Cato only got 7 rbs last season, but Cato+Yao had a more organized rebounding effort: 1+1 > 2. Yao is good for at least 9 rbs. Moreover, if Yao is not quick enough to get rebounding position, Van Gundy should just let him guard the paint only and stop getting stupid fouls against quick PGs.
Where in my post did you read missing open 3s? I never said anything about missing 3s, I said open shots. I have seen missed dunks, missed lay ups, missed mid-range jumpers as well as missed 3s. Also, a good coach should push his players towards greatness, not simply allow them to do what is comfortable. Asking Yao to be a dominant, imposing, physical presence under the basket is not an un-realistic goal, it just might take more time. Asking Yao to do something he is uncapable of is silly, but being a dominant bigman is something that is definitely within his reach. Again, it just may take more time than some here are willing to give him. Letting him hang around the high post shooting jump shots would be letting him settle for mediocrity.
Every great player has their weakness. Would you let Hakeem overpower Shaq? Would you let Shaq shoot mid-range jumpers? Yao is no Shaq. He will never have the quickness and strength of these players. He does have good skills, soft touch and great court vision. Given proper coaching, he can develop into a Kareem-Sabonis-Walton type player. Right now Van Gundy simply limts his strength and exposes his weakness. If that makes a good coach, then I'll be happy to be next Rox coach with a much lower salary.
Charvo, I hear what you are saying, and I am not sure why we don't use the zone more. I can tell you however that when looking at the numbers, you will see that Yao's man rarely goes for big numbers so I don't think he is incapable of a man to man scheme. The problem defensively I see with Yao is that it looks like he gets caught between wanting to draw a charge and wanting to block a shot. He has a REALLY bad habit of raising both arms over his head defensively, which is great if he doesn't leave his feet - but he does. If he would stand still and stay on the ground, I think he would get much fewer fouls on the defensive end. If he wants to block a shot, he needs to attempt that before the offensive player gets into his body. If I was going to replace a coach I may look to get rid of Ewing before JVG. Offensively, to be honest I have a problem with the way refs are calling the game with regards to Yao. They are letting him get the crap beat out of him by smaller players, which is fine IF they let him play physical in return (ala Shaq). This is not happenning though. Refs are letting opposing players have their way with Yao, but calling ticky-tack offensive fouls on him - that's BS! If I coached the team I would tell Yao, be physical and if you foul out you foul out. I DO NOT think the NBA will allow Yao to continuously be fouled out of games. Stern won't allow this to happen. You could call an offensive foul every time Shaq goes to the basket but they don't because people buy tickets to see him play. Yao could be the same way if the refs would let him play his game.
With regards to Hakeem, no but I would have him in the low block using his quickness against him. If you want to see an example of this find a copy of the '95 championship series. Dream DID NOT play in the high post against Shaq. He took him to the low block and took him to school. I understand what you are saying, but Yao's strength will be his inside play in time, and letting him become a high post jump shooter will turn him into Rick Smits. Strength and qucikness can absolutely be developed, but they take time. To be honest I worry about the Rockets approach to training Yao. I would focus much more with power/speed/and quickness training versus trying to bulk him up as was done during the off season. BTW, Kareem also played in the low block, which is what JVG wants Yao to do, so I am not sure about that reference. Walton was much lighter and more mobile than Yao, so I don't think that is a good comparison. Yao is over 300lbs, and he is strong. He needs to learn to play aggresively in the low block to fulfil his potential, not hanging around the free throw line taking jumpers.
I disagree. Some players are better with their back to the basket. Some players are better facing the basket. David Robinson had a game facing the basket. Hakeem had a better game with his back to the basket. To say that a player is mediocre as a big man if he does not have a dominant low post game is like saying KG is no good because he does not post up all the time. Big men in the NBA have evolved, and the NBA has encouraged it. There is the 3 second offensive violation. Then there's the zone defense which allows players to cheat over to the low post player without any illegal defense called like back when Hakeem played. Yao's low post game was no good back before he was drafted because Yao was more comfortable with scoring via a different route. To take a player out of his comfort zone and into an area where he is unfamiliar with is asking for trouble. Just look at Steve. Yao's low post presence is now almost zero with the intensive NBA scouting of him. Yao is not a low post player, and I think the predraft reports which accurately described Steve Francis also accurately described Yao. They both detailed strengths and weaknesses that are very much with the players as of today. If Yao goes back to the player he was before JVG got here, he will be more effective on the court, play with more fire, and be more happy. Unfortunately, I think Les will not fire JVG. Fortunately for Yao, he is only in his 3rd year which means he only has 2 years max of basketball prison. I want nothing more than to see the Rockets prosper, but I would like to see the players being happy while doing it. Basketball is still just a game. Also, for the mensas who think Yao is happy with the Rockets. It was detailed by a Chinese reporter than Yao's eyes teared up after the Nuggets game because he thought he become basically a liability to the team. Yao is basically saying all these changes that JVG is imposing on him is too much to handle in such a short time. I think it is safe to say Yao will not be with the Rockets after his rookie contract if this continues. Rudy T is grinning when he hears what is happening to Yao because he knows JVG is just digging his own grave.
Yao gets fouls against PGs because our PGs consistently get beaten off the dribble, and Yao is forced to some over to help. Again, this is a player problem not a JVG problem.
Well, what I am saying is JVG should mix Yao's high and low post games. If Yao's high post passing skills are used 25% of times, we will be able to run more and get more possessions. Moreover, if Yao is not tired for fighting position all the times, he's quite mobile for his size. Remember he has giant steps. By the way, Kareem was a not an overpowering low post player. Right now Van Gundy is moldling Yao in the Shaq direction rather than the more appropriate Kareem and Sabonis direction.
Not to get argumentative, but in one post you said Yao lacked quickness, but now you are saying he is quite mobile. I do think his quickness needs to be improved, and I do think that he could operate effectiely out of the high post. However, I think you will see his lack quickness even more in the high post. The reason we can't run now has to do more with rebounding. You can't run if you don't get a rebound, and I am not sure that moving Yao away from the basket will help with our poor rebounding. As far as Kareem, I don't know doesn't he have close to 40,000 pts life time? I don't think scored many of those shooting jumpers in the high post. I remember him scoring with his sky hook about 7-8 feet from the basket. This is how I want Yao to play, not neccessarily like Shaq.
You know it's sad to see that all those Yao moves his frosh season the league are now all gone. I used to really enjoy watching him play, but not any more. My main problem with JVG is he is so stubborn (or maybe he is just not that good) that he demands his players adapt to his philosophy instead of fulling utilizing his players's strength. I have said again and again that IT'S A CRIME (for anyone) TO WASTE OFFENSIVE TALENTS LIKE YAO AND TMAC LIKE THAT.
So you are missing the Pacers' game in Yao's rookie year? That might be the flashiest game in his NBA career. Now Yao sometimes plays like a complete stiff.
Quickness is the ability to move quickly. If you think Yao has poor reaction time just say poor reaction time. They are different animals. Yao does move well FOR HIS SIZE, but the dude is over 3 bills. He is not exactly fleet of foot. He needs to be where has been, in the low block. Trust me, he will improve in the block, and he can absolutely become dominant. He just needs time. Rome wasn't built in a day.
If you have seen Yao's spin to the baseline move, there is no way that you can say he is not quick. He is quick. But he is slow after his move. His set shot is slow. But he does run well. He has first step quickness on his moves, and then slow after that.
Charvo, Yao can absolutely become a dominant player in the block, it will just take time. I don't think that it's JVG use of him that is wrong, I think that the officials are causing his frustration. They are letting him get pounded on and calling ticky-tack offensive fouls on him. That more than anything else, I feel, is causing his frustration because it effectively takes him out of the game. I don't understand why you guys want to take a 7'6" 300+lbs guy away from the basket. He is not Robinson, Walton, or any of these high post players. They are more athletic than Yao period. Yao is very athletic, but you must always add "for his size". What Yao needs to do is to learn to use his size to his advantage. You mentioned the offensive 3 seconds, that has been around forever, it's the defensive 3 seconds that is relatively new. The zone defense can be beaten by ball movement and shooting over the top. One of the most frustrating thing about SF was that he would continuously try to dribble throught a zone, and you can't do that. We have some trouble with zones because we turn the ball over too much and we don't have enough shooters on the outside to make opposing defenses pay for doubling Yao and T-mac. Again, I am not in love with JVG, but he is not our problem. We have some players not playing to their potential right now, Yao included. I do believe that they will come around sooner rather than later, and we can be a very good team. I also believe, however, that some player changes will be needed to improve shooting and rebounding. BTW, I wouldn't worry about losing Yao. A reporter asked him point blank if he enjoyed Houston and would he like to finish his career here, and he said YES. IF he doesn't like playing for JVG then perhaps management will look at replacing JVG or trading Yao. We will NOT lose him. We will either decide to go in another direction and get quite a bit in return via trade, or JVG will be gone. The Rockets will not waste an asset like Yao.
And how about his behind the back passes he used so often his first year in the league, and that touch pass to SF3 for an easy layup against the Queens at home? I always think that his main strength is mid range shooting. His outside shooting against the Lakers when they first meet last season was the main reason that we were able to come out with a "W". Now all of them are gone.
Well said. This is why I want him closer to the basket. His first step is good, but put him in the high post and he will struggle getting to the basket. Being close to the rim allows him to take one quick step and finish.
Yao said all this stuff about returning to Houston before the season began. I think everyone agrees that Yao has been a disaster this season. He knows it. Everyone here knows it. If someone asked him now, he would be silent regarding to issue. I do not believe the low post game will ever be the same as it was back when zone defenses were illegal. No big man in the league can survive solely on scoring in the low post except for Shaq. Yao has an irregular body type. He has a strong, thick lower body. However, his upper body is weak. It's normal like an average person. The ability to maintain position counts on having a strong base. However, the ability to GET position is very dependent on the upperbody. Yao is not physically apt at getting low post position because guys can put an elbow on his back and push his upperbody down very easily. Referees see this and are allowing this. I know why. NBA is discourage the low post game to encourage more players to come over from the international leagues. In order to further the globalization of the NBA, the league is discouraging some of the bread and butter offenses that existed before. Add on top of this seachange in the NBA, Yao just does not enjoy posting up players. You can see it in his face when he is vying for position. The grimace of having elbows stuck in his back is evident. Once again, I point back to the predraft report which accurately scouted Steve Francis. JVG tried to change Steve, and it put a serious damper on Steve. Then look at what happened to Steve when he was allowed to revert back to the game which he loved to play. He is now back to being a top player in the NBA. Players are not robots, and I do not put faith in trying to change a player drastically to fit the mold that which is supposedly a winning formula. Rudy T recognized this, and he allowed Yao to progress at his own pace while still running the offense through Steve. Steve had a great statistical year in Yao's rookie year, and Yao showed flashes of brilliance in various highlight passing plays. The rigid adherence to the low post has created a robot out of Yao.
