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Chron article: Yao's low-post game a must

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by devin23, Oct 27, 2007.

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  1. devin23

    devin23 Member

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    I think many of us will be relieved to hear this. Apparently, the Rockets think so too. Though Adelman's comment about 2/3 on the low post is worriesome. I think Yao should be on the low post 80-90% of the time, not 67% of the time.

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5250343.html

    Oct. 27, 2007, 12:27AM
    Yao's low-post game a must
    Adelman tries to strike balance for center, keeping paint a top priority


    By JONATHAN FEIGEN
    Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

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    SAN ANTONIO — Yao Ming sat in the AT&T Center visitors' locker room and worried.

    He was watching tape of the San Antonio Spurs' game in Orlando on Thursday, but his mind wandered. There will be plenty of occasions to fret about Tim Duncan or concern himself with the darts through the lane of Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili. Friday, he rewound the tape, sat and worried about himself.

    "To be honest, I'm thinking about this right now," Yao said. "Being in the new system, I think I don't want to take away my advantage on the low post. That's still my game.

    "I believe coach knows that, too, but in preseason games, we want to try some things new. I believe that in the regular season, I will still be back to the low post many times."

    Long before the Rockets lost their final preseason game to the Spurs 99-92 on Friday in a worrisome dress rehearsal in which Spurs coach Gregg Popovich played only his bench in the second half, Rockets coach Rick Adelman had wrestled with the same concerns as Yao.

    "You have to find that balance," he said of using Yao on the perimeter and on the low blocks.

    He said he would like about two-thirds of Yao's touches to be in the low post. Friday, Yao made five of 12 shots, with all five field goals in the paint. He finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes.


    Missed the target
    Of Yao's 25 touches within the offense Friday, 14 were on the low blocks, far short of the ratio Adelman said he wants.

    "We have to find ways to make sure we get him there consistently," Adelman said. "I've been charting that. He's had more touches at the low post than the elbow, but maybe not the percentage you'd like. Last game (that Yao played), he got it 11 times at the low post, maybe six, seven times at the elbow. We've got to make sure he gets his touches down there."

    In the third quarter Friday, the Rockets got the ball inside to Yao a bit more regularly. In the first half, Yao had 15 touches within the offense with eight on the low blocks. But in some ways, the offense was more effective when he was at the elbow or setting screens on pick-and-rolls. Tracy McGrady, who made nine of 22 shots for 21 points, especially took advantage of the defensive attention Yao drew away from the lane.


    Keep shots coming
    To Adelman, the goal would be to add Yao's outside scoring without sacrificing the low-post game Yao has used to become the league's top scoring center the past two seasons.

    "I see him being really effective at being more used to playing pick-and-pop or filling in as a shooter," Adelman said. "That's where he is really effective. His guy drops off him. He's going to make that shot. He is so used to rolling, he's still not sure of where he has got to go."

    Yao has long gotten low-post position more effectively after setting a high screen, rather than by muscling inside. Adelman said Yao will be more difficult to keep off the low blocks when those high screens bring a greater scoring threat.

    But Yao worried that he is less aggressively looking at his shot. By late in the third quarter, when he tried a low-percentage pass to a cutting but covered Shane Battier, Dikembe Mutombo stood in front of the Rockets' bench and shouted: "Yao. Shoot the ball."

    "In my mind that's not an issue, not at this point," Rockets assistant coach Jack Sikma said of Yao's concerns about his mentality. "He will see a way to get there so he gets comfortable with his mentality before he gets too much further down the road."

    Still, Yao worried. He admitted he usually is worried about something, always in a search for something he should be doing better. His concerns Friday could be no more than typical.

    Still, he wondered if he has gotten away from the banging inside so much he has gotten too comfortable outside.

    "When you stay on the elbow, the 45-degree angle on the wing, there is not as much physical contact as in the paint," Yao said. "It's a mentality. Maybe I'm not ready for this."

    jonathan.feigen@chron.com
     
    #1 devin23, Oct 27, 2007
  2. Tuan

    Tuan Member

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    RA has to understand Yao isnt and shouldnt be used like CWebb, Divac, and B. Miller. Maybe he will get more low post touches if you just send him down there, all that elbow crap is just BS. I have never seen any elite centers used in such a way.
     
    #2 Tuan, Oct 27, 2007
  3. abcdef

    abcdef Member

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    Yeah..... I think the 2/3 ratio is too low. I agree with 80-90%. With JVG it was basically 95%, so making it say 80-85% would be sufficient changeup to keep the opponent off balance.
     
    #3 abcdef, Oct 27, 2007
  4. rayden

    rayden Member

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    Vlade and Brad Miller were used more on the elbow because they are not dominating low post player like Yao is. Yao needs go to his strength more.
     
    #4 rayden, Oct 27, 2007
  5. yao_fan_2007

    yao_fan_2007 Member

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    JVG is a better coach for Yao Ming than Adelman.

    I hope Adelman realizes QUICKLY that Yao Ming belongs in the Low Post 90% of the time. The sooner he realizes this, the better off the Rockets will be.

    The goal shouldn't be to make it easier for T-Mac to get easier shots if that means destroying Yao's game.
     
    #5 yao_fan_2007, Oct 27, 2007
  6. newstart

    newstart Member

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    That's more like ask Shaq standing at elbow 1/3 of his playing time, really funny. But let's give some time to RA and see what happen.
     
    #6 newstart, Oct 27, 2007
  7. devin23

    devin23 Member

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    I also have to state that, even though it was preseason, Yao hasn't been getting as much touches on the low post when he had been set in the low post. Hopefully that'll change in the regular season.
     
    #7 devin23, Oct 27, 2007
  8. doublehh03

    doublehh03 Member

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    you're right, a healthy tmac can score in every way and any way. look in 04-05 when tmac can still score when yao is in the post.

    so i don't disagree w/ that. as long as tmac does not have to be a playmaker all game i'm fine.

    tmac will play w/ the small lineup enough to have the space he wants.
     
    #8 doublehh03, Oct 27, 2007
  9. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Contributing Member

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    I agree with balance. It was too difficult for TMac to get easy shots last year.

    80-90% of Yao in the post is good.
     
    #9 Mr. Clutch, Oct 27, 2007
  10. krnxsnoopy

    krnxsnoopy Contributing Member

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    Yao should be in low post 3/4 of time... 75%...

    And ALWAYS in crunch time of close games....

    67% isnt enough! Yao is deadly within 5 feet.
     
    #10 krnxsnoopy, Oct 27, 2007
  11. yao_fan_2007

    yao_fan_2007 Member

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    One of Adelman's publicly stated goal was to make it easier for T-Mac to score. Initially, we agreed but now, it's becoming apparent that Adelman's system is destroying Yao's game by pushing him away from the Low post.

    Yeah, you're makign it easier for T-Mac to score, but you've completely taken away Yao's game.

    This is why Kobe would be better than T-Mac. Kobe doesn't have to attack the basket to win. He can shoot much better on the perimiater than T-Mac.

    T-Mac needs to score inside to be effective. But when Yao is in the low post all the time, it's hard for T-Mac to nail down those jumpers.
     
    #11 yao_fan_2007, Oct 27, 2007
  12. McGradySNKT

    McGradySNKT Contributing Member

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    Wow, if I were Yao i'd be ashamed to call you a fan.

    How did Rick Adelman destroy Yao's game and the season hasn't even started yet?
     
    #12 McGradySNKT, Oct 27, 2007
  13. yao_fan_2007

    yao_fan_2007 Member

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    There are at least two articles in which Yao publicly is worried about his role.

    Why dont you stop posting silly fictional threads about JVG ( how would Yao feel about your dumb comments about JVG? ) and learn to read more.
     
    #13 yao_fan_2007, Oct 27, 2007
  14. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    I don't like what i've seen so far but i'm willing to chalk it up to preseason. on tuesday i expect to see yao in the post much more than I have.
     
    #14 BigM, Oct 27, 2007
  15. MSrocket

    MSrocket Member

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    Settle down folks.....it may take the ENTIRE regular season to get this offense flowing comparitivley to the old Kings offense- as long as the team is clicking come playoff time.

    These adjustments cant be made overnight and it may take yao sometime to get adjusted to taking a few more outside shots-which he is more than capable of making. I still believe a few outside shots a game(3-5) will benefit him in the long run.

    Now if yao becomes primarily a 7'6" spot up jump shooter by the end the year- hell yeah im gonna be pissed.Until then, we fans should exercise some much needed PATIENCE.
     
    #15 MSrocket, Oct 27, 2007
  16. rfila

    rfila Member

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    humm... that is not "far short" away from 2/3. out of 25, 14 or 16.7 are not that much different. If Adelman did not like what he saw Friday, he should not talk about 2/3. numbers can be deceiving sometimes.
     
    #16 rfila, Oct 27, 2007
  17. bbjai

    bbjai Member

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    haha
    Yao Fan has publically stated on this board that if Yao calls him out as being an idiot he'll stop being his fan. Its quite funny realli, his the atypical fan that everybody hates
     
    #17 bbjai, Oct 27, 2007
  18. Barkley

    Barkley Member

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    Looks like Yao will go to the low post again I'm even sure about that. That's maybe go good but Yao is not the best person for it. If anybody's cuttin' and Yao has the ball on the HP so it's a big mistake. We know Yao turns the ball over very easily and he cannot even drive from that spot
     
    #18 Barkley, Oct 27, 2007
  19. A00man

    A00man Member

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    Nothing comes overnight. Yao is worried, and he will fix the problem. Good lord, if you overreact this much over a few pre-season games where Yao is trying to learn the offense, I shudder to think what crap will be posted on these boards when the regular season begins and the Rockets start off slow.

    They are all trying to learn a new system, and it's going to take some time to get it down perfect. Be patient dude.
     
    #19 A00man, Oct 27, 2007
  20. yao_fan_2007

    yao_fan_2007 Member

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    (fake laugh) har har har.

    What's so ridiculous about that?

    Tell me. If Yao calls you out for whatever reason, I bet you'll be dumb enough to still be his fan, right?

    Damn right if Yao calls me out, I'll cease to be his fan.
     
    #20 yao_fan_2007, Oct 27, 2007
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