chron: Yao can't do his thing if he doesn't get the ball

No sh*t -- I totally agree. There are plays that can make it easier for the big guy to get post position and to make the entry pass. But I don't think any of that matters -- I just don't think the other guys on this team want to feed the post. With that in mind, Rudy isn't to blame in terms of X's and O's -- but he is to blame for not putting his foot down.

It's like the other guys really are threatened by the possibility of Yao being the focal point of the offense. And yes, I'm talking about Francis. It's like he's desperately clinging on to his "Franchise" nickname.

 

Its not the number of shots he takes but the number of touches that matters. Yao usually makes a good decision with the ball. He seems to select the correct shot or pass at the right time. The problem is the Rockets don't get him the ball every trip down. He can't take ten shots without 10 touches.

Opposing teams have been zoning around Yao with an offball double or triple. The Rockets players just stand around as if they don't know how to beat that defense.

The Rockets need to take notes from the Lakers to learn how to work as a team to get the big man the ball. And for goodness sake, PASS THE BALL AND HIT THE WI-I-IDE OPEN SHOT!!!!! You have to make the opposition pay for sitting 2-3 defenders in one guy's lap.

 

Here's a sig suggestion:

I am a troll.

 

That's so true, I think Yao should get the ball more. Steve Francis just wants to be in the highlights of ESPN instead of winning games. TRUE!

 

I think it could be that these observations are sometimes so obvious that it's just a coincidence. Some guard on Rockets hogs the ball. Ming best shooter, gets least amount of shots. Etc. Except Rudy doesn't seem to notice...

 

The Rocks did this for a couple of championships. You'd think they'd remember they could do it again, even against a zone.

 

Ming should take this into his own hands as well. There are many times that he is holding the ball just above the key (open,) and decides to pass it to a teamate who will eventually brick their open shot. We know Ming can hit those types of shots, he should try shooting some...

 

Let's break down the reasons why Yao is not getting enough touches:

1. Rudy.
2. SF.
3. Other teammates.

Ok that's too simple. Look deeper.

1. Rudy is too conservative.
2. SF is too selfish
3. Other teammates do not trust Yao.

 

I believe that it is mostly Rudy's offensive system that is at fault. He said at the beginning of the season that they were not running plays for Yao yet while they still have Steve and Cat who are the focus of the team. The fact that the guards dominate the ball is in part to do with the type of offensive sets Rudy likes to run. At times, you'll see an old Hakeem play being run for Yao, but most others, Yao will be on the high post creating picks for the guards. It's a shameful waste to put a 7'6" big man 18 ft away from the basket. Next time they play, look for yourselves how often Yao is playing the high pick instead of fighting for position under the low post. When there is no established inside game, then all you have to do is play the passing lanes from the perimeter, ala 14 steals the Kings got on the Rox.

 

I've set up a poll for you to vote on this issue.

http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46738

 

I can understand trying to ease Yao into a new system or to try experimenting with different plays/roles to find the right mix, but given that there was almost 3-4 minutes of garbage time yesterday and with Ming not being in foul trouble, why not have him on the floor and running plays and shots through him just to see what he can really do?

If the answer is that Rudy already knows what Yao can do and that he can be an attacking option, then why not have him in the role more often? If the team isn't sure of or confident in Yao's offense, there was surely limited downside in experimenting with Yao during garbage time when the game was clearly lost.

 

Good questions, I want to ask Rudy too.

 

I think coach and teammates need to tell Yao to take more shots. He should be shooting the ball more than anyone on the Rockets' team other than Francis. If he's taking only 3 or 4 shots per game, then it's the coach fault.

when i watch the game, it's like when they pass to Yao and he turn it over, then they sort of like...Ok that's it, no more Yao. Or when Yao miss a shot in the post...NO MORE YAO! C'mon, keep feeding the ball to the man. Shaq misses some shots occasionally too and the team still go back to him. Also i hardly see any play involving a Rockets' player blocking out Yao's man and letting him cut loose to the basket for easy layup or something like that. Bottomline is Rockets need to develop more plays for Yao other than pick and roll. When i see Yao taking the ball and pass it to KT in the post, i say mannn, they're using Yao as a sort of a garbage boy when he's a hell lot better than KT. It's just too funny to see a big man passing to someone who is wayy smaller and shorter than him. There is something wrong with that picture. It's just too funny!

 

This is a big problem I have with Rudy this year...he does a bad job of mixing and matching his players...MoT complements Yao's game extremely well, perfect type of player to play the 4 with Yao I think...he brings some toughness to the table and is a very underrated passer...Rudy had two of them playing together earlier in the year and they played great, why suddenly do we not see them playing along side each other anymore? It just doesn't make sense...

 

I was wondering the same thing...

 

Nice observations. I was wondersing why Rudy insists on playing Yao along with KT who hardly pass the ball to Ming or anybody.
I thought Yao played really well with MoT at PF and Rice at SF position in the early games. Why don't keep the line-up that's working? The decision from Rudy is kind of puzzling.

 

There were a lot of reasons Yao wasn't getting the ball enough over the first ten games or so - unfamiliarity, fatigue etc. There are some reasons that still apply, such as he's still having difficulty consistently getting good low post position and his fatigue is going to be an issue all season.

BUT his play over the last two weeks has proven he deserves as many touches as possible when he's in the game. I know Yao still has trouble maintaining his position in the low post, but that is no excuse for our guards not being able to get him the ball. He's 7' friggin 6". And it doesn't look like they're really trying.

Long, painful road trip and Blinebury chose a perfect time for this editorial. We all know we have umpteen things to work on in practice, but this should be the #1 priority - and in the absence of practice, Steve and Rudy needs to have a talk and then Rudy needs to make an announcement to the team that the ball gets into the post period. If we lose a few games because of turnovers (like we're not now?), or heck even if Yao just has trouble , so what? If he only plays 10 minutes a game (groan) you get him the ball and make sure he takes 5 shots.

Our shooting is horrible, he shoot's 67%. Our passing is terrible, and Yao may be by far the best passer on the team. Logic dictates a change in philosophy now. Yao may not be ready, but he's a heck of a lot more ready than I thought he'd be at this stage. He's demonstrated he can make the players on this team better and he wants the ball more. I'm a Rudy fan, but given the starts of KT, MoT, E. Griff., Mooch and Cat (I know he was injured), this is a real no-brainer. I'm a Rudy fan, and I know he's stubborn, but this is one time he'd better adjust quickly. He's under more scutiny now than anytime since the NBA Finals years.

 

Whenever Yao sets a pick and rolls Stevie/moochie never look behind them/next to them to Yao who has his hands up and is ready for the ball wide open.

 

I quite doubt if the team re-viewed the doc tapes and did a retrospection and analysis.

Even if they did, everyone would think he himself did well and it was others' fault to lose. (human nature?)

Well, most probably, they finally found the culprit: it is the roooooooookie, Yao's fault! He is not compatible with the team!

The next logical conclusion: Trade Yao.