One of the best threads ever, many thanks to Trader Dan. And, Del Harris, you are to be aplauded for taking time out to respond. You Sir, are a class act!
Why do you have to relate everything to politics? What does people's driving manner have to do with socialism or capitalism? India is a capitalism country, but the driving manner of Indians is as reckless as, if not more reckless than, those of Chinese.
Dont know about India. I spoke from my observation and understanding of chinese mordern history as well as its culture. I dont like to generalize. No, its not captialism vs socialism. Read my last sentence about LA. The country is too damn crowded and so is LA. Plus many middle aged people are used to fighting for everything, the disposable income was like nothing 20,30 years ago. This group is the core of China, the generation growing up in the culture revolution.
I got some pretty good support for some of my questions to repost.... And a couple of new ones.... Q: What is Del's golf handicap? is he playing much in China? Do any NBA teams/coaches require their players to play golf to build mental and emotional control? (they should!) Q: Do any NBA teams do any kind of group mental training? (i.e. have speakers come and talk to them as a group about setting and reaching goals, group meditation, golf, therapy, anything like that?) -- droxford
Tell JVG, when they practice rebounding, have all the players and assistants and ball boys line up in front of Yao under the basket, and pretend they are buying something.
I have been reading threads here for a long time...even further back than Ive been a registered user of the site. This is up there with the best of them and is the reason I like this forum. Great job TD and Del. Some of these responses are so entertaining...much better than anything to be found any where else. I am trying to think of a good question to ask, but there are so many already posted. Im wondering what his opinion is of the overall talent level in the NBA today compared to years past in his experience. I also wonder what he attributes the lack of scoring in the NBA to...talent level including shooting ability, rules changes, tougher defense with more athletic players and more emphasis on it. etc.
Pretty good betting odds on China finishing anywhere in the top 4 in Athens. Ask Del what he consider as a realistic finish for the Chinese.
Q: What will be the game plan when they put a smaller, but quicker defender on Yao to front him -- a la Najera in Dallas. Are you teaching Yao how to seal his man better to avoid this, or are you running an alternative offense?
Dan, Thank you and Del Harris for cotinue this great line of communication. I love this thread. Here's my question: 1. How is Chinese National Team going to address the guard problem? 2. Does National Team have a plan to find and develop some young talents for guards instead of the guards they have right now? 3. I heard there's a kid Chan from Guang Dong is really gifted, he could be the next guard for chinese team, ask Del what's his take on Chan? Thanks
Actually i'm thinking exactly what Rule0001 is thinking. Its either 1) the whole thing is a hoax, or 2) it is actually the public relation personnels asnwering on behalf of Del. With the hectic schedule and demands from coaching CNT, i really don't think Del has time to answer fans questions through e-mail. While some of the answers are ambiguously vague, the other answers posted by TD are true , but these infos are easy to obtain if you know how to read chinese, since sohu.com and sina.com have most of the up to date information on Yao and CNT.
My apology for doubting you, TD. For this paragraph, i believed you. Keep up the good work and i will read more before i make a comment next time.
Q: Have your prepared Yao against the fronting defense which he will see a lot in Olympic? Cutting the passing lane to Yao must be a very popular defense strategy in Athene. Given that the Chinese guards cannot lob pass. Actually they cannot do clean pass farther than 3 meters under no pressure.
good question LTF. i wonder what his answer would be. if he gives an honest and straight answer, and if that's effective, maybe we can use it when we play dallas next time.
-----Original Message----- From: Me To: Del Harris Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 13:11:26 +0000 Subject: Re: e-mail interviews Hello Del, Great answers and many, many thanks from everybody. No questions last week, but hopefully your staying with this. This weeks questions: - The Olympics are just around the corner, what are you focusing on in the upcoming weeks? - Yao is getting double teamed and not getting a lot of shots. What, if anything, is done to counter this? - Have there been any changes or improvements in Yao’s game and physique? Thank you very much. Yours sincerely, Daniel Målberg ---------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Del Harris To: Me Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 19:02:10 Subject: Re: e-mail interviews we are working on all aspects and particualrly eind of game stuff Yao is getting a lot of shots--you have to include free throws---he is playing 26 minutes and averaging 24 points and just was selected the MVP of the Diamond Ball---what are you expecting? They are going to double him every time he gets the ball if they can-- anyone who know the game should unv\derstand that ahead of time. He has passed out well and has managed to score a point a minute---not too bad in any league. Yao has been with the team since June 20, but has missed games and practices due to injuries. However, he has certainly improved his game from when he came in after taking two months off without touching a basketball.
Sorry about not doing the interview last week but I moved so I didn't have internet access. Not great answers this time, maybe the questions weren't good, maybe he was busy. At least we can keep doing this probably, I wouldn't be surprised if he answers me throughout the Olympics.
