It's too simplistic a view. Yao does have trouble against the Jazz, but it's a little more complicated than that. 1) On defense, Yao can't guard Okur at the 3 pt line, true, but no other centers can either. Against Boozer, he worries that Booz will drive pass him so he let him have the jump shots. Booz had been able to knock them down in the past but he didn't last game, part of it was because Yao challenges his shots more than the past. Booz is not in top form this season either, so I am not so worried about this matchup. Further more, you say it as if Yao's only concern was Booz. He guards the PnR, he guards the paints ... True he has not done extremely well, but he has more responsibilities than you give him credit for. 2) On offense. Okur does play Yao well but he is far from the only one who guards Yao. You don't pay attention so you don't realize it, the Jazz do not double like normal teams do. They play a variety of defense on Yao. Sometimes they double him outright but many times a guard double down only when Yao dribble. Lots of time, AK47 leaves his man to contest his shots. You can't just say Okur did this and that to him while you count the block shots from AK47 and the steals from the guards. 3) Yao has to guard their best big man, Booz, while Booz does not have the same responsibilty. The opposite is true with Okur, he does have to bang with Yao on defense but he rests easy on offense. Most times, he just parks on the 3 pt line. That together with the energy Yao spends guarding other people on defense and setting all kinds of picks on offense put him at a disadvantage.
it's not a view it is the truth. Sure, there are a variety of reasons this is true...but it is the truth. Exactly. He is incapable of guarding anyone on the court. Trust me, i realize what's going on. I have been saying for years that their defense on Yao is the major reason for our problems against them. Yao is our best player. If our big man shoots 40-45%, as he does against the Jazz, we'll have a tough time winning. Also, i'm not quite sure you understand what a double team is. You are right, Kirilenko does cheat off of his man for steals and blocks when Yao is on the move near the rim but that is not a double team. If that was a double, then the rockets double nearly every perimeter player in the league because our guards funnel them to Yao to contest the shot. The Jazz do not consistently send two men over to Yao to stop him on jumpers, only to protect the paint. The last time we played them i tracked their defense on Yao in another thread. It's actually surprising how little attention they pay to Yao compared to other teams. Nobody's saying Yao doesn't have alot of responsibilities, he does. The problem is that he has played poorly defensively (which you and I agree is to be expected, given the circumstances) and offensively against the Jazz (which seems like something he can improve on). In simpler terms...
It is a view, a limited one at that, if you simply ignore the variety of reasons ... 1) So the Jazz did not send 2 men over on jumpers, only to protect the paint? whoop dee doo .... Yao had it so good and he did not know it. 2) The fact that the Jazz did not double him the one last time as much as the other teams means jacks ... Is getting beat up with a stick and a half ok because others beat you up with 2 or 3 sticks? 3) You charted one game and it's an universal true? Was it the only game u have ever watched? 4) If you just want to use the last game as a measuring stick for all future games then we have no problem because Yao outplayed Boozer in that game. In simpler terms, the tide rises twice a day but you don't know why and how.
