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ESPN ARTICLE: Yao towers over the opposition, so why isn't anyone afraid of him?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by tim562, Dec 1, 2004.

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  1. tim562

    tim562 Member

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    This is an article from the ESPN Magazine that I got in the mail today. I typed it up for you guys b/c I thought it was a good article about Yao. Enjoy

    RED GLARE
    by LZ GRANDERSON

    If we asked who’s the tallest player in the NBA, you’d' answer right away: Yao. If we asked who plays biggest, you’d pipe up just as quickly: anyone but Yao. In this the third season of Yao Ming, the Rockets aren’t happy the second question is still so easy to answer.

    Yao may be 7’6” with legs like sequoias, but he continues to strike no fear in his foes. Take a look at the Rockets’ Nov 16 loss to the Hawks. In one sequence, rail-thin (6’8”, 210) rook Josh Childress grabbed an offensive rebound and took it right back up, cramming it down Yao’s throat. Later, with the game on the line, forward Antoine Walker backed down his man and scored, clearly undeterred by the towering Rocket’s presence.

    That has become a popular scenario in the NBA this year. And Yao’s inability to intimidate or dominate the defensive boards has some experts wondering if 2002’s top pick will ever be the overwhelming force he was tabbed as. “Yao is not a gifted rebounder,” says one Western Conference scout. “He has short arms in relation to the rest of his body, no explosiveness and is not quick laterally.”

    The book on Yao is simple; make him move and he losses effectiveness. Make him chase and he’s soon irrelevant. “Run him up and down the court five times and he’s gassed,” the scout says.

    In spite of Yao’s shortcomings, Houston’s D hasn’t been the reason for the team’s slow start. In the first two weeks of the season, the Rockets held teams to 41% shooting, second best in the league. But they ranked 28th in rebounding. Yao is not even in the top 30 in boards—or blocks for that matter. Too many nights, the big fella comes up small. Three times in Houston’s first seven games, he grabbed five boards or fewer.

    “The scoring’s there,” says coach JVG. “But he has to rebound better if we’re going to win.” The stats backup Van Gudny. In Yao’s career, Houston is 43-20 when he gets a double-double, 49-61 when he doesn’t.
     
    #1 tim562, Dec 1, 2004
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2004
  2. Uprising

    Uprising Member

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    Bingo.
    :(
     
    #2 Uprising, Dec 1, 2004
  3. Stack24

    Stack24 Member

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    Yeah i read that article the other day when i got mine. It's basically true....no one is afraid of him and he should really start pushing people around.

    But the odds of that happening are really slim.
     
    #3 Stack24, Dec 1, 2004
  4. JeffB

    JeffB Member

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    Yao needs heavy doses of one-on-one with Moses Malone. All this Charmin crap will then go out the window.
     
    #4 JeffB, Dec 1, 2004
  5. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    If that's what NBA scouts say than maybe sometimes things really are as simple as they seem...:(
     
    #5 SamFisher, Dec 1, 2004
  6. lost_elephant

    lost_elephant Member

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    I dont see how getting dunked on is means people arent afraid of you. If that was the measurement, Olajuwon must have been one of the least feared players in the League considering he had one of sickest facials ever dunked right in his grill by KJ.

    Every year hes been in the league, his team has been one of the best fg% defenses.
     
    #6 lost_elephant, Dec 1, 2004
  7. Texas Stoke

    Texas Stoke Member

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    I'd say thats a real significant stat there. We need Yao to have less double-double burgers and more double-double games. There we go. That should solve all the Rockets problems.
     
    #7 Texas Stoke, Dec 1, 2004
  8. Aloe

    Aloe Member

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    Yao's lack of rebounding would be tolerable if he were averaging 25 or 26 points a game, but he's only averaging 17 points a game which makes his lack of rebounding even more iritating.
     
    #8 Aloe, Dec 1, 2004
  9. Fegwu

    Fegwu Member

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    Yao should do this more.....

    [​IMG]


    Yao needs a little Ron Artest in him....
     
    #9 Fegwu, Dec 1, 2004
  10. tim562

    tim562 Member

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    Hahah, thats a funny picture...
     
    #10 tim562, Dec 1, 2004
  11. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    ZONE defense stops all that.

    He is right under the basket in rebounding postion.

    Teams are taking whomever Yao is guarding and moving him away from the basket.

    JVG needs to counter with a zone, or a matchup swithing defense.

    DD
     
    #11 DaDakota, Dec 1, 2004
  12. SmeggySmeg

    SmeggySmeg Member

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    he should use his butt and back to box out more.. make contact with them so they can run circles aorund him and leap all they want without making contact with him
     
    #12 SmeggySmeg, Dec 1, 2004
  13. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Smeggy,

    He is not AROUND the basket when there is a rebound, generally he has been pulled out to about 15 feet away, or is busy trying to recover and guard a penetrator.

    Yao would be a GREAT anchor in the zone, but if he has to move, he can not keep up.

    DD
     
    #13 DaDakota, Dec 1, 2004
  14. Man

    Man Member

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    I agree..he and Dikembe would be great in a zone defense. So uhh wtf are we doing? I think our players are smart enough to play zone and they will only primarly have to cover one area...

    Hmm we should try it.
     
    #14 Man, Dec 1, 2004
  15. tim562

    tim562 Member

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    It would be a cold day in hell if JVG ever tries the Zone Defense. I think, it would be great for this team though.
     
    #15 tim562, Dec 1, 2004
  16. Oski2005

    Oski2005 Member

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    That analysis reminds me of some of the gloomy predictions about Yao from a few years ago.
     
    #16 Oski2005, Dec 1, 2004
  17. RoxBigFan

    RoxBigFan Member

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    JVG must have a different scout report on Yao. He just likes to keep Yao chasing out to the 3-point line and get back in time to rebound.
     
    #17 RoxBigFan, Dec 1, 2004
  18. SmeggySmeg

    SmeggySmeg Member

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    maybe

    for a start all I'm after is the player he is guarding not getting the board..... if we have 5 players doing that we are heading in the right direction with our rebounding.... BOXING OUT

    so in the first situation box out his player even if they are 15 ft away fromthe basket (btw he is not being pulled away from the basket all the time, i have watched every minutes of the season so far)

    the second situation is a little tougher.. most team defensive rotation rules say Yao now guards the guard driving and then boxes them out and his player become the boxing out responsibility of the player that rotates to them
     
    #18 SmeggySmeg, Dec 1, 2004
  19. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Yao has been pulled out a fair number of times, teams generally do not post up on Yao.

    Most of the time, he gets fouls and out of position because he is trying to cover for horrible perimeter defense.

    Yao is not a quick player, he needs to be set to be effective.

    If he is close to the basket, his rebound numbers go up dramatically...the games where he does fairly well in rebounding are when teams have Centers that do not shoot well facing up, and Yao can simply stay on the block.

    Yao has many deficiencies, but his strengths on defense and on offense are being underutilized by that maniacle little JVG.

    DD
     
    #19 DaDakota, Dec 1, 2004
  20. jopatmc

    jopatmc Member

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    Keep up the noise DaDakota.
     
    #20 jopatmc, Dec 1, 2004
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