That statement really has no basis... Do you also believe that Francis and Mobley would have been traded under Rudy T? I personally don't think that would have happened and without a traditional point guard, like Alston, I really don't think we would have seen the numbers from Yao that we've been seeing since the All-star break.
It is only based on my belief that Rudy is better at fostering talent, he has a history of getting young players to reach their potential....Sam Cassel, Robert Horry, etc..etc..etc.. And I think Rudy would have given Yao the criticism in private, but also gives a lot more pats on the back, and I personally believe that Yao would have responded more positively to this. And, I will go one step further, Swift would probably be a much more efficient player under Rudy T.... Sometimes you need to give a little carrot along with the stick...JVG is all Stick, stick, stick. Rudy was more balanced...and a better coach. DD
I don't know if you realize, but your above statement is equally baseless. It's all speculation. At least I remember Rudy T is the one who stuck with Yao even when he produced 0 points in his NBA debut.
Not under Rudy T, but definitely under Phil Jackson. PJ can turn Yao into a legendary player while JVG can only mold Yao into a superstar.
imho, rudy was a better coach for a veteran team. jvg is a better coach for an undisciplined team. would yao have succeeded under rudy and rudy alone? of course. even in his first year, he handled himself like a veteran. rudy's laissez faire approach would have allowed yao to grow. however, that doesn't mean jvg has done him any disservice. the disciplinarian style is probably quite familiar to yao considering his basketball background, and it probably has helped yao in regards to "attention to detail". separate question: would francis have been better coming into the league under jvg or rudy? i tend to say jvg, since he was petulant and spoiled before he even got here. jvg would have squashed that crap immediately. rudy, imo, by letting francis "figure it out" actually fed into the problem. as for stro, i don't know. rudy's approach may have worked better, if for no other reason than i don't see any proof that jvg's is working. or it could be that stro is just on a slow, slow, slow incline. who knows?
Yao once (jokingly) said if JVG was his coach on his 1st year, he would have been so depressed that he would have packed his bag and gone back to China. That being said, I think JVG knows the boundary. I recall last season, during a stretch of games where Yao was particularly harsh on himself: he even hit his own head when he went to the bench, and he himself admitted that he was playing like a robot. Then the Chron reported that later JVG had a short meeting on the practicing court with Yao and told him to play loose. I think as far as coaching goes, Rockets need an assistant coach specializing on offense.
I still don't understand why so many people think that utilizing Yao exclusively in the high-post in a motion offense would be so great. There's a reason why high-post centers like Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Brad Miller, and Marcus Camby are never considered great. Their abilities might be "good" or "effective," but never dominant. Having a 7'6" player with the strength and talent to play down low shoot jumpshots all day from the elbow is an unbelievable waste. Too many people are lamenting about Yao's lost shooting touch or passing ability. You guys are overlooking the skills he's gained and the mental blocks he's overcome from playing along the baseline. Don't get me wrong...I'm all for expanding his game and using him up high on every now and then. However, for a big man to be truly effective, he has to learn how to create his own high-percentage shot down low. Jump-shooting centers become virtual non-factors when opposing defenses intensify. An effective low-post player can learn to overcome such defenses using an arsenal of moves or by hitting the open man...because chances are there'll be one. Who in their right mind would ever double-team a jumpshooting center?
I still don't understand why so many people think that whenever someone mentions utilizing Yao in the high-post, it means "exclusively" in the high-post. Most people who see the potential effectiveness of Yao in the high post do NOT want him to be there all the time. Most people totally agree that he should be dominating the low post. Some of us just think that mixing the offense up a little is good for both Yao and the team. Some of us just think that with some opponents, it might be benefitial to alter the offense a little for a better match up. Some of us just think that when Yao is triple teamed down low and our perimeter guys can't shoot, there might be some other ways to score.
You are a JVG clone and plays the same way against all defense. That's why you will be outcoached in games (no matter how many little cards you pull out) and never win a title.
They’re both veterans coaches. Van Gundy’s approach to fixing an undisciplined team is to basically trade away all the undisciplined players.
I think we should give JVG credit for insisting Yao only shot under board. Otherwise, yao might already be a 20/9 player 2 years ago, but now,He is more dominae force under basket. Which one you want? I think after Yao dominate under basket board for 1 or 2 years, he may use his mid-long range shot once a while.
How luck has Yao Ming been to have a great coach like JVG? Hadn't for JVG, he won't be nothing more than a bust. Look at Shaq, he doesn't need anything other than mowing everyone on his way to the basket, why should Yao use any of his skills anyway? Let's vote JVG as the greatest coach in NBA history.
Problem is, Yao seems to fall back on the hook shot about half the time, and that is not high percentage. If I had to decide which shot was more reliable, a hook in close or a jumper from 10 ft, I would have a hard time choosing. So Yao might as well take a rest occasionally and play up high.
You mean a hook shot within 5 feet of the basket is not high percentage? To be fair I didn't see anyone say we should plant Yao at the perimeter and make him shoot from there exclusively. I think they wanted Yao to mix it up a little bit and move to outside temporarily if his teammates could not get the ball inside when the defense collapsed on him in the paint. I don't see anything wrong with it. But of course with the way that Yao is dominating under the basket lately, moving to outside should no longer be a consideration.
You know what I love about this low post game Yao has developed is that it has legs. Yao should be consistently dominant now and I don't see him looking back. Such a simple formula, use your big body and solid lower base to get deep low post position on smaller defenders, don't foul, keep the ball high to prevent TOs and shoot a 5-10 ft shot that odds say you should make 50% of the time and if you get fouled make 8.5 out of 10 of your FTs. I don't see any reason why Yao can't be one of the most dominant low post players in NBA history.
The short hook is only about as good as Yao's 10 ft jumper, so why not allow him to shoot the latter occasionally and let him rest a bit.
I am not trying to pick on you. But if you say Yao's 10 ft jumpers are as reliable as his 3 ft hook shots, it's like you are saying that his 10 ft jumpers are high percentage shots too. I think Yao should take it as a compliment.
