Read this worrisome article from Wang Meng of Titan Sports about Yao Ming's fastly depleted physical strength. Only wish Rick Adelman is aware of the situation, and does not burn Yao Ming out too much..........
I only wish Yao knew that EVERY NBA player is tired. Yao is playing great this year....and if he honestly feels he can only go 35 or 36 minutes, he should sit down with Adelman and tell him. DD
Yao is going to have to suck it up just like everyone else because we are in a fight just to make the playoffs. We have a hard, scrappy 38 games left and our best players are going to be pushed to the limit. Hopefully 37.2 mins/game isn't too much for him. There are games where I think Adelman can give him more rest, but averaging 37-38 minutes is about where the Rockets need him. If Landry continues improving and ends up a part of the longterm rotation, that should help.
I think Yao understands that pretty well. Seems liek the complaining is being done by the reporter, not Yao.
He looks better than he ever has IMO. If he is really burning out physically then of course he needs to play fewer minutes. Then again, if he plays too few minutes he will get to rest permanently come late April.
The problem here, we don't want Yao to burn out come playoff time. Last year was not a problem because he wasn't playing extended minutes like this season.
it is clear in my mind that JVG is a smarter person than rick adelman. Even notwithdstanding the fact that adelman is 25 years older(whose probably got a declining brain), JVG's basketball decision seems to be better and he is a smarter basketball coach, just like how Morey is smarter than Othis Smith .
no suprise and tis no Yao's fault; RA put him on court for around 39 mins per game and rocket don't even play zone defense; Yao had to run up and down the court alot and he had to waste the stamina guarding pick
Yao is already 28 and he is a big guy. Shaq started to dwindle at around 32/33 and now is spend more time injured than playing. That's what wear and tear down low does to a player of such size. Strong low post game is good but it has its significant affect on the players. That's why big players like BigZ, Okur and other players who does not play too much low post stay in the league healthier. When I see the WWF competition going on in every game Yao plays, I knew and worried about the wear and tear on his health. Sometimes, it is unbelievable to see the refing allow big giants pulling and pushing each other, trying to overthrow each other in the paint like a wrestling match. I guessed the years of low post under JVG has now started to affect Yao health and stamina.
But no one has to lug around a 7'6 frame. Looking long term, I think we should limit his minutes to mid 30s and no way should he play the most minutes in a game.
I was worried already when I saw how many minutes Adleman was playing him. Adleman himself knew he was playing Yao too many minutes so now he brings in Scola or Landry in relief which leaves a big defensive hole in the middle. Don't get me wrong, I think Scola and Landry are great PF's but that's what they are Power Forwards. We have a backup center who seems to be in the Adleman doghouse right now. Deke where are you? It's obvious to me that Adleman values offensive firepower over all else. This is why Hayes, Deke, Battier are not getting the minutes they used to. Unfortunately, this is not the best formula for winning ball games. We need defensive stops, we need defensive rebounds, we need offensive rebounds, and we need to outscore our opponent. Are we going to win by inserting Novak in the hope that will work in outscoring our opponent? I don't think so. I mean maybe for a few minutes like Steve Kerr used to do for the Spurs or the Bulls but c'mon. Kerr was a defensive liability too. Not as bad as Novak though. Our Power Forwards being used to fill the shoes of Yao doens't even have a snowballs chance of working. Those two guys cannot match Yao's offensive firepower. So when you play those guys you give up about 10 ppg. Now playing Deke on the other hand gets you about 10-15 rebounds a game and about 8 pts on putbacks. He also is a great defensive presence and alters shots or blocks them. Those 10-15 rebounds from Deke translate directly into points. So does the shot blocking. You either win by limiting what your opponent will score while you outscore them or you win by completely outscoring your opponent if you're not going to play defense? I am sorry but we aren't the Phoenix Suns or the Golden State Warriors. We don't run up and down and throw down three pointers like they were layups. The Rockets - THEY NEED DEFENSIVE STOPS TO WIN.
exactly...where is DEKE??? He should play 10 to 11 minutes a game to relieve Yao from the 40+ mins games.
what a stupid article. NBA season wears down NBA players! NEWS AT 11 yao's going to have to suck it up. the story of the 82 game season is the story of wear and tear on players' bodies. knock on wood just thank god/chairman mao/the burning bush of moses that injuries haven't taken out one of our main guys for the entire season players play tired, players play hurt. that's sports, if someone being tired and mentally fatigued during the course of 82 games is newsworthy, we'd have nothing but that from now until the playoffs as reality this team does not have the luxury to play yao 35 minutes a game. this article smacks of your mom worrying that you got the school alright on the school bus. yao is a big boy. yao will be fine. yao will get a second wind after the allstar break if houston makes a push for the playoffs playing deke 10 minutes per game is stupid as hell too. what RA should do and what RA will do is sneak in the triplets whenever he can to blow the 1st team and to give them playing experience for the playoffs
I have been talking about this for over a month and nobody would listen to me. Coach A seems to show that he has no idea of how to use Yao Ming efficiently.
Well, if Yao's weight is dropping, then it's not a good sign. It seems Yao's body is also very vulnerable to flu and infection nowadays. But number-wise, Yao's minutes only increases by 3.4 to 37.2, and this is actually not a big jump. Shaq played more than that at his prime with more physical bangings. Visually, Yao doesnt look as tired as he claims on the court when compared to some moments on the court that Yao could bearly move his feet due to fatigue in last couple of seasons. Maybe Yao's physical condition is not as good as last couple of years. If Yao's weight is dropping, than he should talk to Adelman to monitor his minutes instead of just venting it to the media. The problem for the Rockets when Yao is not on the court is noone protect the paint or is very good at defensive rebounds. The Rockets dont have size advantage immediately without Yao on the court. Deke can still play but then our PFs' offense is more inconsistent than J-Ho. The Rockets are quickly become a team with all hustles but below average offense.
Hmm never knew this, thanks for the info. I hope now RA will use Mutombo and limit Yao's minutes so he can play the minutes he's at full strength.
That's not true. AI is never tired. AI wants to play 48 minutes. AI is always an energizer bunny on the court.
