Centers just aren't closers in today's NBA - too much is expected of Yao

hes the best defensive center, yao is the best offensive.

 

Totally agreed.

durvasa made an excellent post about 4th quarter scorers in the NBA Dish. Maybe he can repost that here.

Wing players and guards are closers. It's amazing how far we got this year with Brooks and Artest being are closers. Wafer was our only other possible closer and he didn't play down the stretch.

 

The centers need someone to give them the ball. Both Dwight and Yao has problems getting the ball sometimes.

The difference? Dwight calls out his coach, teammates, etc... He yells and demands the ball. What does Yao do? Yao goes and talks to chinese reporters after the game.

 

That's why if there is a chance for Nash or CP3, go for them. They are great closers.

 

Sorry but Yao is better than Dwight and Yao is the best center in the league. Dwight can't close out a game, Yao actually is capable of doing it but he really shouldn't be closing out any games with the recent rule changes in the post.

 

Dwight called them out a week ago and then scored 0 points tonight in the 4th quarter. No matter how much he calls people out it won't change his ability to be a closer. Sure, he should get more touches over the course of a game but crunch time is all about perimeter players.

A closer needs to be able to get the ball on the perimeter and put the ball on the floor. Even if Howard finishes late in a game, it's off a feed from a perimeter player or off a rebound. Yao is slightly more capable because of his post game but he still can't be a closer because of his physical limitations. Defenses tighten up big time late in games. It's much easier to shut down a guy standing in the middle of your defense or under your basket than a guy who can go away from the pressure and get the ball near half court.

 

so it's somehow Yao's fault Dwight Howard had a crappy 4th quarter????

Do you remember when Yao injured his knee and came back to score 8 points to seal a win??? It wasn't that long ago.

Yao has trouble getting open and his teammates have a tough time getting him the ball. That doesn't mean he's not a 4th quarter option. When his teammates get him the ball, he's good at getting points on the board or creating shots for teammates just by his presence. He forces teams to adjust and knocks down free throws.

Don't put an invisible 4th quarter by a defensive minded center on Yao's back. That's hardly fair at all. Yao and Howard couldn't be any more opposite.

 

Well at least Yao is the closer in Game 1 of the Lakers series. Can't say the same about DHow so far.

But I agree. You need good perimeter scorers to close out games. Centers got pushed and shoved (and flopped against) without getting calls while you can't touch swing players at all. You have to take advantage of the rule and give the ball to your perimeter scorer when game is on the line.

 

if Houston had turkoglu, they wouldn't need Yao to close out games either

there's something to be said about centers having mechanical difficulties compared to wing players and guards but as always mileage varies. if hakeem was out there or kareem they'd still get their shots. kareem could hit that sky hook from 20 feet and needed 0 separation. Yao simply has problems closing out games... being a center contributes to it but it's not the only issue he has

furthermore, Dwight and Yao has very different games. Dwight will never average 30 or even 25 a series. His offense is limited he's primarily a defensive force atm. in the game you mention he got some key stops (blocks) at the closing minutes and kept the Cavs out of the paint which enabled them to make that run

Yao is more of an offensive center and his shot blocking and rebounding and lateral D isn't as good as Dwight. even comparing centers you'd expect Yao to contribute more than Dwight in the 4th quarter because he is more of an offensive threat than Dwight (to be fair net net... including FT% Yao is better at the end)

it's not like Dwight did NOTHING and was completely taken out of the game. the big turk is one of the better closers in the game. the way that team is constructed they swing the ball for the open 3 as a gameplan. they are not an inside/outside team. that last play was designed from the get-go for Turkoglu. It was not like Houston where they cant get the ball into Yao due to bad execution.

even if Yao and Dwight as the 2 best centers in the league have the same offensive impact at the end of a game it hurts Houston more because they rely on establishing Yao down low much more than Orlando does with Dwight

 

The difference is Orlando isn't asking Dwight to be their closer, while Yao is our #1 option in the 4th quarter, which has led to failure in some games. Orlando isn't relying on Howard to be a closer. That's not his role on the team.

 

Maybe the centers today aren't that good. They both have huge holes that limits them. Yao has slow feet and poor stamina and howard has limited post moves and a poor ft shooter. To be a closer, u need to be a playmaker. Neither are good playmakers.

 

What a BS!
Yao never complained his teammates to either US or Chinese reporters.
After a bad game or a loss, Yao will look at himself to see if he can do better to the team. This is the right attitude for everyone in the team. Calling out the teammates or coach won't help and will detroy the team chemsitry.

 

1. In today's games, the best closers are win players, that doesn't mean centers can't or aren't allowed to be.

2. In today's game there's very few quality centers to begin with, so even if both Yao and dwight were closers, that would pretty much be it, since the rest of the centers aren't stars, except for maybe shaq, and that's still only 3 centers in the whole league.

3. Dwight maybe be edging out Yao as the best center, this year anyway, due to Yao's injury and the whole fronting issue...but dwight still doesnt and never had a true offensive arsenal. On offense he's a guy that can get numerous hooks, dunks and putbacks throughout a game...but that's during the flow of a game, not when the game is slowed down, the defense sets, and it's time to go to one guy to win the game, or close it out.

So basically you're saying we shouldn't expect Yao to close out because other centers don't, which doesnt make much sense to me, you look at the individual player and their skills, not how he compares to others at his position. Center, forward, guard, they can all be closers if they have the skills to do it, it just so happens the league currently has a lot of talented swingmen, but that's all it is. Yao could be a closer, maybe he won't be/isnt, but it's not because of his position or because he doesn't have the skills to do it.

 

How is this a criticism of Dwight Howard? Orlando battled back, in Cleveland, and took the lead in the waning seconds of the game. They got pretty good shots in their key possessions. And saying Howard was a "no show" isn't accurate. The Magic's money play is running a high screen and roll with Howard at the top of the key and having the other 3 players spot up for 3s. When Howard rolls to the basket, he's drawing defenders and creating openings for his teammates. He's playing an important role in their offense, even if he isn't actually handling the ball.

 

Really rules and coaching are the reasons Centers impact on closing games are limited. The defensive 3 seconds a rule instead of the old illegal defense rule allows teams to double the post player without him having the ball. Also the fact that a lot of Centers are limited at their post moves abilities. Yao is the only Center in the league with an array of low post moves that can deliver baskets thought the game but that are still a grind.

 

According to a Chinese article (probably Sina) after a loss during the Portland series, Yao called out Brooks and "scolded" him for his play, and especially for not getting him the ball. Yao apparently confronted him in the lockerroom and then spoke about it to the Chinese reporter.

Strangely, no report of this incident ever appeared in the US media, but it was referenced many times here on this BBS.

 

I love Yao but I think this is as good as it gets for our big fella. Dwight still has room to learn and grow on the offensive end. Dwight is only 24 and is not even close to his prime. As long as that kid stays healthy I've got a feeling that kid is going to be the best center in the NBA very soon as in either next season or maybe even the one after. Once he learns a couple more moves and how to utilize his body more on the offensive end like Shaq did with a summer with Hakeem that kid will be a very capable closer. I don't think too much is expected from Yao. I am sure he is capable of closing games. Though I do feel that he is expending all his energy throughout the whole game which doesn't leave much gas in the tank at the end. He needs to let the role players keep the game close and just worry about closing it out at the end or when it is time to just blow up that lead. It's the same with Tmac. I think last year was the very first year in a long time that our stars could have had that luxury.