Who says yao had to cuss and scream to get his point across. Duncan and Dream were neither, but I bet you that when the team gets in a scoring drought, they will tell whoever to give them the ball. Without tracy and ron, the ball shouldn't miss on many possessions. They are not good enough offensively for this team over the next 2 weeks to ignore yao. Now yao needs to make sure he's doing his part and fighting for position. If he doesn't, you will see rafer jacking shot because he thinks he's being aggressive. That shouldn't happen.
i totally agree yao should fight his position to be able to receive the ball. unfortunately, i have to admit yao is too slow to react what his defender does. sometimes, you see TOs because he didn't seal his defenders very well. you can see he tried to seal off his defender but his reaction time is too much to be effective. when he realized his defender intension, he was already fronted or his defender got a hand on the ball.
In a way I agree with the OP. Franchise players can lead their teams to wins even with scrub teammates....period. This isn't saying you have to guide scrubs to the promised land, but they used to say you weren't even a franchise player if you couldn't get your team to the postseason. I know the current West is more competitive from top to bottom, but there is no reason the team should go into the toilet over these next two weeks if Yao is truly a tier 1 stud. T-Mac was surrounded by lesser players when Yao went out and he still got it done. We watched Dream get it done for years. We saw KG carry scrubs to the postseason often. Kobe did it twice, etc. Is Yao really a prime time guy or not??? We are about to find out.
it's much easier with the current nba rules and system for perimeter players to dominate the game and lead their teams then the big men. you can't collapse on t-mac but you can put a man behind and in front of yao. he needs his teammates to hit open shots and to make sharp passes. if they do that then yao will be successful and so will the team, but if they don't hit shots it's impossible for any big man in the league to completely take matters in their own hand. not for entire games. yao has been good this season but his stamina isn't what it was when van gundy was here. if that improves he'll be easier to rely on, but the facts are his teammates are going to have to step up or where toast. we'll see how the refs continue to play yao as well. it may sound weak, but if you don't think their inability to call a fair game significantly hurts his play then you're a fool.
Tracey is garbage. He steps up when it is convenient for him. Deal with it. Are we supposed to believe that Tmac will make a miracle comeback. Let me tell you what he's doing. He's pulling drama card. Letting everybody else pull the wagon now and when he "feels" like playing he will make a miracle healing. Come playoffs everyone will be hurt or tired and there will be tmac playing his ass off, saying "oh I tried to will us to victory, but I just couldn't do it...I tried, I really tried." And then he will cry again. That is the reality of the mcgrady situation. Get his junk out of your mouth.
You idiot! This team is out two players worthy of over 25 million in salary combined and you're demanding Yao to win Lakers?? Give me 3-4 players in exchange of them then we're talking.
Unfourtunately "have to's" wont make anyone step up if its not in them. We just need to hire a great team captain period. He's not on this team yet and it may take trading mclady or making some other deal to aquire a player with leadership abilities. Then, hopefully we'll be a contender. All of this stuff going on is a mess that needs to get cleaned up.
I think a lot of people think I'm too critical of yao. I admit, when we got him, I thought we were going to keep our tradtion going. After yr 3 and with the stagnation in his game due to injuries and the continuous summer ball, my expectations went down. I do think he's a good and effective player. Even at his present state, he's good enough to get players to follow him and be a strong influence. I see it on his national team when he chews on Yi's ass. Its no different here. He has a good work ethic and is a good player, so guys will follow. If this team struggles and then tracy comes back and they start winning, in tracy's mind, he'll feel its his team and every teammate will fall inline. Its a dilemma and not really a good problem to have. Every championship team has a leader and its clear cut.
Odom makes 15m, sasha makes 5m, Walton makes 3, and farmar makes 3. That's 26m. When manu and parker were out, that was 20m in street clothes. Carmello out, 15m in street clothes. What does that have anything to do with leadership?
Yao disappeared when it mattered. That's harsh, but true. No points, couldn't grab any offensive boards, and should've passed to a WIDE OPEN Brooks. I guess soon we'll get to hear, "I just have to get better."
Yao played AMAZING tonight the Lakers went to a zone. If Yao played like this every night there would be no doubt about him being a franchise player. He boarded, he hooped, and he played lights out. The only thing he didn't do.....shoot FTs for Rafer..... Great game by the big fella....there is a lot of hope. DD
Welppppppp. First game is over. Yao did great until the 4th qtr in which he reverted back to his non-clutch ways going 0-4. I have no idea why he wanted to shoot a 2 at the end of the game either. THIS TEAM NEEDS A FINISHER! Either Artest or a healthy motivated Tmac would be the best choice.
get the f#$k out of here. yao played a fantastic game, had to sit down when he was out because the refs took him out of the game and came back a little cooler. he stilll should have had more opportunities down the stretch but that depends on his teammates getting him the ball. without him in this game and many others we're not even in a position to win.
Some people simply don't understand every minute on the court counters, especially against a team like Lakers. It will be easily a 20-point game like last time without Yao's great performance. He does need to improve, but I am sick of last three minute is the only thing count argument. Why not play a game for 3 minutes?
