Saturday, August 31 Updated: September 1, 3:49 AM ET Yao makes impact early, then disappears By Chad Ford ESPN.com INDIANAPOLIS -- It was the Dream Team versus the Ming Team Saturday night and, for the 26 minutes 7-foot-5 Chinese center Yao Ming actually played, he showed again that he has the offensive skills to make an impact in the NBA -- that is, when his teammates decide to get him the ball. Yao's toughest defender wasn't Antonio Davis or Ben Wallace -- it was a corps of inexperienced point guards and the FIBA referees who held him to a mere six shots in just 26 minutes overall. He fouled out with 2:47 to go in the fourth quarter. "Today was a good day and a bad day," China head coach Wang Fei said following the 84-65 defeat. "Our guards are young and need to be trained. I hope they can organize our game better offensively in the future." When Yao was in the game, his point guards struggled to get him the ball. He took just six shots in the game despite being single-teamed by the Americans throughout. China's guards often lost patience if Yao didn't immediately get his position and instead settled for outside jumpers most of the game. It didn't have to be that way. Coming out of the gates, Yao did get some early touches and he made the most of it. He finished the first quarter with five points and two assists. Yao showed a quality inside-outside game, hitting a nice turnaround over Davis and then taking the ball outside and shooting a 3-pointer. When Yao wasn't shooting, he was passing out of the box to his perimeter shooters like Hu Weidong, and they were knocking down wide-open 3s. But the U.S. guards, led by Paul Pierce and Andre Miller, kept attacking the basket and eventually got Yao into foul trouble. Yao picked up his second foul with 2:37 to go in the first quarter. By then, the inside-outside attack of China had put them ahead 21-14. By the time Yao returned in the second quarter, however, the U.S. defense had adjusted and Yao was never really a factor. He ended the contest with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. So what's the key to guarding Yao? Wallace and Davis have some advice for the other 27 starting centers in the NBA. First, keep Yao from getting the ball in the box. The United States did a good job of pushing Yao outside, especially in the second half. By the end of the game, Yao spent several possessions standing in the corner, beyond the 3-point line. "The further you make him catch it outside the better," Davis said. "Once he gets the ball in the low post he's tough to guard." Second, make sure your guards put the ball on the floor and take it at Yao. In international play, most teams are so intimidated by Yao that they never get the ball in the paint offensively. That's how he normally stays out of foul trouble. Both Germany and Team USA were much more aggressive, and Yao fouled out of both contests. "Our guards did a good job of attacking him and getting him into foul trouble. That softens him up a bit," Davis said. Finally, if you're a player like Wallace, just use the old-fashioned approach -- keep hammering him on the block until he has no desire to mix it up down low. "We beat him up a little bit," Wallace said. "The more we pushed him, the less fight he put up." While Davis agreed that Yao had a tough time taking the heat in the paint, he said that luxury wouldn't last forever. "Now it works," Davis said with a smile. "But as he gets stronger it won't. I just hope I'm not around to have to deal with him when that happens."
It's a good sign when NBA all stars say they want to be out of the league before a rookie reaches his prime.
I kind of like the bunch of guys we sent for Team USA. They're cocky, but not arrogant. They give credit where it's due. By the way, speaking of tough to guard in the paint, in the ClutchCity.Net Chat Puedlfor and I noticed a sequence where Ben Wallace was fronting Yao Ming about 5-10 feet away from the basket. Ming was tossing Ben around like a rag doll using nothing but those tree trunk legs of his to establish positioning. Ming would put a knee/leg on Wallace and he would just bounce up and forward like he had just gotten hit by a truck. It was unreal - Ben was being manhandled in the post. At that point, I thought the same thing Davis thought - if Ming ever gets upper body strength, he will be immovable until he chooses to move. Shawn Bradley, my ass. Yao's biggest weaknesses during the game were two of the same weaknesses Hakeem had when coming into the league. First, he'll go after anything if it's coming at him. He's going to be in foul trouble a lot if he keeps that up. Instead of standing his ground and taking the charge, he always jumps at the driving player and ends up fouling him. The other problem he has is stamina. He seemed winded early into the first quarter. I don't think we should expect too many minutes from him if Steve and Cat decide to turn the running game up a bit this year. But then I suppose we shouldn't expect too many minutes from Ming this year regardless.
Yao was scary to me. If he would have gotten the ball more then he could have went for 30+. I don't think the guy ever misses. His shot is amazing. I was rooting against China, but I sure did enjoy seeing him stroke that 3 in the first quarter. He does get into foul trouble going after everything, but he will also have Eddie to back him up in the paint. Griffin and Ming down low, Boki/Wink/Cat on the perimeter slashing, this is going to be a great season.
what amused me is that Ben was FRONTING Yao, despite giving up 10-12 inches to our hero that's like Francis fronting Shaq... I don't think Ming was beaten up, but realized he just wasn't going to get the ball
I agree 100%. I love it when players are cocky, but then still give credit to you for a good play. I didn't see the game...family in town. I have to get a tape. Thanks for the recap. So, he dislodged Wallace by nudging him forward with leverage from his legs? The way you describe it, that is patently a foul, but they rarely call it on the offensive player. Glad to hear his legs are strong enough for that.
What is really scary to me is how good he can be with real pros around him. If guards are his problem, DAMN did he get the right team!
Yao is going to be a force. What most impressed me was not his outside shooting which is phenomenal, but when he backed davis down to the basket like he wasn't there and then easily scored. I am not the least bit concerned about Yao's low production and I am only mildly concerned about his foul trouble. Yao needs more touchesin the paint... with the Rockets he will get more. I don't blame the guards solely for Yao not getting the balll (although at times they sucked). The China NT has no concept of spacing at all. They would try to work the ball into Yao but other China players were nearby cluttering up the area... Just a simple clear out would solve this problem... And then the guards would get impatient and instead of passing shoot it. As far as his foul trouble goes, Rudy will soon teach him to stay home more often and take the charge I don't think it will take him more than a few weeks in the NBA for him to understand that concept and he will only get better after that. He has so much to learn and needs more upper body strength along with his strong lower body. (It's not bad now though, He is already as strong or stronger than every center in the NBA with the exception of Shaq.) Team USA is a solid team with many all stars, but if I could pick any player on the court last night to play for the Rockets It would still be Yao. I honestly believe the Rockets WITH YAO could have beaten team USA last night... and the kid is only 21 and only going to get better. He is already a talent and he will only get better and the Rockets will win a championship with him to finish up thier first season in their new arena.
The funny thing is the guards would totally freeze Yao out and the coach did nothing about it. Thats like Rudy letting Matt Maloney and Brice Drew waive off Dream in the paint. It was ridiculous. I don't think the stamina issue is such an issue. Yes he was winded but he way more active than any true in the NBA. He was diving for lose balls, setting picks, running the break, and taking charges. The guy plays with alot of heart. The only true criticism I have is that he doesn't know how to block out at all. If he could only learn how to block out like Larry Smith or Moses Malone, he would average 20 rebounds a game.
That's what I noticed as well. Is it more him or the zone defense (allowing more USA players in there to rebound)? It sure seemed,though,that alot of times he didn't/couldn't block out the guy closest to him. Comments??
I was cheering Yao so loudly that a neighbor must have called the FBI. A couple of suits jumped through my front door yelling at me for supporting the axis of evil. btw, Ming is goooood. It's amazing to watch la creme de la creme pay sooo much attention to him, and get themselves in a position to get blown out. Francis' assists are going to go up by 3pg, easily, just b/c Cato's player won't be able to stand 5-7' off of his man. If Ming's guy isn't playing him like glue, or w/ help, Ming will just hold the ball 8'9" in the air (elbows fetching bent) and shoot it outside of any 7'ers reach. The guy is simply going to be amazing. Boki, catch and shoot, *bling* assist for Francis. Rice, catch and shoot, *bling* assist for Francis. Griffin, catch and shoot, *bling* assist for Francis. All of those compliments that come Francis' way better be passed through Ming first this year. It's going to have about 5% to do w/ keeping ping/pong turnover man on the floor and 95% to do w/ having a real threat on the block. But my... when they step off of ppto-man, whoa. Ming/Francis/Mobley/Griffin/Boki/Cato. God we are going to have a good team.
ESPN, suprisingly didn't rip him, instead they told the TRUTH of what happened. Yao lack of touches and fouls. Good Job ESPN. By the way, you guys all hit the nail on the head about the Yao's strengths and weaknesses, I was thinking the same thing.
Yao definitely needs to learn better rebounding skills, but part of the problem is that he represnented essentially their only inside presence defensively. As a result, he was often out of position for rebounds after attempting blocked shots. Hakeem had the same problem early on, but could compensate a little more for it because of his goalie skills he learned playing soccer. He had a nose for the basketball.
yao ming should learn to box out from mengke bateer and grab more rebound... i wanna see sum alley--oops from fancis to ming
Fouls, rebounding position, and upper body strength are Ming's only weaknesses right now, IMO. The fouls and upper body strength will go away with time and NBA adjustment, not a big concern. I think Jeff is right, in that Yao IS China's defense. Bateer isn't a defensive player, and doesn't block shots. I found the USA playing to put Yao out of position to make a play-fronts and double teams on offense, keeping him away from the ball when he was on defense. I'm interested to see how things go when we put stud shotblocker/rebounder like Griffin next to him, and/or a PG that rebounds at a high rate.
Great post by the way guys, I don't think I can argue with anything said so far. Did anybody see which time RudyT was drooling the most, when Yao got the ball on the side dribbled left inside the paint and passed out to a wide open guard for a 3 or when he took the ball near the corner, put a move on someone to the right this time and left him there, took a couple of strides and passed the ball across the court to another wide open guard for a 3. This guy already has an NBA offensive game. There were also 4-5 times where he had his man down low and was in great position but his guards just couldn't get him the ball. Steve, Cat and Moochie will drool at that big target down low. When the Rockets learn to play team defense to protect him he'll protect them. Because from what I observed of the game when he was in there Team USA played mainly an outside game and as soon as he went out they drove to the basket unmercifully. His biggest adjustment to the NBA will be to look for a pass at all times from his guards. That will be a completely new concept for him with the guards he plays with now. I was just hoping he would hold his own in this game. If this was his mediocre game I'M IMPRESSED. I haven't seen a big big man (7'2 or over) this agile since JABBAR. The sky's the limit for this guy. Rik Smits never had Yao's agility, passing ability or shooting range. Smits could shoot but not from 3 point range. Move over a seat guys because I'm jumping on the bandwagon.
My biggest worry with Yao (not that big) is his conditioning. He is very short-winded. But that can and will be improved by a couple of "suicide drills". After that, we have something special. Not just Yao himself, but with Yao able to run the floor he makes the whole team that muck moe special.
I noticed this, too, and my jaw hit the floor. That's when I really got excited. Seeing Yao calmly sink that turnaround and the 3-pointer really made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. But seeing him toss Wallace around like a red-headed stepchild was the icing on the cake. Is he ready to dominate now? No. But he has the makings to be something unbelievable. This, imho, is an excellent post. And you're right, Doc, it will limit his minutes. The first lesson he has to learn, and I posted this elsewhere, is how to play with the other two or three players on the court in addition to the ones on his own team. I'm talking about the players wearing the ref uniforms. The biggest difference between the NBA of today and the NBA of yesterday is how much the teams pander to the officials. The most consistent offensive play you'll see in games today is the guard or forward driving to the basket attempting to draw the foul. There's nothing else on their mind but trying to draw the foul. If they manage to get a dunk out of it somehow, so much the better...more highlights on ESPN that might lead to another endorsement. Think about it, how often do you change the channel to an NBA game and the play is stopped while someone is at the foul line? I find that I can rarely, if I'm randomly flipping channels, find a NBA game that's actually in progress...and when I do, I need only wait another ten or so seconds before there's another foul called. I blame the Jazz.....but I'm ranting. I think once Yao gains his mid to late 20's strength and learns to play to the officials, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. My major hope is that the Rockets don't try to bring him along too slowly. He's young, he can adapt if he's thrown into the mix and expected to produce. He's used to the pressure. I say let him go, release the Hound, see what he can do. Tell him things to watch for in his own game, so that when he goes up for that ill-advised block attempt and gets whistled, he'll recognize what he did wrong as he did it. He can then change it more readily. I don't want to see him play limited minutes and then leave the game confused as to what went wrong. I say tell him exactly what's going to happen, what he's liable to run into, where he's liable to go wrong. That's how he'll learn, and that's the swiftest way to get him to the point where he'll be able to dominate.
