Earlier I express frustration that anytime someone feeds Yao in the post, the next move is they cut to the basket, then no one ever slides to the strong side, leaving Yao ISO'ed on that side with his man, so he can either shoot or force an ill-advised cross court pass. On a positive note, I will say that by doing this, it gets pesky hands out of the way, so Yao can put the ball on the floor. HOWEVER, I think Yao should get a better position in the post, so he doesn't have to put the ball on the floor. Someone suggested the strong-side help stay on the strong side, so Yao can pass it back to that guy, readjust his position, and get the ball back in the post again. But that's not where my frustration lies now. I'm frustrated because every danged time Yao gets in the post, the guy who makes the entry pass cuts to the basket. And not only that, very predictably, he cuts to the INSIDE, never to the baseline. NEVER to the baseline. You know what that means? The pass to the cutter is NEVER there, because the defense can sleepwalk, knowing exactly what's gonna happen every time Yao gets the ball in the post. What's the freaking deal?!?
Maybe Rudy needs to dig out and dust off the playbook from a few seasons back. A little in and out game might look kinda nice right now. If only we had some shooters.
Vs. Toronto last night, Posey went baseline once, as did Franchise. Woo hoo! That's twice more than they have in the past, I dunno, 15 games? But it's not the frequency that matters, as much as the reasoning behind it. If the defender is playing you inside, go to the baseline and use Yao as a pick. If they switch, Yao has a smaller guy on him, and has an easier shot. If they don't switch, your defender is picked, and Yao will find you for the lay in. If the defender is playing you outside, cut to the inside, and the same basic rules apply. Why can't the cutters use Yao to their advantage?
I would like to see the strong-side help stay so Yao can pass back out and re-adjust his position... Dream used to do this a lot and it worked great... with Yao being 300 lbs he should almost always be able to get better position than the initial entry pass..cause the fact is the Rockets just aren't that good at the entry pass yet!
watch Stojokavich next time when he makes the entry pass to Vlade. Man, does that guy have moves.. He will cut either way and sometimes even fake the cut and shoot the wide opened 15 footer. Those two guys are sure fun to watch..
Word. Watching that team restores my belief that basketball can be a fun game to watch. It's unbelievable how our guys have no skill whatsoever in using screens, and reading how the other players are defending the screens.
I agree. You never see Yao pass back out, then see a return pass and a Yao repost. Not like this would mystify defenses. But it would be good just to mix things up and make the defense react a bit. And when someone fronts Yao, do we ever have someone come to the strong side elbow to receive the entry pass, then have him make the high-low feed to Yao after he seals his defender? And if that's denied, couldn't they kick it back out and make the return pass to Yao for the repost? Just seeing the same cut over and over again after the post feed is so frustrating. Isn't it a basic rule that you need to cut convincingly, and with a purpose, plus you have to make the defender pay if they cheat on the screens, overplay, or get too comfortable? We just don't put any pressure on the defense at all. We just bang our head against the wall, and do the same thing over and over again, hoping that maybe this time it will work.
From the ESPN Chat with Fred Carter: Blue (Honolulu): My man Fred "Insane Canine" Carter, Yao isn't afraid to take the big shots at the end of games, and cooly knocks down FT's too. Could he be that rarest of creatures, a franchise center u can leave in at the end of close games? Fred Carter: (3:45 PM ET ) You are right. He can be the rarest of creatures, having the skills he has. This is his first year and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. He may go down as one of the top 3-4 centers to play the game.
