When any defender gets position to front they pull and yank on Yao's shoulders and arms to get into position. Then when they're in position they lean with their full weight and entangle their arms so Yao can't move. What the heck? A defensive player is not allowed to impede the progress of an offensive player outside of the ball handler, but they're allowed to stand there and push and shove to keep Yao standing still? Every time he tried to move they just had guys clog up in front of him. Is the defense allowed to set screens? Cause that sure as hell is what they were doing to keep him from reposting. I guarentee if Yao used the same means to get his position back he would be called for a foul immeditately. I'm just freaking irritated. Someone who knows the ruls better please enlighten me.
Yeah, they let guys abuse Yao we just have to get used to it. Adelman should get used to it too. When guys are fronting Yao bring him out and use guys like Wafer, Lowry, and Brooks, get those guys to the basket. They should pay for fronting Yao on the rebounding and help defense, we don't make them pay because when they front him the whole team acts like they don't know what's going on.
Why couldn't they try to lob the ball to Yao even when he's being fronted. Lob it over Yao's man ...it might not work but if you don't try it often...how the hell you know it ain't work...it works with Shaq i know that because Shaq has better footwork and strength...but i don't know if it work with Yao, they never really give it much chance. Have Scola stay above the free throw line so his man can't cheat on Yao.
Ok I understand swipes at the ball under the basket and even two hands in back to some extent. But Miller and Noah were flat out putting their full weight and lower body strength directly into Yao and tangling his arms. I was wondering why he wasn't just rotating to the other side of the court and I realized..he couldn't. If the refs aren't going to play by the rules I say we send a message and deck a guy.
I don't know the rules but if you used the word "abuse" I guess such action is illegal defense. In this regard, I think (i) Rox management should DVD all those and make a complaint to the NBA Office. and simultaneously, assuming that such complaint is ineffective: (ii) Coach Adelman should construct a game plan for the team to deal with the "Fronting Yao" problem. And he needs to treat that as a matter of urgency. We approaching playoff time real quick.
to the op - this is really an ancient topic. also where it makes absolutely no sense. 2 problems - for one, you breathe in the neck of a guard, it's a foul but big men "are always whistled differently". and then, though no one will admit it, yao is even whistled MUCH MORE differently. defenders can mule him all they want, yet when yao touches them it's an offensive foul. and unfortunately for us, yao will never deck anyone.
It just boils down to the fact that he's terrible at catching lob passes. In all the years I've been watching him, it's just very rare for him catch it and convert. The pass pretty much has to be perfect too. Then factor in the guy behind him, and the pressure on the ball. Tonight the pressure on the guards is what killed us. When under duress, AB did not seem comfortable taking the ball to a spot where he could feed Yao.
Yeah I know. I just don't understand how they can see a guy literally 5 ft in of them wrestling with Yao and not think, "hmm..it seems as though he may doing something illegal" Meanwhile Rose and Gordon are jumping into our defenders and getting calls. I don't care if it's Yao, but I want blood the next time this happens. It is a disgrace to the game.
yao fumbles sometimes. but i don't think he'd fumble much with a lob. he's had problems with low or bounce passes at the height of his shin, but not the lob. they just need to practice it more often. but yao does charge into the next defender. i can remember he's done this a few times. but then if there is another guy at his back (loosely), they should be able to find other ways to score.
Refs ALWAYS try to CONTROL the game. They usually exert an influence by blowing whistles on the team which has the leading score. That make the solution happens.
i agree, though not many nowadays think things that way, in terms of the integrity of the game. (maybe not blood, it's too inappropriate for kids and tv, you know. but i'm sure some broken ribs will quickly teach guys lessons - since the refs won't make the right calls.)
He can't catch the lob because he's being tied up. Try catching a basketball when you have someone who weighs 250 pounds pushing into you with all their weight. Yao's a clumsy person, but I'm pretty sure this only hinders his coordination. What we need to do is have Yao detach from his defender and run straight across the court to repost and swing the ball real fast. Of course if they have there guys just conveiently blocking him from doing this like today anyways it won't matter. If I were Rick Adelman I would be ejected from every game until I get results from this.
Or, if your willing to go there, some crotch shots when no ones looking could do the trick. Or give the defender a wedgie. He's practically already in his pants as it is.
We just gotta make them pay for fronting. When fronting a player you can't help defensively(if Yao boxed out) and you have no inside rebounding position. If we don't make them pay then they are going to continue to do it, we can't expect the refs to fix anything. Our coaches have been complaining to the league for years, if they haven't got it by now they will never get it and it's time we adjust.
another good point. man don't we think alike... i doubt adelman has the same passion of jvg or other young coaches to do this. and honestly, i feel the organization has done a poor job to ask for justice. just sending tapes to the league is not enough. and this is not only for yao's sake, it's more for the team's sake. to accept the sad reality as is and to stop fighting injustice are loser's mentality if you ask me.
I clearly saw Miller was grabbing Yao's left arm. the officials were right behind they must have seen that
Just don't hold the damn basketball and try to force feed inside to yao!! Swing it around on the outside let yao reestablish his position on the other side and now he is posted UP then pass it from the other end. Often this team's offense becomes so predictable and stagnant, where's all the flow ~~~~??
He tried to on several occaisions. But he gets grabbed, bumped, and pushed all the way so that by time he reaches that position his defender is ready to maul him again to establish the fronting defense. I agree about having to find other options, but this is absurd. Our bread and butter is going to Yao down the stretch, but we have that taken away from us because Yao get's penalized for being big. You know one thing that I think has a lot to do with it. The fronters don't exactly try to hide it. They're doing it in plain site and everyone sees it. Perhaps the refs think it must not be illegal if the players make no attmept to keep it hidden. They don't want to make the call because they think they might be wrong. If that's true they should all be fired for being incompetent. I think it's fair to point out that a lot of bigs struggle with this. I've seen Shaq get fronted the exact same way, but he's a big enough bully to push his guy out of the way and get the ball. Of course Yao would get called for that, but whatevs
we can learn from Laker's triangle offense; Upon fronting on Yao, immediately set Scola up to free throw line and nonstoply bounce pass or just lob it over Yao's guy, there will be enough open space for Yao to attack the rim directly. I still he has his touch and instinct on basketball, and he can catch it well too, only when there is not a lot of physical contact with him or fighting for position which could easily make him off balance and screw any movement he could ever possibly do.
the best solution to this is to move the ball around so as a defender they can't wait for a pass. If yao is being fronted at one end of the paint, then he should back off and go to the other end as the ball is being swinged leaving the guy thats fronting him at his back and with a quick entry pass there's no way for that guy to have already established his def position. Also maybe then scola (since he has that little jumper) should set a pick or spread the floor out better to prevent centers and pfs all clobbered in the center grabbing and blocking yao while he is moving...
