much this season as in the past two games. Yet in both games, his best moments might have been his last.

In the final minutes against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, he twice grabbed offensive rebounds and scored, blocked a shot and hit two free throws. In the second OT against the Nuggets, after not scoring in the fourth quarter or first OT, he put in a dunk and a turnaround jumper, then sank the two free throws that put the Rockets ahead with 4.5 seconds left.

Back-to-back challenges
A night after going against the powerful and explosive Dwight Howard, he took on perhaps the league's best defensive center, Marcus Camby, and endless double- and triple-teams, but still finished with 26 points and season-bests of 19 rebounds and six assists.

"He was terrific," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "He had an unbelievable game. He battled the whole game. The rebounding, the pressure he puts on the other team. ... He was terrific all night."

Yao played a career-high 52 minutes one night after playing 43, and will follow those long nights against Howard and Camby in Chicago, expecting to play against four-time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace. Wallace is day-to-day with a sore left foot.

Yao has averaged 38.1 minutes per game, the most of his career, nearly five minute per game more than last season.

Yao, however, does not believe the workload has diminished his play.

"I try to concentrate and don't think about it," Yao said. "That would make me struggle, to think about getting tired. I can't think about that."

Adelman, however, has thought about it, and wants to cut Yao's minutes. He played Dikembe Mutombo four minutes Thursday, all in the first half, just the ninth game in which Mutombo has played. He likely will see more time tonight against the Bulls.

"I'm not concerned, but I know I have to back him off some," Adelman said. "He kind of thinks that. But then (Wednesday) I was going to take him out in the first quarter and he said, 'No, I feel good, I feel good.' "

Resting Yao should be easier when Tracy McGrady, out for the past game-and-a-half with a sore left knee, returns. He is questionable tonight, with his availability depending on how he feels before the game.

Ideally, Adelman likes to have at least one of his top scorers on the court at all times. With McGrady out against Denver, that kept Yao on the floor for 52 of the game's 58 minutes. But against the Nuggets, playing Yao, even when tired, gave the Rockets their best chance.

"I have to give Yao some rest," Adelman said. "Tracy likes to play the whole first quarter. My idea is to get Yao out for a four-minute stretch in the first quarter and bring him in at the end of the quarter, because he's good at the end of the quarter. Then when I take Tracy out, (Yao) is in the game. Then, I can give him another break in the middle of the second quarter.

"But the way we've played, I kind of, as a coach, lie to myself and say, 'he's fine,' and leave him in. If I take him out, I'm afraid we're going to lose it."

Whatever it takes
That might be because they have. Yao, however, said he is willing to play any amount of time necessary. But the next time he flops into a chair after a game, he might not want to look at the stat sheet.

"All I need right now is a win," he said. "I'm concerned about a win or loss, not a few minutes more or less.

"I know I played a lot, but I don't have a stat sheet out there with me when I'm playing. I knew I played 48, 49, maybe 50 (minutes). It doesn't matter. We couldn't get a win. But we are getting closer."

#1 scv_rockets, Dec 22, 2007

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Link to article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5398609.html

#2 scv_rockets, Dec 22, 2007
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It's moving. More or fewer minutes doesn't matter, and what matters is the win!

scv_rockets said:

Link to article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5398609.html
Click to expand...

#3 Arvid, Dec 22, 2007
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I like Yao's attitude, he does not care about the stat sheet, just the wins.

Yao is determined to turn this season around and start winning. Go get em big fella!

#4 trance112, Dec 22, 2007
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So much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs.

#5 Mr. Clutch, Dec 22, 2007
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Yao da man, go get em tiger, but don't hesitate to ask for rest when u feel tired, we want to see u standing tall for a long time Yao, God bless.

#6 metalshred, Dec 22, 2007
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Mr. Clutch said:

So much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs.
Click to expand...

This is too easy.

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The problem is Mutombo looks old and Scola isn't ready to step up. This team misses Juwan Howard more than casual fans might think.

#7 Carl Herrera, Dec 22, 2007

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Whoever attacks Yao's performance in the last two games are dumber than dirt.

#8 MotionDefense, Dec 22, 2007
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Mr. Clutch said:

So much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs.
Click to expand...

you are a sad person.

#9 MeatAndPotatoes, Dec 22, 2007
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MeatAndPotatoes said:

you are a sad person.
Click to expand...

What the heck? Why? All I'm saying is Yao is playing lots of minutes, might be worn down for the playoffs.

#10 Mr. Clutch, Dec 22, 2007
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Mr. Clutch said:

What the heck? Why? All I'm saying is Yao is playing lots of minutes, might be worn down for the playoffs.
Click to expand...

you either don't know how speak, or you are a wimp for backing out of what you said.

"so much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs"

that is a tired attitude towards the coach. if you didn't mean it like that, than you need to smarten yourself up.

if all you meant to say was that Yao needs more rest for the playoffs(which start very soon as we all know), than you should have implied that instead.

#11 MeatAndPotatoes, Dec 22, 2007
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MeatAndPotatoes said:

you either don't know how speak, or you are a wimp for backing out of what you said.

"so much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs"

that is a tired attitude towards the coach. if you didn't mean it like that, than you need to smarten yourself up.

if all you meant to say was that Yao needs more rest for the playoffs(which start very soon as we all know), than you should have implied that instead.
Click to expand...

Actually, my point was against all the anti-JVG people who said JVG wore out players by working them too hard during the regular season. Where are those people now?

Maybe you need to work some vegetables into your diet, you sound a bit stressed.

#12 Mr. Clutch, Dec 22, 2007
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his career is not only be reduced by extending his minutes but also by not making the playoffs this year. there needs to be a change in this formula the 4 scrub guards play is the biggest problem that they never dealt with for like 4 years already WTF????? we all know a consistent floor general makes a great team. tmac isn't one, he's not consistent enough and neither are the 4 scrub guards we have now. Rafer being the best guard in the team is a travesty to the NBA and the rockets

#13 koopa, Dec 22, 2007

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so you're telling me...

"so much for resting players so they are ready for the playoffs" = "my point was against all the anti-JVG people who said JVG wore out players by working them too hard during the regular season. Where are those people now?"

why didn't i look at it like that?

#14 MeatAndPotatoes, Dec 22, 2007
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Coach A is not a good coach because he is misusing Yao Ming and he can't see it! Yao Ming plays and contibutes to the team with greater efficiency when he plays a max of 36 mins. Streching Yao over 40 mins means that Yao has to take long periods where he is hardly involved in the play. Just look at the last game, Yao had 9 points in the first qtr and hardly scored again till the 4th qtr. Coach A should know by now that Yao Ming's best attribute is as a scorer and using his height in defensive positions not impersonating Vlade.
90 inch Yao does not have the stamina to play efficiently for 38-50 mins.

#15 Yetti, Dec 22, 2007
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Somehow or rather, I still do not understand why some people hate on Yao.... or call him soft in the first place.

Yao is full of heart.... much much more than many people on his own team.

#16 TheBornLoser, Dec 22, 2007
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Yetti said:

Coach A is not a good coach because he is misusing Yao Ming and he can't see it! Yao Ming plays and contibutes to the team with greater efficiency when he plays a max of 36 mins. Streching Yao over 40 mins means that Yao has to take long periods where he is hardly involved in the play. Just look at the last game, Yao had 9 points in the first qtr and hardly scored again till the 4th qtr. Coach A should know by now that Yao Ming's best attribute is as a scorer and using his height in defensive positions not impersonating Vlade.
90 inch Yao does not have the stamina to play efficiently for 38-50 mins.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's really Adelman's fault-- just like it was not Van Gundy's fault for playing Rafer Alston all these minutes last year. The problem fundamentally was that the coach has little alternative if he's trying to win games.

To me, the issue seems to be that 1) Mutombo has generally not looked good when he's on the court this year and 2) Luis Scola, the regular backup big coming in for Yao, has been up and down as a rookie and can't be trusted consistently.

I'm pretty sure everyone knows the kind of minutes Yao plays is not ideal, but until the team brings in some more reliable vet to play some minutes at the 4 or 5, Yao will probably continue to play this type of minutes.

#17 Carl Herrera, Dec 22, 2007
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TheBornLoser said:

Somehow or rather, I still do not understand why some people hate on Yao.... or call him soft in the first place.

Yao is full of heart.... much much more than many people on his own team.
Click to expand...

probably because he got shut down by mehmet okur in the playoffs.....

#18 apocclass, Dec 22, 2007

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apocclass said:

probably because he got shut down by mehmet okur in the playoffs.....
Click to expand...

Wrong, Yao was shut down by the Jazz defensive scheme. Whoever said Okur guarded Yao 1 on 1 was either on crack or they fell asleep in front of their TV every time when Utah's help defense came.

#19 MotionDefense, Dec 22, 2007
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MotionDefense said:

Wrong, Yao was shut down by the Jazz defensive scheme. Whoever said Okur guarded Yao 1 on 1 was either on crack or they fell asleep in front of their TV every time when Utah's help defense came.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree, but Okur did a very good job on Yao and took Yao out of his game last year. I don't think Yao has ever recovered after that series.

#20 northeastfan, Dec 22, 2007

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