If this is ture, It will be FANTASTIC. Yao will get the benefit of both world. When he is with the Chinese NT, he will have Russel as his tutor.. When he is with the rocket, hopefully, Dream or Malone can be his tutor.
I don't think ppl know how rigidmented an NBA season is. It's really really hard to get any sort of improvement/coaching outside of games and scrimmidges in the regular season. When a player has atmost 2-3 days in between games, he'll have to catch a plane, practice, warm up play a game, go back to a hotel, and try to do that all over again. And the back to back games are even more brutal. When they get back they typically would rest their bodies from all the travel they do. So if a player really wants to improve more on a personal level, they had to do it on their own time during the OFFSEASON. Hakeem got great playing with Moses Malone during OFFSEASON of his college career. Guys like MJ, Kobe all worked their buts off during the OFFSEASON and I Jordan hires his own personal trainer and I think Kobe does as well. It's not up to the Rockets to hire him a personal trainer during the OFFSEASON, that burden, rests on Yao.
Ok, Im home from work so I can respond to you. There's no doubt that Bill Russell was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. However, since he's been away from basketball, Im not sure how "in-touch" he is with today's game, today's players, or today's systems. Here's a snippet of his bio after his playing days: On the other hand, if you look at Wes Unseld, he was the ultimate big man overacheiver. At a tad less than 6'7", he is the 7th all-time leading rebounder. He was tenacious, hard working, and known as a true leader and professional. He was also well respected as a head coach and currently still works in the Washington organization and has a good grasp of current basketball operations. Also, he's 12 years younger than Russell. Imagine what a 6'7" rebounding machine could teach a 7'5" center.
You want an overachieving big man to tutor Yao? Charles Barkley. As long as he doesn't use private sessions as a channel to dish out his possible personal grudge on Yao. LOL.
the reason all this is not going to happen is that people in the organization (both in US and china) do not put the interest of the team and the development of Yao's game above everything else.
That statement is complete horsesh!t, and I'm not a Rudy backer. Regarding Russell, I like the idea of anyone helping Yao make his game better. If I were to pick one though it would be Walton.
yetti, do you ever have anything positive to say? HAHAHAHA!!! gotcha. i remember you would have slammed me for saying anything like that about the coaches towards the end of the season. i agree with malone coaching yao. didn't he knock (h)akeem into next week while trying to teach him? can you imagine what yao would learn from something like that? whew... amazing. ... on the other hand... he didn't learn anything from shaq dipping his shoulder into his chest making him fall to the ground weeping in the fetal position while shaq continued to dunk on his buttocks. i dunno. sigh.
I distinctly remember Rudy saying NO to the idea of bringing in Hakeem or Malone to help tutor Yao on big man play in a post game interview. I could be wrong.
I would vote for Newell. He has turned nobodies, like Michael Cage and the evil Kermit Washington, into fearsome NBA rebounders, among other things.
I wasn't calling Bull**** about whether Rudy allowed or wouldn't allow anyone to teach Yao I was and am calling bull**** that it was somehow ego driven.
Pete Newell Big Man Camp. No one else is a better big man teacher. https://www.hoopstore.net/store/syskos-1430.html
Unfortunately, rudy think no one else is a better big man teacher than himself. Rudy has already said no to moses, and showed no interest to bring in anyone to help. In doing so, he put his own interest above the team and the organization. By the way, lots die hard fans here love him; do the average fans love him? He definitely not brings in any more fans to the game than any other coach in NBA.
I doubt that this would happen due to the new coach of the national team. It is highly unlikely that he will let Bill interfere with his coaching instructions and the belief that the coach of the National team can teach as well as anyone so why hire outside people. It all has to do with the pride of the Chinese coach and the loss of face if Bill was brought in. But if he can teach Yao when he is done with his obligations then I dont see any problem.
Unless you're really Miss Cleo, then you have no clue why Rudy said no to Moses coming in. Perhaps he was more interested in Yao learning the sets and timing of the offense in the limited practice time than trying to squeeze in a mini-big man camp in the middle of the season. There are a dozen reasons I'd believe before I bought into the "Rudy just wants the credit" BS you're spewing. I am a die hard fan and I think Rudy should be gone, that doesn't mean he's an ego-maniac like you're suggesting.
