Dear Rudy, Our offense is ragged. But you know that better than me. My humble suggestion: Get a center who can pass. Oh, you have one? OK- Let's run the offense through Yao Ming. He can pass out of the low post or the high post. He seems to be the best passer on the team and he has shown better court awareness and basketball IQ than most of the vets. Yao can also learn to back down his man when single teamed and he is money from close in. Yao can also pass out of the double team. Yao can also learn that if he pulls the ball down low he might get stripped and so he will learn to shoot over double teams. Set some double picks to free Steve, Yao will get him the ball. Explain to the team the value of moving when Yao has the ball, he can find the open shooter or cutter. Well, I know you already have thought about this Rudy, but please take a chance with your other players feelings and make this the Yao Ming Show.
Steve is the vet and he is the leader. But the offense should still run through Yao. It's a better chemistry fit when you have a very talented center to get him touches every trip.
Yeah, I'm with you to a large extent. I'm not saying the offense should run through Yao on every possession, but it shouldn't run through Stevie on every possession either. You want to keep the defense off balance? We have 2 legitimate play makers here. And besides, you KNOW Rudy T knows how to coach the inside-out game. We should definitely be running more plays through Yao. I wonder if it's just that on the road we don't have time to practice?
I agree on the play Nachbar. Especially in these games where EVERYONE on our team is clanging horribly. Aren't all Euros supposed to be able to shoot? It is heartbraking to see Moochie get so many minutes while Nachbar sits next to the coaches, closely following the game, pining to get in. Yes, I understand they don't play the same position...just pointing out the disparity in talent level and game time between the two.
I think it would help if the team set some off the ball screens as well.. It seems like the only picks we use are pick n' rolls and usually the 'picker' does not set a solid pick so its pretty inneffective.. Imagine if while the high post pick n' roll was going and someone else set a screen for a dive to the low block. It seems that would open up a few more options each play, so when Steve gets doubled, he potentially has 2 open guys to pass to. Next, we need to teach our guys how to make an open 15' shot.
And if we didn't have Rudy, then Yao Ming might not be here. I'm not talking about luck. I'm talking about taking Yao with the first pick and negotiating with China to get him over here. That was risky, not every coach would have done that. I'd still like to see a real motion offense though...imagine how great Yao would be, he'd get to show off his passing and he'd also have much easier shots created for him.
Dear Rudy, Can you please explain to me the use of Yao for the past two games? Why are we using Yao to make the entry pass to KT? I have seen this play time and time again. It sure seems like this should work the other way around. If Kenny wants the ball on the low block (touches that I would limit), can't a guard feed him the ball instead of pulling our 7'6 center out to the three point stripe? Very curious, Rocket Addict
I really don't want Yao to become the leader. I want Francis to be. But, Francis is way below Yao in terms of bb-IQ. It's going to take him a few more years for his IQ to catch up with his athletic ability. I just hate watching "ugly ball!"
David, are there specific reasons why you want Francis to be the leader? Or is he just your sentimental choice?
Well, I'm one of the most vocal Francis "bashers." But that's only because I hate his style of play (right now). I love his scoring. But I don't like his play-making decisions. It drives me up the wall! That being said, this doesn't mean that I don't want him to learn how to run this team the right way. That's why I keep on saying that it's going to take him 3 more years before he starts to mature as a play-maker. Yao, right now, is already a play-maker! As a rookie! But, I don't like the idea of a center being a floor leader. Centers are not mobile enough, even if he was a young Sabonis/Hakeem. I still think that Yao will continue to make plays. I just think that Francis is in the best position (on the court) to see the floor and make plays. They will both make each other better. Dennis Johnson was a play-maker with Bird, even though Bird was the best player. Kevin Johnson was a play-maker with Charles Barkley, even though Barkley was the best player. http://www.boston.com/sports/top100/players/95.htm I think that Francis can be in the same situation with Yao. In three years Yao should become a dominate scorer and defender!!! A force! A power in the middle!!! But Francis will become a balanced all-around player; dynamic. See, he wont HAVE to score. He can just sit back and dictate the offense. He will take what the defense gives him. That's a floor leader. That's basketball IQ! In three years, Francis'es brain should catch up with his body. I hope...
