ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets vs. Nuggets 3/29/2003

Starting cato? Do you guys realize it will ruin the confidence Yao has just built up?!!! Actually today Yao did not perform too bad.

 

I think these stand out more: 4 fouls, or 1 foul every 3.75 minutes. 2 rebounds (but he did get a couple blocks).

Cato was playing incredibly effective minutes.
6-7 fg, 6 reb, 6 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal. His FT shooting sucked, but his effort did not.

 

YM only 15 minutes?

Bizarre

Raven

 

Larry Smith, must a hell of a job! 13 minutes for your starting center. Your confidence building is excellent. Yao Ming's season just got restarted! Remember Oct 31, 2002? The league 2nd best center just became its biggest bust under your belt.

 

Yao is not our future C. Cato will be the future C on a Larry Smith system. Yao cannot play ISO at C while Cato can do that night in and night out.

Larry Smith will lead a Mean Rockets team to conqueue the NBA. Watch out! We will ISO our opponent to death!

 

Well it does look like YM's troubles began with LS taking over as coach.

Raven

 

If Larry Smith wanted to make a point about benching players when they're playing bad, why didn't he bench Cuttino Mobley too? He's 1/7 at one point but still played 44 minutes and only finished with 3/12.

 

It's not about the FG%. You missed the point. It's the ISO plays. If you don't play ISO, you are benched because you are not MEAN enough. Simple as that.

 

awww, did the wittle yao-only fan not get to see his favewit pwayer enough tonight?

 

Doesn't make much sense to me. "What a team play should be?". No thanks.

You seem like a mad Yao fan, that is upset Yao only got 16 min tonight. well, Yao sucked. Easy as that. He sucked tonight, so the guy who was hot played more. (CATO 6-7 fgs)
That makes sense, play the hot guy, no the guy who is killing you with TO's and Poor shooting. Yao is in a slump again.

 

Yao sucked tonight. It happens! The players with the hot hands are the ones that get played. I wouldn't of played Yao more than 14 min tonight either if I had another guy who was having a great night.

 

I agree. I really wish his slam over big Ben in Detroit a few weeks back was the reality of his play.

I wish Yao would mussle his way in and slam it. He is not a toothpick any more. He has meat on him now, and so he must use it!

Time to adapt! Come on Rookie! Big Yao, we need ya to be BIG!

 

I say.....start eating steak instead of rice big boi!

j/k

:-D

we'll get Shaq back when he's 39 and 400lb. while Yao is 310lb of muscle

 

There is a reason why Yao doesn’t jump at the opening tip-off; he can’t quickly jump, so how do you except the guy to go for a power dunk in traffic? Stop using his height as an end to all means. He is slow, weak, and passive. So many times I see him lose his balance when someone puts their forearm in his chest, centers, forwards, and even guards. Just look for him on defense on the weak-side when a guard or a small forward sets a pick on him. There are two main things Yao needs to get improved on: strength and getting accustomed to the NBA game and American life.

I felt he played OK on the offense end; he had two hook shots that hit the front rim, both good moves towards the basket. He had a blown lay-up that he should have dunked. I am more concern on defense, frequently; Yao stands in the lane, and does not see a pass to the basket for a lay-up. Or when he taps the rebound instead of grabbing it.

I think coming from a country where the government tries to suppress one’s individuality and creativity makes changing to a more aggressive and assertive personality a very difficult process (Anyone with first hand knowledge, please let me know if I’m way off base on this assumption). I remember talking to Smokey during the 1st season game against Indiana and I said give him 2-3 years before we can say he sucks. I still think that’s the time frame Yao will need to fully develop, it just got fast forward by the media, ads, and his better than expected play. But of course no one cares about 2-3 years down the road, just now.

Back to the remaining games, I wouldn’t mind seeing Yao and Cato split time, 24 mins each. We’ll see how Yao responds to the 3rd-4th quarter benching on this important road trip against teams that do not have a true center. Mutombo probably will see limited mins, as he just got back from an injury.

 

The good offensive display by Kelvin Cato today certainly also helps some posters to lit our Rookie ass up.

 

Don't get me wrong. I liked Cato's play tonight. I liked his aggressiveness. But anyone thinks Cato is in the same league as Yao need to wake up. Rockets opponents don't even think Cato as a threat on offense. There is a reason they always leave Cato wide open and double team Yao down low. If this is Larry Smith's vision of playoff and championship, then keep dreaming...

 

K.Mart might not be playing in the Nets game...... it might be the right time for Yao Ming to gain back his confidence against who? Aaron williams? Jason Collins?

 

Hmmm...and I wonder why Mobley plays about 45 minutes every game regardless of whether he's 1-15 or 12-13. I like the consistency there Rox coaching staff.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. Cat played much worse than Yao tonight, yet he played the entire game. The whole argument that Smith benches players who play badly is pure BS.