They HAVE TO practice on how to beat fronting defense. It looked like whenever other teams tried that seriously, we just got panic, did not know what to do. We better be prepared because more and more are coming as TMAc is out and Artest is shooting below 35%.
adelman did that last year with tremendous success after yao went down. hell they were fairly successful defensively v. the jazz. i am really perplexed why that duo is not used more.
boston fronted him with extremely great success earlier this year; same with portland. not every team tries to front yao (teams usually with a legit big man b/c it requires quickness to front) ala lakers, orlando, san antonio if duncan is on him... yao was very good v. the double/triple teams v. the clips. hopefully he keeps it up.
i dont remember exactly how he each game went....im trying to think back to the boston game and the portland game. For some reason I remember Perkins playing behind Yao but I think what they were doing was leaving Rafer wide open and letting Rondo play the passing lanes....Perkins is hella strong and it just seemed like he was able to push Yao outside of his comfort zone. The Blazers used a similar strategy I think. Maybe not...I dont think Pryzbilla is quick enough to front Yao though...I might be wrong.
Our very own Hakeem was unstoppable on the block, but also felt comfortable stroking it from mid-range. Not everyone is Shaq, most HOF post players also have a jumpshot in their arsenal. I personally don't think Yao is talented enough to operate from the outside but it doesn't mean the idea should be discounted altogether. It'd be a nice option if he were good at it.
Hakeem had a mean faceup game to go along with everything else. He was such a force The thing I don't get about Yao is how he can stroke free throws all day long at 85 percent, but he is probably about 25 or 30 percent on his mid range jumpers in a game. I think he just needs more reps in game, but maybe he just cant hit from that angle for some reason. I just dont know of very man players who shoot 85-90 percent from the free throw line, over 50 percent from the field, and can't hit an open mid range jumper. Doesnt make much sense.
The problem is that when Yao is forced to take an outside jumper it's usually because of a busted play where the shot clock is winding down. Contrast that to the SA game (I believe) where they got the ball to him in rhythm and in the course of play and he made 2 out of 3. I loved the Kings, my second favorite NBA team of all time, so I don't really have too many objections to Yao doing a little Brad Miller from time to time.
Beating a fronting defense has nothing to do with shooting %. It has more to do with Yao needs to stop fighting the guy and get to his spot. When the high post flash, then Yao needs to open up and pin and he will get a easy pass and shot. If they keep fronting, penetration is always good and easy. DD- You would be surprised how many people even in college can't think fast in basketball environment. Basketball is only as hard as u make it, but you have to be a quick thinker. That little lane screen the rox run don't yeild easy layups because Yao has his hand down. If he's on the opposite side and the other guy comes to screen , if Yao would put his hands up, there is a very good chance of Yao getting the ball right under the goal. Yao is so concerned about the play, he's not looking at it as a scoring chance. Coaches design offenses to score in multiple ways, but players don't take advantage of those chance as they should.
I think the problem goes deeper than that. At the beginning of last season Yao had plenty of touches at the top of the key to start the offense. He didn't make jumpers consistently in those scenarios either. You look at all the scratches on his arms and wish he could get some easier baskets, but they've tried everything and the only thing that works is to bang down low.
I hate when Yao starts the offense with the ball at the top of the key. I think they should just eliminate this because its just a turnover waiting to happen and it makes our best scorer and rebounder a tracy mcgrady and a tracy mcgrady he is not. If he does leave the post, he should set a pick and then roll out for a little jumper. I think that could be effective if they ran it a little more. Yao can hit that shot, he just hasnt proven it yet.
