Link to Jason's excellent writing The key bits on Yao: Last Friday the Rockets received good news about Yao Ming’s latest injury when it was discovered that the area around the surgically-repaired part of the big man’s left foot was fine and that Yao is simply suffering from a deep bone bruise to his ankle. The 7-time All-Star center returned to practice Sunday and though he has not been cleared for on-court drills yet, he’s shooting free throws to keep his shooting touch and training on a gravity-controlled treadmill in an effort to maintain his conditioning. When the medical release was revealed last Friday, it said Yao was slated to be out at least two more weeks. How anxious is he to return? Yao says he’s not just counting down the days, but rather “counting the hours. On Cbud: Perhaps most surprising has been the start of sweet-shooting Chase Budinger, who’s followed up a rookie campaign which saw him hit 37 percent from beyond the arc by connecting on only 5 of his first 31 shots from distance for a meager 16.1 percent. The second-year swingman from Arizona is taking shots wherever he can find them these days – before practice, after practice, etc. – in an effort to bust out of the slump which has, not surprisingly, started to adversely effect his confidence. “When you have slumps like this, you are kind of hesitant or you’re wishing the ball will go in instead of knowing it’s going in,” says Budinger. “Some of them I feel like they’re going in and just hitting every part of the rim and coming out. I just have to get that confidence back to where I just let it fly and know that it’s going in, instead of just wishing it will go in.” ------------------------------------- Click the link for the rest of the article. DD
I thought Chase was just coming around with his shot before his ankle sprain. I would bet he'd be his normal self by now if it wasn't for it. re: Yao - No expectations = No comment I read elsewhere that Nash will probably stay out until they get back to AZ. Good for us, I guess. (I guess???? Boy, doesn't that tell you how I'm feeling about hope )
watching that video of the Battier interview, seeing Bud brick all his shots in the background doesn't look good...
Same for Kyle...both need to shoot their way out of this.....the only shot that has no chance of going in, is the one not taken. DD
Kyle will never shoot his way outta it because he's never been a good shooter Chase on the other hand will snap outta it eventually (I hope), because i still believe
cbud needs to keep shooting b/c he's a great shooter. he'll get out of this slump. lowry is a mediocre shooter. he cannot keep shooting jumpshots, but instead try to go to the line and get his rhythm from there. no more jumpers, all in the paint.
So...Yao's still hurt and should return within the same timeframe reported a week ago. Cbud is practicing more since he's suckin it up lately. Excellent writing? Hmmm.
Good news on Yao and Chase, thanks DD... I really do like our guys, each and every one, I just wish they were better two-way basketball players. In my humble opinion, we need a "crazy" on this roster. A two-way player that exudes confidence and intimidation. A player that will put his foot in our asses when we need it most. Calvin Murphy, Vernon Maxwell, Dikembe Mutombo, Ron Artest, etc... Ideally, this player is also expiring, so we still maintain flexibility next year If we need to rebuild. I think Wilson Chandler is a guy that can start, and be developed into this kind of player. He can shoot the 3, drive to the rim, defend, block shots, rebound... I think he can be had for a reasonable deal, too. He is not as cap killing as Wallace/Jackson/Iguodala, but could be an even better fit for our system. Most importantly, he is a fantastic 1 on 1 player. His ability to create his own shot could make him special.
Wait?... Yao isn't having his leg surgically removed and replaced with a bionic one? What a cruel world we live in... All in all great news. We need to use this as momentum. We can do it.
The Suns' poor defense should help Budinger have a big shooting night. In fact, I expect more than a few Houston players to shoot well tonight. I don't think the Suns even have a third-string point guard. So if Nash sits and Dragic starts, Ishmael Smith and the second unit really have to step up and beat the Phoenix backups. There's really no reason why they shouldn't.
wonder what scrub is gonna go "larry bird" on us tonight? You know it's going to happen. I guess it comes down to which defense sucks less.
