I would love to see Yao start every single game from now on seeing tonights game...but there is a problem... After playing only 14 mins in the first half (2nd quater really) the guy looked like he was about to collapse!!...I think it would be a good idea for Rudy to use Yao from the bench rather than start him as he would provide a good spark until he can build up his stamina Also, I dont understand why a professional NBA player can get so winded playing less than 15 mins!! Is Yao not practicing hard enough??...Whats the deal with this?? For the Rockets to compete and make the playoffs a strong dose of Yao is in order!!!
I agree that he should come off the bench for at least a few more games. I think he was pretty used up by the end of the game.He wasn't moving around,without the ball, very much in the 4th. In the first half they were going up and down the court at a fast clip and Ming was involved in most of the action..I was getting winded just watching him..I don't think anything in practice really simulates that fanatical of a pace. ..also it was bull**** the way they were letting edwardo shove him around with his hands.
It was because he played 14 STRAIGHT minutes. A big man is underneath always fighting for position, so it gets tiring. I think any center would get tired playing that many straight minutes. It doesn't mean he can't play 30-35 minutes a night.
If a big guy ran hard from end to end and fought hard for a post position on the court only to watch his teammates jack up some bricks or dribble by him like he didn't exist, he would get tired very quickly.
Yao was banging bodies like the rest of them and was falling a lot. A skinny guy that tall would have nasty bruises by now. I think Rudy's plan looks like it's going to work. You can see the confidence and hunger in Yao's eyes as every game passes.
No matter how much practice you do, nothing compares to the situation of an actual game. In the NBA, you have 28 year old steel machines who have trained their bodies for 10 years. However, 5 minutes into a game and they are soaking wet. Now, Im not saying that Yao cannot improve on this. However, this is something that will take time to develop.
I've stated this in almost every of my posts, Yao cannot play more than 20 quality minutes in the current Rockets system. The pace is too fast for him. It will get better, but the Rockets will have to change their style to take advantage of Yao's strength. Many times, he had to ran back to defense before he can catch a brethe at the offensive end. REASON? the guards jacked up the shots, or forced action too quickly. Yao can give some good 30+ minute if the Rockets can slow down their offensive pace, like the Lakers did with Shaq in the lineup.
Even in the much slower paced Chinese CBA league, Yao always had fatigue problem in the fourth quarter when he was playing for Shanghai Sharks (some Chinese fans who followed him for a long time said so). It also should be noted that Yao also has been playing non-stop for more than a year now. So, I think Rudy should let Yao off the bench for a few more games. I saw Yao was directing his teammates on the offence end during the game. He has been played against zone defense in China and in international games all his life. He may have a better understanding on how to break a zone defense like the one Dallas played last night. While Yao is learning much from his teammates, his teammates could learn a thing or two from him as well.
If he had the conditioning he should have had to play a 30 minute NBA game, then he would have scored 40+ points and had 20+ rebounds. I think this was a good first step. The Rockets need to steadily increase his minutes and Yao needs to think about endurance conditioning, on top of building upper body strength. I agree with other posters that Yao was winded by the last three minutes of the first half. He then gave about 7-8 minutes of high energy play in the third quarter and was a shadow of his self for the remainder of the game. Najera was a more flagrant example of home team reffing. Did you catch the non-foul charged against Moochie at the end of the half?
I remember Shaq playing all 48 minutes every game because he had no viable backup...and shaq is around 70 lbs heavier than Yao!
You can't compare Shaq to Ming. Ming's conditioning is obviously not NBA level, but can you expect his to be? In one or two years when he's bulked up with the Rocket's conditioning coach, then you'll see him averaging 35-40 minutes a game.
A player can start and only play 24 minutes. It's a matter of respecting your best 5 players, and starting job is a way to give the best 5 players respect. Anyway, Yao should not play more than 24 minutes a game this season. Give this KID a break, he didn't take the summer off, and he probably wasted a lot of bedtime learning US culture.
there is a problem with asian ppls' physical strength, esp. for a 7-6 guy, and that's why we still need cato and maybe even collier.
