HOUSTON WE NEED A LEADER. Ok for those of you who have ever read anything I've said I've typically been a Yao only fan. I've ripped francis for a long time (still consistent in that) but I've not said much negative about Yao. I figured he needed time to adjust. but this is getting sick. I'm a YAO only fan, or at least I was, but what is going on. This guy is just too soft. I wanna know why we haven't gotten a court thug for him to battle with in practice. I'm not saying we need to bring eddie back but bring somebody that's physical in. Come on, cato might be the most phsical player he practices against. THIS GUY IS TOO SOFT. And I don't want to hear oh he's better facing the basket. B.S. He's freaking 7'6 he should be attacking the basket. And now for my gripe about Francis. He's always smiling. I don't get it. I think we need somebody (and this doesn't mean Francis has to go either) on the team who gets in peoples faces. We need some real emotions. Remember Mario Elie? Who's our Elie? Jackson? I don't really see a leader anywhere on our team and I think that explains our inconsistent play. You think about it and go through our lineup. Francis - everything has come to him pretty easily since he got to the league. Mobley - since his 2nd year he hasn't had to scrap much for pt or anything he's pretty much played 30 or min a game since then. Jackson - the possible exception in the rotation he has bumped around a little, and surely that's not because he's a great leader, though he seems to have matured alot. Piatowski - he might just be happy to have 20 wins before game 80 of the season. No seriously I just don't consider him a leader. He's used to losing cause he was stuck in the tarpit known as clipper-land. Taylor - come on another example of what happens to people in clipper - land he's soft, not agressive and doesn't seem to motivated out on the court. 6-9 235 and only 5 rebounds in almost 30 mins a game? come on now. Boki - really come on now, just doesn't seem to be hungry. Yao - he spends the off season playing guys 6-6 or shorter with few exceptions. He's amazingly gifted but lacks any hunger it seems. This guy should be throwing down 4 - 5 times a game. and 9 boards in unacceptable. This guy should be fighting for the ball. How are you 7'6 and not dominating the boards. Part of that problem is he shoots so far away from the basket. If he was gonig to the basket (as in attacking) he might get more rebounds just off his own misses. I'm sick of hearing how we're tomorrows team. We're just not hungry. That's why physical teams kill us. I think we need somebody with a mean streak to come to h-town. I thought I hated Rasheed cause he's a head case, but that guy does come to play night in and night out. Maybe some of our nice guys could help him out a little and he can help ours out. I want Barkley back. I want Mario. I dont' want a freak. I want somebody who plays with emotion. And then we bring in Ewing? Ewing? the last 8 years of the career he played... well like yao does. he faced up and shot the ball... hmm wonder why yao doesn't go down low enough. Don't bring in a worn down weatherspoon get me a real force. Somebody who has that mean streak. Mike
I look at the Spurs. Tim Duncan doesn't really have a mean streak. He plays mean at times dunking in people's faces, but he doesn't just verbally attack his teammates because most of them play like professionals that they are. Bruce Bowen is a quiet guy. Tony Parker is a quiet guy. Malik Rose? Maybe. Ginobli is not a mean guy. Rasho? Not a mean guy. I don't think a mean streak is needed if everyone plays the part they are given. Yao is not a mean guy. I believe most of a person's personality is developed during childhood. Yao is way past childhood. Will Rocket fans be satisfied if Yao plays the part of complementary player? It seems that everyone wants him to be a Shaq. Shaq was always aggressive. I remember when he was drafted by the Magic. He knew he was a bad ass, and he played like a bad ass. I think Yao can be one of the most versatile big men to play in this league. He sets great picks. He's a good outside shooter. He plays excellent defense in the paint. He does what the team asks of him and not what he asks of the team. If Rockets management doesn't want him to be this kind of player, they might as well trade him to a team that won't try to change his game and his personality. The same thing can be said for Steve in reverse. I think he moreso than Yao wants to take over the game. Changing Steve into a passive guard is bad strategy.
I agree; the Spurs have so much chemistry. They don't have much flare on the team, but their determination is their fire. As for Yao, I don't necessarily want him to be Shaq, but I do expect at least a a KareemAbdulJabbar-esque style from him. Right now he's at the level of Boy George. I exaggerate, but when I watch the games, Yao CAN'T GET A REBOUND. Most effective rebounders get up and grab the ball with 2 hands. Yao always goes up with one hand and the effect is to tip it to himself for an easy rebound or tip it to someone on his team. If he goes up with 2 hands for the ball, he tries to grab it, but he fumbles it or waits for it to drop too low before grabbing it with 2 hands. The end result is that a skinny 6-6 guy like Ginobili beats him out for a simple rebound. (You guys know exactly which highlight I'm talking about, but I've seen this MULTIPLE times in non-highlights during games.) Man, Yao needs to get up on the boards and RIP THAT SH*T DOWN WITH TWO HANDS. BE A MOTHERF*CKING MOTHERF*CKER!!! As for the rest of his game, Yao could be _lethal_ if he had a reliable, consistent hook shot that was effective up to 10-15 feet away. Anyone remember the days of "sky-hook"? Remember how effective that was? Now put that on a lanky 7-6 guy with a team of shooters & slashers right behind him, and you've got a championship. His rebounding is way too soft, his game is only a little too soft.
I actually think Cato's an excellent player for Yao to match up with in practice. I'd just like to add an aggressive big man more suitable to play alongside Yao in the frontcourt than Cato, despite Cato's strong play. I wonder if the Rockets will attempt to acquire KMart this offseason...
If I had said we have no agression would you agree with me? Maybe that's what I should have said because we certainly don't have any of that. Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but Duncan is a nice guy no question. Do you want to be betwen him and a rebound? Yao is 7'6 He's Mister fundamental, and he doesn't mind physical contact. He plays undercontrol but he's certainly agressive. Yao just isn't. He gives up on rebounds too early, he doesn't seem to get to them unless they bounce to him. Even then he has them stripped. I'm not asking Yao to get in anyone's face I'm asking CD to bring someone who will. Francis had no problem talking ish to atkins the other night, but when's the last time you saw him get in somebodies face for making a stupid pass? For getting a stupid foul, or doing something stupid on the court. I'll agree with the point that the Spurs have chemistry no question, but they are also agressive. I just have a hard time drafting a guy who's 7'6 with skills with the number one pick to be a complementary player. Especially when we've seen flashes of what could be. I've seen him fight for a rebound, on occasion, just not enough. Like I said he takes that little turn around and fades away... WHY?... It doesn't make sense. You're 7'6. If nothing else you create a little contact and might get fouled, but you're in a much better position to get the rebound. It seems to me like he's just shying away from contact. Kmart btw would be an interesting pickup. Mike
Mike, you beat me to it. I was going to reply to Charvo too. "Mean" doesn't necessarily equal "meanness." It's about aggressiveness and hunger. Yao lacks both. Duncan is a "nice guy." But at least he plays with aggressiveness and hunger. It was Robinson that was accused of being "soft." Never Duncan. People confuse "nice guy" with "soft on the court." They don't always go hand in hand. Yao is soft off-court, and soft on-court. He's nice guy, even when someone DUNKS IN HIS FACE! "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
I hear the #1 pick for the 2004 draft may be a 6'11'' high school kid with a lot of potential like Garnett. Maybe he's the aggressive big man the Rocket fans want. Like I said before, converting someone's personality is a futile task. This isn't like putting in another program into a computer. If Rockets management wants to trade Yao for the upcoming #1 draft pick, I guarantee you that any single team that gets that #1 pick will trade it in a heartbeat maybe not because of the talent but mainly because of the money. b****ing about a guy's personality saying he isn't aggressive and should be serves no purpose. I do not think Yao will turn aggressive because a bunch of fans say he should be. Van Gundy is finding out the hard truth too. You can't easily convert Steve into a passive guard, and you can't easily turn Yao into an aggressive big man. Hey...it's America. It's a free country. Most players don't stay with the same team their whole careers. Why b**** about a player's personality when a trade is the best way to solve this supposed problem?
Or we could cut Yao some slack since it's his second year and see if he blossoms into a great player or just remains a very good big man. Nah, that would be stupid. Let's trade him.
To be completely honest, lately, I've gotten the feeling we can do with or without trading Yao. But the attention and support that Yao generates by having so many fans makes it impossible to imagine a businessman (Les) trading him. You can't blame him one bit, because he's doing his job, but that's just my opinion I guess.
If you want a mean streak bring in Charels Oakley, Kevin Willis, and Rick Mahorn as Coach. Those mfers were the dirtiest SOBs ever to play. Karl Malone and Dirty Pasty WHITE Stockton belong on the list as well. F them.
Did I promote trading him? If it was his 5th or sixth year in the league I would have said trade him but it is his second. That's why I suggested signing a "mean/AGRESSIVE" player. I truely believe that the vets on the team will have a huge influence on him. And believe me, I'm on of the peopel who has made excuses for Yao up until now. Its not a matter of changing his personality either. I know plenty of nice guys who won't let you get between them and the ball when its coming off of the board. As I said earlier we don't need someone who is dirty just somebody with that mean streak. But hell I'll take an enforcer if that's what it takes. Mike
