a player can still be great and be labeled passive. the admiral always had that moniker attached to him. But i think people mistake yaos quiet nature with being passive. Especially after last year. The man gets beat up on every play and never backs down from a challenge. In my book, thats not passive. However, having said all that, yao still does not assert himself every night but he has been getting better and i have no doubt he will continue to improve that.
I don't get the sensistivity about Jon's comment. He is an NBA player, he played with him, and posts his honest opinion that Yao would have more impact if more aggressive. People say Robinson and Garnett were/are not selfish enough. Kobe and (maybe) Tmac too selfish or at least not getting players behind them. That Barkley didn't play enough defense or condition enough. That Karl Malone is a big pansy in big situations (finals). That Tim D is boring. So freaken what. If Yao wins a championship and puts up 30-13-3 people may still say he could be even more if...if..if. What matters is the hardware, hopefully Yao has a thicker skin than some of you guys.
I agree. There's no reason to flip out over JB's comments. Yao will continue to be criticized, just like every other star in the NBA is. Hell even Shaq was labeled as a lazy bum (which he is) for not working out during the offseason, and the man has won four championships. The truth is Yao's game does not require him to be extremely aggressive like Shaq. He relys on turn arounds and hooks that are nearly impossible to stop when he's got position down low. I didn't get to watch much of Yao's rise to greatness last season, but from what I've watched in the WC's, Yao is due for an amazing season.
perhaps you're reading a little more into it than is actually there... ...or pehaps you're over-sensitive to criticism of Jon Barry. Hopefuly, JB has thicker skin than some of you guys.
I dont see who's flipping out. It annoys me. I don't mind if Yao receives criticism, but when people keep saying the same tired thing even after Yao has made huge strides in that area, it gets old. It's like if Shaq started hitting 75% from the line, and everyone kept harping on his freethrows anyway. People that are still knocking his aggressiveness just show that they are out of touch with Yao's development. I expected JB to be more 'in the know' in that regard. Criticize his rebounding, his slow rotations, relative lack of shotblocking, or questionable hands. Those are his weaknesses at this stage.
I don't really care whether it came from Jon Barry or anyone else. I am not taking offense to your comments either, see I am not over-sensitive to the criticism for criticizing the criticizer [/QUOTE] Fair enough, I didn't think "more aggressive" or "mean streak" suggested Barry ignored his progress, just saying even more of it would make him better. But you are certainly entitled to being annoyed by a tired, no longer relevant, argument if that is what you thought it was.
Not taking offense? Man...I'm really losing my touch. Perhaps, if I was more aggressive and had a mean streak I would get better results.
