Here we are, once again in the stretch drive to make the playoffs. Here we are once again on a three game losing streak. Here we are once again with our "franchise level" center becoming invisible just as we need him the most. And once again, we all know who's getting and will get the blame. Steve. Three straight bad games in a row just when we need Yao to carry us the most, and all people want to talk about is Steve messed up a fast break or Steve missed a shot. And it's not like Yao is facing swarming defenses. Teams are playing him straight up or maybe applying soft doubles. Three straight clunkers. Just like last year. And the only thing we here is, "Well if we got rid of Steve, we could win a championship." Or "If we surrounded Yao with players like Dream had, we would be contenders." I beg to differ. And if you replace Yao with a secnd year Hakeem, this team would be title contenders now. I will readily admit that Yao has improved this year. But I still think that we are REALLY jumping the gun by annointing him the savior before he proves it. Consistently. And he can start by LEADING thins team on a winning streak going into the playoffs. If we are going to build a team around Yao, we should hold him to at least as high a standard as we do Steve. We should be just as critical and demanding of Yao as we are of Steve. Yao has basically completed two full NBA seasons. No more excuses. At this point, Yao is what his production and output say he is. Bottom line.
Here they go again on their own Lottery's the only word they've ever known They'll lose and then in April they'll go home They know what it means To underachieve and crush all of their fans' dreams...
Yes, lets talk about production defining a player. 3-game losing streak has had Yao shooting 46 to 47% -- well below his averages. This is definitely a big reason for the losing. But the difference between Yao and Steve is this is a slump for Yao. For Steve this is the norm. He is shooting 30% in these three games on 17+ attempts. You do the math. This is like a guy at work hiding under the strong skills of a co-worker, getting fat, happy and well-paid, and as soon as the strong worker doesn't get the results of two anymore..... well, who would you be upset with more?
Clutch; nice analogy...very cool usage....Francis's insistence to complain about officiating and to blow fast breaks consistently is a footnote to his season! A-Train: was this a hycoo?
Here you go again, you are no where to be found when we lost to Phx with Yao's 29pts, 19reb, 6 blocks while SF shot 3-15. Here you go again, you disappeared when Yao averaged 24pts 11 rebs in that 5 games winning streak. Here you go again, you reemerged with no surprise when Yao only had 2 bad games while SF continues his horrible shooting night in and night out. Man, I don't want to see you post again.
Here we are, once again, to witness somebody who kick Yao's ass when the team is down, and zip his lips when the team is winning.
To me, Yao is just a much of a blame as Francis. He is as inconsistent as Francis as well. One night he is all world and the next he is lunchmeat. Sure he has stepped his game up somewhat in the last 20 games but he is still inconsistent and he turns the ball over alot as well. He had what 5 to's last night. Francis alot of the criticism but Yao needs to share in the wealth as well. And can we buy the guy some oxygen? He seems like he is about to pass out after about 5 minutes. How is he going to carry a team when can't even be on the floor without passing out or fouling out?
I agree with Clutch - Yao is having a couple of off nights - Francis is having an off season. I just wish that Francis and Mobley would SHUT UP with the refs - I mean just SHUT UP (period)! Van Gundy will take care of the complaining - I heard that one reason he has not gotten many techs is because SF3 and Cat keep doing all the complaining. Oakley needs to tell them to BE QUIET and SHUT UP
I have a feeling the Rockets are going to choke in the run to make the playoffs. I hope they proof me wrong. 100% Steve is gone by next season, anyone wanna bet on that ?
I think we would all agree that Yao is the focus of this team, right? Yao is the guy we are building around. Yao is the one we are hitching our wagon to. Yao is the one who is supposed to lead us to lead us to a ring. Steve is just supposed to be the sidekick. Steve is supposed to just fit in. He's not the star of this team anymore. It's not Steve's team. It's Yao's team. I think we can all agree. Well, part of the responsibility of being "The Man" is that it is your duty and responsibility to come up big when the team needs you and carry your team to important wins. Also, part of being the man is that if the team fails, it rests squarely on your shoulders. The Suns didn't win a ring. No one blamed Majerle or KJ. It was Barkley who couldn't lead his team to a ring because he was "The Man" on that team. You can't give a guy credit for all the wins but absolve him for any blame in the losses. Steve is KJ to Yao's Barkley. Whether Steve or KJ played well or not, it was still on Yao or Barkley to pull the team over the hump. This is what life will be like when we surround Yao with shooters and role players. We will live and die with his production. It's all on him now. Yao came up huge during the stretch of games with Dallas, LA, and Minnesota. But he has to do it EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. And when he doesn't we can't keep babying him. We need to get on his case the same way we do Steve's.
lol. why am I not surprised to see jungie here... man... I should seriously consider starting to use ignore list.
Sometimes I wonder, how Juugie can't see that he's arguing with the whole board (not just the YOFs). He must be more stupid than I thought.
I'm a big supporter of Van Gundy. I rejoiced when we signed him, I love his demeanor, his pessimism, his "no excuses" attitude. I love that he's a tough guy but also has this self-deprecating wit. I love that every one of his ex-players thinks the world of him. I love that he's a workaholic. But last week, something shook my faith. I'm referring to the infamous "Napalm" analogy. (For those who missed it on the Suns telecast, he gave the team a thorough lesson on how napalm works, explaining that once it's ignited it spreads and grows until it destroys everything. Or something like that. He said that if they lose against the Suns, things could spiral out of control and they could go on a long, long losing streak). And sure enough he was right---against the Suns they seemed to lose their mojo, came out flat against the Warriors, and then continued the slide by crumpling against the Kings. To what extent is Van Gundy prescient, and to what extent did he declare a self-fulfilling prophecy? Could he have poisoned the team with a negative attitude? I wonder if for the past few games, the Rockets have forgot about winning, and instead focused on not losing. Edited to add -- Oops, I thought I was in the playoff thread. Probably out of place here, apologies. Also, for what it's worth, I do think we'll make the playoffs, and I am still a huge fan of Van Gundy. I was just wondering if anyone else was second-guessing the motivational tactics of napalm.
Hi MFW2310, Once again, I won't respond to your name calling personal attacks. I just wanted to ask you a question. How can you give Yao all the credit for the Rockets' success yet none for their setbacks? Is Yao capable of bearing any responsibility in your eyes. And the reason why i posted this thread is because after three losses and three bad games by Yao, there wasn't a single thread discussing Yao's declining play. Just a bunch of threads picking out mistakes Steve made during the games and threads blaming the refs. Then I post a thread basically saying that if Yao wants to be "The Man" then he needs to play like "The Man" Why is this so threatening to you and other YOF's? How can you expect an organization to build a team around someone but not hold him to a high standard? Don't you think it's logical and fair that are just as critical of a player as you are complimentary? Is it fair that when Yao goes off for 30 and 20 that there are 1000 posts talking about how he will dominate the league, but when he lets the team down three games in a row and someone has the unmitigated gall to call him on it, you're upset? You haven't offered any explanations as to why Yao shouldn't be blamed (and no, "Steve Sux" isn't an adequate explanantion). So I just want to know why is it that you believe every other player in the NBA can be criticized except Yao Ming?
i cant wait til we trade steve so i never have to sit here and read through your garbage. and this isnt "Yao's team" until francis is gone. francis still hasn't come to terms with handing over the reigns. Yao is God. francis sucks. get over it.
