Chron: Abdul-Jabbar says Yao sky hook away from great

Abdul-Jabbar says Yao sky hook away from great
By JOHN P. LOPEZ

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2560265

Tim Duncan has that fundamental footwork and the sweetest bank shot since canvas basketball shoes were in vogue.

Shaquille O'Neal has that unstoppable drop step and Big Diesel power.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had it all.

Abdul-Jabbar, always mentioned in conversations of best-ever big men, has watched two of today's best -- certainly the two best close to the basket -- square off in the NBA Western Conference semifinals. And he has wondered.

The Rockets' Yao Ming should be included in this conversation.

At 7-2, strong, agile and skilled, Abdul-Jabbar, the former Bucks and Lakers great, used his "sky hook" shot to become virtually unstoppable in and around the lane.

Abdul-Jabbar scored an NBA-record 38,387 points and shot under 51 percent from the floor only once in a 20-year career. That came in his final season at age 41.

At 7-6 and still not yet 24 years old, Yao to date has no real signature move. He has a nice mid-range jump shot. A nice fadeaway from the baseline. A nice little jump hook.

Abdul-Jabbar says he has followed Yao's NBA development closely over the past two seasons and has become a fan. He sees in Yao the same kind of agility, skill and strength he once saw in the mirror every morning.

That's why developing a sky hook, Abdul-Jabbar said, should be priority No. 1 for Yao.

"If he had it, no one could stop it," Abdul-Jabbar said before a recent Spurs-Lakers playoff game. "Absolutely no one.

"I don't think he really understands how to use his height when he's in close at the basket. He wants to come out to 15 feet, where he can shoot over anybody. He can do that, but if he can get in closer to the basket and then operate from there, taking the six-foot shot, the high-percentage shot, that would really help his game. He doesn't play the game that way at this point in his career. I think he could be very effective (if he played that way)."

We see Duncan dominating the playoffs. We see O'Neal putting up huge numbers.

We don't see Yao.

For all the blame guard Steve Francis has shouldered for the Rockets' quick playoff exit, Abdul-Jabbar says Yao and the coaches who have failed to teach him the most lethal weapon a 7-6 center could have also should share blame.

"It's like he's doing it the hard way, you know?" Abdul-Jabbar said. "He's not using his strengths to his best advantage. But that's not his fault. Somebody has to show him."

And that someone, Abdul-Jabbar said, could be him. If asked, Abdul-Jabbar said he would be more than willing to help Yao with a sky hook.

This club of big men with such skill, you see, is a unique one.

They compete incredibly hard against one another -- like Shaq and Duncan are doing now or in the way Abdul-Jabbar competed with former San Antonio center Artis Gilmore during previous Spurs-Lakers playoff series.

But when the games are done, the great big men tend to be great friends. They know the burden of carrying such size and expectations. Fans always expecting more. Coaches always demanding more. Always standing out in a crowd.

They know how difficult it is to play at a fluid, elite level when you're carrying 280-300 pounds on a seven-foot frame, sprinting up and down the court 100 times a game or more.

"I could help him," Abdul-Jabbar said of Yao. "Patrick (Ewing) could show him. Patrick was effective. But Patrick also shot a lot of jumpers, so maybe Patrick isn't focusing on that one specific (inside) aspect of his game. And when you have that kind of size, I think that's what it is all about.

"I would imagine that (Yao) must get frustrated because people expect so much from him. He hasn't been able to deliver. I can see he doesn't understand the dynamics here. He's very intelligent, he's a good athlete, and he has a great attitude. He can be a great player, but nobody has taken him through those steps yet."

When Abdul-Jabbar speaks of Yao, it is entertaining to watch him change his demeanor. Before the aforementioned Lakers-Spurs game, Jabbar trudged from interview to interview, pumping a new book, hyping the NBA legends tour. Saying the same ol' same ol'.

But the subject of Yao and the sky hook struck a chord. His eyes widened, and he became more animated, gesturing with his arms on every point he tried to make. He spoke with more enthusiasm and conviction.

"(The sky hook) is not sexy," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Everybody who plays wants to be like Michael Jordan or shoot 3-pointers or be driving and dunking.

"Backing in and working the post, getting a high-percentage six-foot shot, has no visual appeal. But it really affects the bottom line -- whether you win or lose. And that's most important. It takes awhile until (players like Yao) have an understanding of the game that goes that deep."

Abdul-Jabbar understands. Duncan understands. O'Neal understands.

Yao is so close to becoming the same type of dominating player, but he should get closer -- to about six feet, with his back to the basket and a sky hook in his arsenal.

 

C'mon, all these HOFers (KAJ, Mo Malone, Rick Barry, etc.) must know Yao has peaked, has got no heart and is the 2nd coming of Rik Smits, right? I mean, Tom Tolbert and a bunch of "Clutchfans" say so...

 

Uprising,

In the first two seasons of Yao's career, whenever HOFers - people who have known greatness on the court - have spoken about Yao, the tone is distinctly different than the large "he will be good, but not great" camp, headed by no one who has EVER approached greatness on the basketball court.

Adeel,

Yes, it is.