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[Knight Ridder] The time apparently has come for Yao Ming

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by wrath_of_khan, Apr 1, 2006.

  1. wrath_of_khan

    wrath_of_khan Contributing Member

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    Yet another in the line of "Yao is blowing up articles"

    The stuff from Del Harris about Yao's toes constantly bleeding is amazing, though. I sure as hell didn't realize how much Yao has been hurting the past couple years.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14235610.htm

    The time apparently has come for Yao Ming

    BY DWAIN PRICE
    Knight Ridder Newspapers
    FORT WORTH, Texas - In case no one has noticed, this has been Yao Ming's breakout season.

    Criticized during his first three seasons for being too passive and unable to play heavy minutes because of stamina and foul trouble, Yao has answered his critics this season in a big way. The case can be made that the Houston Rockets' center has been the best player in the NBA since the Feb. 19 All-Star Game.

    In the first 14 games after the All-Star Break, Yao averaged 28.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. But the telltale number that's really impressive is 37.4 - his minutes per game during that span.

    For the season, Yao is averaging 22.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

    On Wednesday night, Yao recorded 29 points and 10 rebounds in the Rockets' 115-87 rout of the Seattle SuperSonics.

    His emergence has been a long time coming for Rockets fans, who watched as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2002 draft fell short of their expectations.

    "I've been loving the way Yao has been coming around and taking over, doing the things he's been doing since the All-Star break," said Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, whose bad back might keep him out the rest of the season. "That is fun for me to watch. I'm lying in my bed every night . . . wishing I could be out there with him and helping my teammates out."

    And help is what the Rockets need now. Despite Yao's recent dominance, Houston is still mired in last place in the Southwest Division, 24 1/2 games out of first and way out of the playoff race.

    McGrady's health issues and the struggles of high-profile free-agent Stromile Swift have proved too much to overcome this season; the Rockets are 4-20 without McGrady. But with the way Yao has stepped up recently, the Rockets' future seems secure.

    For the past month, Yao has been the talk of the NBA, and with good reason. He has dominated games with his power inside the paint and has even showed off his ability to hit 18-foot jumpers, as he did on back-to-back trips up the floor against the Mavericks.

    Yao even has some saying he has surpassed Shaquille O'Neal and Ben Wallace and become the game's best center. At 7-6 and 310 pounds, he certainly strikes an imposing figure.

    "But he's still trying to do something no one has ever done, which is play huge minutes at that size," said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, who says Yao is one of the hardest-working players he's ever coached. "I said it many times - he's so, so diligent about his craft.

    "He comes early, stays late. So he's in as good a shape as you can be, and yet at times he's going to still have those nights where he's playing big minutes back-to-back, where he's a little bit slow-footed."


    If anybody's slow-footed, it's opposing centers, who have had a difficult time keeping up with Yao. The four-year veteran dropped 36 points and 12 rebounds in a game against the Mavericks.

    "Yao is playing some awfully good basketball," said Mavs coach Avery Johnson, who coached him in the All-Star Game. "I had a firsthand look at him during All-Star Weekend, and he looked to be moving pretty good. Obviously he's a big focus of our defense."

    After missing 21 games because of a Dec. 19 surgery on his left great toe, Yao's game has soared.

    Mavs assistant coach Del Harris said Yao's toes have been a source of angst since Harris coached the 2004 Chinese Olympic team.

    "A lot of people don't realize that when I had him in the Olympics, that after every practice and after every game throughout the whole time that I had him, when he would take his shoes off, his socks would be red from the blood coming from his big toe," Harris said. "And often times it was both big toes. Now all of a sudden, you see how active he is, how he runs the court so much better because he's not in the same kind of pain that he was in."


    Yao's recovery included lots of studying the game.

    "When I was out ... I had a lot of free time," said Yao, 25. "I had nothing to do. In the first part, those couple weeks, I could not move. I just held my computer and watched film all day. That was a big help."

    What Yao has accomplished since returning from surgery has been nothing short of phenomenal. Early in his career, he was hampered by adjusting to the faster-paced NBA, the language barrier and living in a foreign country far away from China. Now, he could be the league's most dominating center for the next decade.

    Van Gundy has cautioned the critics to not to be so judgmental when analyzing Yao.

    "Yao is not blessed with anything except God-given size and great parents," Van Gundy said. "Everything else has been worked for basketball-wise. There's a lot easier roads to becoming a really, really good player in this league. He had a difficult road, and he made it through his own internal drive to be great."

    Rockets assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, who works closely with Yao, said his prize protege is always willing to do what's right to improve his game. Part of Yao's commitment came last summer when, for the first time, he decided to not play for the Chinese national team, instead getting a much-needed break.

    "I think he prepares himself as well as any pro athlete," Thibodeau said. "His dedication and discipline are second to none. It leads to confidence for him. The way he works each day and, in the game, he's prepared to play, and then he is very analytical afterward."

    He also has accomplished a rare feat by scoring at least 30 points and grabbing at least 10 rebounds in three consecutive games against Portland (32 points, 13 rebounds), Minnesota (30-13) and Indiana (38-10).

    Yao's resurgence coincides with the release of his book, ``The Year of the Yao.'' The book, in part, illustrates the challenges Yao faces on and off the court.

    Count New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank as a believer in the big man.

    "I think his improvement has been unbelievable," Frank said. "He's going to the offensive boards and, on the defensive end, the sucker gives huge effort in terms of getting out there.

    "He's a special player."

    So special that Thibodeau can only imagine where Yao will be once he reaches his prime.

    "He has the ability to observe these things and take steps to improve," Thibodeau said. "It's a process. He's a mentally tough guy.

    "This hasn't been all of a sudden - boom! If he has not played well in a game, he'll be discouraged after the game, but he has great determination to get better."

    If Yao gets any better than he has the last four to six weeks, the NBA will be in trouble.
     
  2. GrapeJuices

    GrapeJuices Contributing Member

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  3. GageD

    GageD Member

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    Yao get much respect now. They see his play.
     
  4. canoner2002

    canoner2002 Contributing Member

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    Has this guy written something we haven't read? He simply copied reports on Yao from here and there over the past month. I didn't know you can get your stuff published and get paid by doing mostly Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

     
  5. adcao

    adcao Member

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    To copy is better than to ignore......at least the writer agrees with what he copies, doesn't he?
     
  6. RocketForever

    RocketForever Contributing Member

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    So is the bandwagon full already? I hear Charley Rosen has called to check if there is still space available.
     
  7. wrath_of_khan

    wrath_of_khan Contributing Member

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    I hadn't seen the thing about Yao's socks being bloody from his toe injuries before. I had no idea how much pain he was in.

    But, other than that, it's mostly re-hashing. Reporters are lazy ...
     
  8. canoner2002

    canoner2002 Contributing Member

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    I read that quote from Del Harris at least a week ago, possibly two. It was after the mavs game I think.
     
  9. onssoo

    onssoo Member

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    LOL :D No space for him right now. Maybe in the next win!
     
  10. Gene the PIG

    Gene the PIG Member

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    Is it a co-inkeedink that he "blossoms" when dude doesn't have to bow down & play roundball EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS LIFE?

    Everyone needs a rest.

    He's basically never had an off-season until this year. Who tf KNOWS what next year brings? I don't follow him that closely. I like him though. Does he have obligations to China all summer long again?

    If so, look for him to be worn out again come next April.

    If not, then good for us.

    We still need way better players surrounding him. That's a damn FACT!
     
  11. wrath_of_khan

    wrath_of_khan Contributing Member

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    Must've missed it.
     

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