If Yao can learn one thing from Deke, TO USE ELBOW TO PROTECT THE BALL, the Deke trade will be a successful one. That will cut Yao's turnovers to half and make smaller players hesitating to double or triple him.
Yeah, that's very important actually. Yao is VERY turnover prone for a Center, and if he can learn this from Deke, it will go a long way in scaring off the half-ass attempts at swiping the ball.
Anyone watch Yao at the summer games? He was swinging them arms like CRAZY at everyone...I hope he has it down now
the only thing yao can learn from deke right now is that learning english is very important. i guarantee after listening to deke talk yao is going to step his english up so that other wont give him the look that he will be giving deke when he speaks..
I agree that Mutumbo can teach Yao subtle things that go a long way. Keeping elbows high to protect the ball on offense and after rebounds is one. Also, Yao could learn some of Mutumbo's shot blocking tactics, like being more patient, using his large body, and keeping his hands up more. IMO Mutumbo and Ewing are two of the better models I can think of for Yao to make subtle improvements with a big impact. Two guys who got the most out of their physical abilities to be outstanding centers (they were no Hakeem, Shaq, Wilt, Kareem or Robinson in athletic ability) and played to their strengths.
I think Desert Scar hit the nail on the head. Both Ewing and Mutumbo were very effective shot blockers without having the athleticism of guys like Hakeem and Robinson. If Mutumbo can teach Yao to get the most out of his shot blocking ability it would be a big plus.
Do you guys think Yao learned alot from Ewing? I personally thought that Yao's improvement last year was mostly from the offense and defense JVG ran..
Yao got better. You have to give Ewing some credit. If we bring in Zo that would complete the G-town triangle and unleash his power.
See I don't think Zo could offer much. Zo basically relied on his athleticism on offense and defense, Ewing and Deke had to play with much more savvy and technique.
And Zo's constant effort and fabulous conditioning, that really maximized his abilities. He would do windsprints after practice and practically live in the weight room. Not sure that's stuff you can really teach. It's more of your own work ethic.
I don't see how throwing elbows will cut down on Yao's turnovers significantly. Yao's turnovers are primarily from two areas: 1) Once he starts dribbling he gets stripped from an opposing guard running a blind double team. Definitely, Yao needs to play a little more physical so that guards around the league start to learn that they could get banged on their way over, but throwing elbows is pretty impossible when dribbling. 2) Sometimes Yao gets flustered when they run a triple team and passes out to the wrong spot or to no one at all. I definitely think Deke can help, though, by teaching him some shot-blocking technique and teaching him rebounding technique, which includes using your elbows and keeping the ball up so it isn't stripped.
Can't remember who said things like this " great players are not like anyone else". So Yao is just Yao, not Hakeem, Ewing, Deke, or a mixture of them. Sure he had learned a lot from Ewing and will from Deke, but all you can see is Yao derive from those skills and blends into his own signature move. One thing that I am sure of is Yao will show more aggressive in the coming season, which is really nice for us.
Word. Yao still bites on pump fakes way too much. If he could learn to do that, he'd be unstoppable on defense.
