This is so freakin tiring. The next time the team pulls out a big win without Yao, just pull up one of the 10,000 other trash threads on this subject and repost them. Ask any of the Rocket's players if they think they are better off without Yao. Ridiculous. Please lock - NOW!
I mos def agree with that!!! Hatin' on T-Mac and now on Yao??? Whats up with that? They are both great players and we need them to win a championship. I understand T-Mac is always injured and Yao isnt agressive but the fact is that they are key players!!! I wouldnt be suprised if T-Mac and Yao leave because you guys hatin'.....so no matter what the haterz say....we need them!!!
i am sick of seeing ppl wasting time on this useless thread again and again ... TO WHOEVER now reading: STOP posting.
No, not even freakin' close. We have no interior scoring without Yao, we have nobody giving our shooters open looks with the attention he draws and we have nobody getting the other interior big in foul trouble. Asking if we are better without Yao is just like asking the Spurs if they are better without Duncan. We rely on 3 pointers if Yao isn't playing, Take a look at how that worked for this decade's Phoenix Suns, Current Orlando Magic and the Golden State Warriors.
That is a dumb argument. Even when yao is playing we need 3's to be successful. Otherwise they just crowd yao and get a bunch of TOs.
Do you know what's funny? Hakeem Olajuwon averaged more Turnovers than Yao. Although Olajuwon is a champion and the GOAT rocket of all-time. You cannot seriously believe Yao is a liability or a cancer for this team. Yeah we do need 3's to be successful? But who doesn't? We rely on it even more if Yao is out, we look like the Chicago Bulls if Yao isn't playing out there.
I don't think anyone is saying Yao is a cancer, or that he's liability generally speaking. Against certain matchups, you have to admit that Yao, and the Rockets in turn, will struggle. When you say Hakeem averaged more turnovers than Yao, do you mean per season, per game, per minute, per possession, or per post up play run for him? What about when you factor in team turnovers in attempting to get Hakeem or Yao the ball?
Per Season, Hakeem has averaged more, Although that may be looking at too big of a picture it is still a picture. I do agree, Yao can be a bad matchup. However, the lost of Yao Ming can also really hurt this offense. The defense is replaceable simply because of Mutombo. From what I saw in the past, Yao does not have good players that pass him to ball. The only two players I see give him the ball effectively is Kyle Lowry, Shane Battier and sometimes Ron Artest. Hakeem had much superior hands, but you cannot deny that Yao has players that are poor at throwing the entry pass.
It can certainly hurt the offense, but to what degree is hard to say. Yao is like a security blanket. When shots aren't falling on the outside, or we're struggling to get penetration, it's nice to have that post up option down low that will draw in defenses and potentially open up other things. At the same time, the extra motion and ball movement that you get from not having that 7'6 guy in the paint that you need to get the ball to every other possession can open up the offense in other ways. A year ago, when Yao went down the offense seemed to improved for a few weeks. Part of it, I think, was that guys started finding a comfort level in a more perimeter-oriented, drive and kick, pick and roll style offense. I don't, however, think that is sustainable for a long stretch of games. Ultimately, we will miss that inside scoring presence that Yao gives us. We're too small, and we lack the finishers we need to get a lot of easy scores around the basket without Yao in the lineup. I agree with you. But we've been saying this ever since Yao joined the team, it seems like. Almost every night, Yao has to battle against much quicker opponents, and that makes it difficult for him to hold his spot and keep his defender sealed behind him. Whenever a team struggles to get a post up player the ball, I think responsibility has to be shared by the entire group. And, sometimes, you just have to credit what the opposing team is doing.
Well I hope one day Yao can start creating more of a mid-range game and become more of a Tim Duncan instead of like a Kareem Abdul. Kareem is probably the GOAT center, but this ERA is different than what Kareem was in. Not saying Yao is in Kareem's level, but in terms of style of play I see similarities, I want to see Yao start developing a mid-range shot. So If posting him won't work, just let him step out and shoot a mid-range shot or use him for a pick and pop. He would probably surpass Duncan today, if he actually had that in his game and if he could make it consistently.
Yao is a good player never said he wasn't. We aren't going anywhere without him. Please don't compare yao to hakeem.
All I know is I can't wait for the "Are we better without Landry" thread after tonight's win against Detroit.
we don't build a team around landry. but the team has been built around yao for years. we're not "better" without yao. but we still can play at the same level without him. i think that's what the OP is trying to say.
no were not a better team without the best post player in the league we are better defensively as far as pick and roll but as a team #@%$ no stupid thread
To be honest, the team hasn't really been built around Yao. Right now, Shane Battier might be the only one you can said to be a perfect Yao centered system player. In previous years, there has never been more than one starter who shoots high percentage 3s. Current Rockets have a lot talent, but they are not built around Yao. We don't even have a player who knows how to make a good entry pass to Yao consistently yet.
