how is this a hater thread? the thread starter durvasa is one of the most reasonable posters on cf.net.
I don't have problem with the thread. Actually I agree that Yao has probably peaked already. That post is directed at a specfic poster whose screen name is 'rofflesaurus' only. I am not talking about his post in this thread specifically because what he said there is nothing new. He has repeated it at least 30 times before. That's why I said he was so predictable. That idiot is a certified hater. Just read his post history.
How about lets judge at the end of the season? Yao is playing in a new system and playing more minute. If it were still JVG, Yao will most likely avg 25+ point and 10+ rebound with a better record as of now, and playing less minute. I honestly don't get why Yao is playing more minute then last year this early in the season, especially considering the new system require more movement. ps, If Yao don't brother going after the rebound, and doing layup during the last quarter, it mean hes TIRED, not lazy! Yao shouldn't playing more then 35 minute during the regular season.
5 pts more isnt 70%, given the volume of shots Yao takes. A good number of his shots cannot really be defended. If he makes them as he has in the past, a 5 point increase is possible.
A PG must have the ability to penetrate, score from outside and handle the ball well qithout TO. Look at SAS, if Tony Parker is very good in penetrating and score even though they have TD. That's why it is important when your centre is off or fronted or triple team, a PG can still score by penetrating if his outside shooting is off. All good shooters will have off/slump in their shooting and PG can cannot penetrate is just not godd enough. Nash can score from outside and penetrate. I do not consider a PG good if he cannot penetrate.
his fg% has been hovering around 51% the last two seasons, his breakout seasons. considering he's starting to take midrange shots this season, it's almost certain his overall fg% will drop. he's at 50.6% so far this season so i would argue he shoots as accurate as he has in the past. he needs to take more shots and get to the line more if he's to score 5 more points.
what are the shots that yao is missing now that he wasn't in the past? we are trying to tell you that yao is basically in line with his career fg%.
No, you said middle of the pack, those guys are where Yao belongs, at the TOP of the pack of number 1 picks. Which is exactly my point. DD
Perhaps. But if you want to base it on box score stats, say using PER, then on average players tend to peak at about age 27. There are of course exceptions. Also, peaking physically means different things, depending on the context. For instance, for tennis players, ages 28-32 certainly is not when players are at their physical peak. It depends on the physical skills we're talking about. In basketball, players rely on quickness and agility a lot. I would say most players are better, physically, at age 27 than age 30. Most would probably prefer their age 25 bodies as well.
Half the season would be 41 games. Last year he played 48 and averaged 25 and 9. The year before he played 57 games and averaged 22 and 10. So he has played more then half of the last two seasons. He has sustained those numbers, and did so in games where he wasnt at full strength while trying to get his conditioning and feel back. There is no doubt he can keep those numbers up for a season. That being said, he may not do it this year because of the new offense and how he is clearly struggling with it right now. Also, JVG made it a focus to have Yao deep where he can score, but RA does not. Im not saying one is better then the other, just that with RA, I dont think Yao puts up the same scoring numbers.
Physically, Yao's game has peaked. He has all the right tools. But mentally, he could still use some growing. It's the only thing holding him back. Last year, before he was hurt, he started to show his, "You can't Effin stop me" mentality but we don't see that much anymore. I don't know if it's the new offense or what but I want that Yao Ming back. He needs to be more aggressive. That doens't just mean his has to try to dunk everything. But he needs to be more selfish, take more shots and call for the ball more often. He passes everytime he's doubled when he could still score on them. I cringe everytime Yao doesn't get at least 20 FGA per game.
I think Yao will be a very small notch below Patrick Ewing. Thats the player I most see him resembling. Which is not that bad. I can't remember Ewing never choking in a big game. Even against Olajuwon, he out rebounded Dream in the Finals. Ewing was a big time player. He averaged 28pts in a season. I think Ewing is a better rebounder than Yao and maybe about the same when it comes to offense. What Ewing didn't have and Yao DOES have is a player of T-Macs ability. Which is why when Ewing kept running in to Jordan, they could just quadruple team him and let Starks keep shooting those damn bricks!
I think Yao is nearing his peak. I think he still has a little room to improve. I don't think he'll ever be one of the greatest centers of all time, but I think he still has a little bit to go and can becom juuuust a tad better. Mainly I think his awareness can sharpen up a little more.
I really don't see the point of arguing about the "peak".. On paper, Tmac peaked several years ago, but that won't change the fact he is a better player now.. (barring injuries)
There are a couple of reasons why the centers of the 90's ( Olajuwon, Shaq, Ewing, Robinson), had better numbers than Yao and could lead their team without a dominant guard or forward. 1.) The new zone rules. If Any of those centers listed above had to deal with the zones that Yao faces today, they wouldn't be nearly as dominant. They would have 2 players on them before they had the ball. Hakeem had nightmares playing against the Seattle defense which was close to a zone (illegal defense back then). That took him out of his rythem. Those centers would most likely have to score much more on face up jumpers 15 ft away from the basket (not Shaq). The game has changed from a post dominated slow down game to a more up tempo perimeter game. 2.) The make up of the team was different in the 90's when you had a dominant center. Olajuwon, Ewing, and Robinson proved they could lead their teams deep into the Playoffs if they had the right type of players around them. Hakeem always had 3 point shooters who could always deliver and do other things on the court to help a team win. Just look at the 94 championship team. All of those centers had deadly 3 point shooters on their teams and playmakers. Penny Hardaway did help Shaq a lot and Drexler did in 95, but other than that, those teams focal points were the dominant center and a bunch of 3 point shooters so that defenses would pay for double teaming. With the current Rockets, the team is not just centered around Yao. This is supposed to be a more complete team, since we have 2 scorers. Battier is our defensive stopper. Hayes and Scola are to be rebounders and scrappy players. Alston is supposed to the distributor. Mike James should be our "spark off the bench". Bonzi is our slasher, physical player scorer off the bench, and Luther Head is our 3 point specialist. Unfortanately a lot of these roles are not panning out the way Morey and Adelman and the fans envisioned it to work out. However Changes have been made, and hopefully that will result in more success. The point I'm trying to make is that, if Yao had a team structured like the 94 Rockets team, which had deadly 3 point shooting which showed up every night, and if he didn't have the 2nd best shooting guard in the league, he would be putting up better numbers, but luckily he doesn't have to. Those centers back then could do that because of the defensive rules, and a lot of times had to because they were the main playmakers on their team, whether it was scoring or passing out of a double team for an open 3 or a slashing player. We have a luxury in Tmac, why not take advantage of that?
In this day and age in the NBA, it is very hard to rely on a big man alone to get you success. How successful were the Magic when it was just Dwight Howard? Since Rashard Lewis came, the Magic are a much more complete team for today's NBA. The same could be said about Chris Bosh in Toronto. You either need a dominant guard or small forward if not more than one (Kobe, Lebron, Dwade, AI & Carmelo) or you need a big man with a all star calibur guard or small forward (Yao & Tmac, Nash, Stoudamire, Marion, Boozer & Williams, Howard & Lewis, The Big 3 in Boston and San Antonio). Without a team structured like this, a team has no chance of getting anywhere in the NBA, so it doesn't make any sense for people to expect Yao to win games when he's out there by himself when Tmac is injured. KG couldn't do that in Minnasota by himself for 3 or 4 years. The NBA is too talented now that you need 2-3 star players on your team. That wasn't the case in the 90's, when one All star could lead your team to 50 plus wins with ease.
