Okay, I am accepting Rudy's judgement on this one. If they think that that Ming is the bomb then he must be something. But my last questionabout the guy is the picture on the frontpage of this site today (6/21). Are these the average guys guarding Ming night in and out? He towers over these Gs. Its like me playing my grandma out there. The defenders dont come up to Mings shoulders. Please tell me that this is ona break or a horrible mismatch or something. Cato would MURDER these guys.
Yea..but i think Shaq would only come up to about Yaos Chin... I might be mistaken but thats kind of what makes yao attractive as a player...That he makes it seem like people playing against him are in the grandson/grandma leagues... ??
UT Baller, Over 90% of basketball players are not up to 7 feet tall, so it is not surprising that Yao towers over EVERY player he plays against. Hell, if - as I think - Shaq is 7.1 or 7.2 ( with shoes), Ming, who is 7.5 in socks, would almost be telling him to "get up from his knees" when they meet face to face!
UT, I'm right there with you. I would not pick Ming for a variety of reasons, but since it looks like we are, I am slowly comming to gips with it. Here is what I keep telling myself. 1) I trust Rudy explicietly. In spite of who they have passed over, they have drafted a lot of talented players and found many NBA players in the minors. Rudy spent a year or two as a scout, and I think it really serves him well today. 2) It appears the Rockets have really done their homework on Ming. They have had four different people scout him. They have been following him for at least a few years and Rudy coached aginst him in the Olympics. 3) My main concern is his low post defense, as I think he will be backed down to the rim every time. I am hopping he can front his man. He has to be hard to pass over. 4) Shot blocking is cool. Even if his defense is porus, he and Eddy should be a great shot blocking pair. My brother once suggested that Dave Kingman was the most exciting player in baseball. Not the best (by a long shot - but most exciting) Pretty much as strike out or home run every time, arguably two of the most dramatic palys in baseball, and always an adventure in the field. At worst, I hope, Ming will bring the excitement. 5) I am tired of empty seats, Ming should put some fannies in the seats. And if a lot of them are new to basketball, all the better. This is a young team that makes a lot of mistakes. Raw enthusiam and not criticism would be appreciated. 6) Cato will make a great sub. If he is not counted on for long minutes, he can be more aggressive and physical. Two things we need. I would love to se him play some power forward. I know we have a glut there, but from time to time when we want the big lineup, Ming-Cato-Griffin. Ooohh. 7) Once he is ours, I have to root for him. I'm trying to get used to it.
Yao needs to learn a lot on defense end. He is nearly a blank paper. So it is no point to assess Ming's ability so early. Now at least his height, his block,jumper will be annoying to Shaq.
His biggest issue will be foul trouble. Frankly 80% of the league's centers cannot back down anyone other than to draw the double team and pass it to someone else. You think Joel Pryzbilla has any offensive skills? Most teams use a semi-zone anyways and someone can help Yao just like Yao will help patrol the middle against driving guards. As far as his offensive skills, his height should allow him good shot opportunities. Anyone who can make 21 for 21 can shoot the ball. He should be able to connect on at least 50% of 8-10 foot jumpers without too much difficulty. Just like the European leagues, China probably focusses on offensive fundamentals like shooting and passing. Shooting is repetition and practice. He should also have some moderate success rebounding. At 7'5", he will grab at least 9 (per 48 minutes played). There's a misperception that every rebound is contested. That is just not the case. Since Yao is reported as being a good passer, this can lead to more fast break opportunities, something we haven't done a lot of. Overall, if he stays out of foul trouble, he should be fairly successful. Other than the reasons I have already stated, there are also the intangibles: No matter how pressure there is for him to perform, Houston is a lot better than Chicago or New York in terms of media scrutiny. If he is not successful early on, there won't be as much criticsim as in other places. He is a hard worker and is willing to learn. This cannot be discounted. There were very few busts in the draft who could not play. Most were either injured or had terrible work habits and refused to develop their game. In China, he was basically "programmed" to play basketball. I doubt he's lazy. He also is very humble, which is a rarity in sports in the US. Humility allows you to have an open mind. There's no way you can learn unless youre willing to accept that there's something you don't already know.
Our offense will have so many options now esp matched against the Lakers With Yao in the high post ala Vlade and EG out on the 3 pt line (not all the time) Shaq will have to come out of the lane. Steve and Cat will make them pay with penetration (ala Bibby) Yao fronting and Cato behind him, Shaq may never get the ball (well if our guards quit giving up the entry pass w/ 0 pressure) If they use Horry to feed the post, put EG's long arms on him! SMILEY Also, in a rare question about basketball... Am I the only person who thinks that teams aren't using the 8 second backcourt rule nearly enough? If all the ball handlers leave a center or if a team comes down with a rebound in the corner and you trap right then I think a lot of turnovers can be had.
When you try to trap like that it is called a "gambling defense". That is not a good thing yeah you get turnovers but their is always a pattern and once the other team figures it out you will get burned. To top it off this often leads to jump balls (not bad) and fouls (bad). This is what Pitino tried to implement with the Celtics when he started coaching there trap and run. Nice thought but trust me it's been implelemented before to no avail.
Traps don't work in the NBA for the same reason the Option does not work in the NFL. NBA pointguards can dribble out of the trap or make the downcourt pass to destroy it. In college, the athletes are less talented, gets frazzled more easily, and their teammates aren't as good. That stuff does not work in the pros.
not really not since the rule was changed to 8 seconds I think a real commitment to the press/trap could work several times a game
jevjnd and RIET, I would say Seattle had a lot of success fronting against Olajuan. No it was not the entire defense, but is was the heart of it. Remember, one of the reasons we got Barkley was becasue we could not get past Seattle. Thanks to Denver and whoever else eliminated Seattle during our championships.
Ming's team has not always been the best team. I believe the Rockets had won six straight championships until they were ousted this year by Ming's team. The Rockets had probably the 2nd and 3rd best players.(Wang Zhizhi and Liu Yudong(pf)). The two worked very well together. Both players were able to shoot from the perimeter. Ming could not defend both. Ming was in his teens and had just turned 20 when his team lost. Wang did not play this year and the Rockets did lose to the Sharks. The reason for the first paragraph was to show that his competition was not as bad as most people make it out to be. It is not the NBA but there is talent. Ming will do fine.
REIT - I think that is an accurate assessment of Yao from what we know so far. I will add another intangible that I think will be a plus for Yao. IMO he will be/become an intelligent ballplayer, something we don't really have much on the team. I agree about the foul trouble, which to some degree is a function of playing intelligently and adjusting to the speed of the game. I understand Yao runs the floor well, especially for a big man, but it remains to be seen whether he is quick enough to play good man to man D and to be a monster shot blocker.
