Sheesh...the guy has one bad game in the tourney so far. Weren't these same morons praising Yao after the USA exhibition? I have a feeling we are going to have to read a lot of good and bad stories on Yao this season. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ Marty Burns CNNSI.COM INDIANAPOLIS - He clapped. He encouraged. He shouted instructions. Say this much for Yao Ming : He was a good cheerleader during his Chinese team’s 88-76 loss to Germany in Thursday’s opening round of the FIBA World Basketball Championships. That’s about all one can say about the 7-foot-5 Chinese star’s otherwise lackluster U.S. debut. In his first real contest since becoming the NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Yao got in early foul trouble and wound up playing just 17 minutes. On the bench, he could do little but watch as his overmatched Chinese fell to the Dirk Nowitzki -led Germans. Yao finished with a respectable line -– 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. But make no mistake, the Chinese giant was a virtual no-show. From the opening sequence, when he got worked over in the low post by 7-foot German center Patrick Femerling , to the bitter end, when a reserve guard in a headband named Misan Nikagbatse dunked over him -- then drew a technical for celebrating -- Yao hardly looked like the next NBA superstar. "Yao Ming still has a long way to go, especially in learning defense," Chinese coach Wang Fei said. "He’s not strong [physically]." Memo to the Rockets' strength and conditioning team: Get some protein milkshakes ready. Taking a page from the U.S. team’s strategy against him in their exhibition last week, the Germans banged Yao around early and often, rotating 7-footers Femerling, Nowitzki and Robert Maras on him. It was during a futile attempt to fend off Femerling on a rebound that Yao picked up his second foul less than three minutes into the game. It wasn’t just the tall guys who gave him fits either. Late in the game, a 6-foot-9 fireplug named Stephen Arigbabu hunkered down like Dennis Rodman and made Yao sweat and strain for post position. When Yao spun around him baseline for a lay-up, Arigbabu swatted the shot into the stands. "We were trying to get physical with him," admitted German guard Stefano Garris . "He’s a great player, but he definitely needs to get stronger to play in the NBA." About the only good thing for Yao was that the game wasn’t on TV. If it had, Rockets fans might have started wondering if Rudy Tomjanovich isn’t selling them a bill of goods. For now they’ll have to wait until Saturday night’s contest against Team USA to judge for themselves. What might scare Rudy T. more than Yao’s lack of strength were his several defensive lapses Thursday. Once, while defending a fast break, he turned the wrong way and allowed the ball-handler a free pass to the basket. Another time he lost sight of Nowitzki on a backdoor play. He also foolishly tried to take a charge from Nowitzki on a drive with 4:39 to play in the third quarter, picking up his fourth foul (international rules allow only five fouls). That’s not to say Yao didn’t display some of his enormous potential. He showed off some nice baseline spin moves to go with his usual soft shooting stroke. He also went right back at Maras, elbows high, to score inside after Maras had just dropped a baby hook over him at the other end. But from the look on his face and the way he hung his head and grabbed his shorts while waiting at the foul line late in the game, it was clear Yao knew he hadn’t played well. He was still looking a bit glum 15 minutes after the game as he walked down a hallway at the RCA Dome toward the media interview room. Just as he was about to duck into the revolving door, however, he was suddenly diverted by FIBA’s medical staff for a random drug test. From the media’s perspective, it was an appropriate ending to Yao’s night. He just never showed up.
There is just a TON of pressure on this kid. Every media guy who claimed he would be a big stiff is gunning for him so they don't look like idiots, which they most likely are. Like I said after the draft, I'll trust the scouts over the media any day.
Marty Burns has a mullet. We can only assume he wore turtlenecks and gold chain necklaces in highschool.
"He also foolishly tried to take a charge from Nowitzki on a drive with 4:39 to play in the third quarter, picking up his fourth foul" What's so foolish about trying to take a charge? They were told by the coach to try to gaurd Dirk even that means taking a foul anyway.
I remember about one month ago a few members here (including me) talked about the US media's sometime biased and very opinionated reporting. This article might be an example of that. People who read the article, if they don't know very much about Ming, will think he is a below-average to terrible player, only being hyped up I lost trust to these sports guy long time ago.
I think a statline of 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, 5 rbs, 2 ast and 2 blocks in just 17 mins is certainly more than just respectable. The german's aren't that bad a team. If Yao Ming could reproduce those numbers in his first few games of proper competition, I'd say it's pretty good! He's only 21 for cryin' out loud!
<i>What might scare Rudy T. more than Yao’s lack of strength were his several defensive lapses Thursday. Once, while defending a fast break, he turned the wrong way and allowed the ball-handler a free pass to the basket. Another time he lost sight of Nowitzki on a backdoor play. He also foolishly tried to take a charge from Nowitzki on a drive with 4:39 to play in the third quarter, picking up his fourth foul (international rules allow only five fouls). </i> You can tell this guy is really reaching. All the three defensive lapses he was referring to our no different than anything that happen ten times in an NBA game. Sometimes a quick Steve-Nash-Like point guard will catch a big man with his back turned and take it to the basket. Sometimes players will try to take a charge and get a foul called on them. Sometimes someone will get an alleyoop backdoor. So what? This is nothing unusual, but this guy is implying that these three everday NBA mistakes should "scare" Rudy T. His rhetoric gives him away. I have just watched the first three quarters, and the only thing that has disappointed me is the fouls. I haven't seen anything discouraging about his game so far. Did all the "disappointing" things happen in the fourth quarter or something?
Media they are always looking for a sacerd cow to slaughter, Yao, has become the new whipping boy for international talent, from now on even slightest mistake will be magnified. The spot-light is a hot place to be in, I pray that young Yao doesnt fold under the pressure.
To me that's not such a bad thing. I mean it shows he cares and does realise when he plays a bad game. I can gurantee that if he had of been smiling and appearing as if the fact he was having a bad game didn't bother him, then they would be all over him saying he doesn't care at all and is too immature. Sometimes you just can't win, this is one of those cases.
it's r****ded to rip a guy after one game. simple as that. on the same note it's unfair to label ming as the next coming from his previous game. i think he will be great but it's silly seeing all these extremes from one game to the next. he's sure got alot more pressure than any previous number 1.
This is ridiculous, if every player's career was judged by one game, everyone would be a failure. Once I saw M.J. miss several free throws in a row in one game. I guess he wasn't the greatest player of all time after all! Sure!
Considering he was out of sink with the game, as he was on the bench, so much of the time!His numbers projected to 24mins (Rox playing time) 22.5pts 7rbs 3asts 3blocks. If he could do this in a Rox game on an off day,things would be great!
The thing to remember is that Yao is the only player worth guarding on the Chinese team. The players on the other teams can go straight at him. Nobody else on the team is a threat to score everytime so they can afford to double Yao. He still has a long way to go in learning the game of basketball, but somehow I dont Rudy T and company wont mind teaching him the ropes.
we pretty much declared Yao the next Shaq after the USA game granted, we are right, and they are wrong, but we're all overreacting to these games, it's going to be very different when Yao isn't all alone on the court ZRB: You got my vote
It is articles like this that makes me loathe sportswriters so much. Jeff hit the nail on the head. Also, I would have to say Marty Burns is a choad.
do you know how many times I watched Yao post up and not get the ball where as in the NBA Francis would have definitely worked it inside...also, do you know how many times I saw Yao having to defend 2 driving players because there was not help defense.... okay, the guy did not play an A game, but his C+/B game is better than what we have now.... freakin media......Peja has 13 points and gets treated as a stud....
Wait a minute. This is what that guy wrote: "Yao finished with a respectable line -– 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. But make no mistake, the Chinese giant was a virtual no-show." It's possible for players to have a bad game and still have a decent line. I'll give Burns that. But I would find it difficult to totally rip into a guy and dismiss him if he's putting up those numbers in an off night. To be honest, I think if a guy has that kind of a line in a bad game and is considered a "no-show," just imagine how he'll do when he's on. I mean the potential is absolutely astounding. Burns is an idiot who is trying to justify his own existence with this piece. Pitiful.
