Well, again, remember he's a few more feet inside than he used to be. That same pass isn't exactly there anymore. Yao moving more inside, however, has really helped spread the floor on offense. If you wonder why guys like Jim Jackson, Nachbar and Mobley are getting more open looks from the outside, it's cause Yao's pulling the defense inside. I like it. But I agree with everyone else. Yao doesn't seem quite so comfortable playing that way. He'll turn it around soon though.
Sane, Right on. Yao is on a "bridge" between how he's always played and what JVG is demanding. But is he smart and a quick study, and he'll figure it out pretty soon. And let's not forget that he's only playing in the 11th game of his second year. So let's cut him a little slack. Sky's the limit for him...gonna be SCARY GOOD. D R
I said this before, but I think it might be worth a shot. Yao should just stop showering. After a week, the smell will become horrendous, and nobody will want to double-team him, let alone be in physical contact with him. The same for Steve Francis. Stevie should eat an onion before each game, so players can't get in his face. Cato should talk aloud on the court, something like, "Steve, the doctor says I might have genital warts, but I think they're spreading all over my body . . . look." This may solve our offensive slump.
Cynthia Cooper pointed out something simple but deep. Yao should go somewhere on his first dribble. This is how I want it to happen. Back to the basket, left block, dribble once to the left, QUICK turn around J to the right. --in the mold of Hakeem OR: dribble once to the left quickly, sweeping across the lane for a hook shot. --in the mold of Jabbar or Ewing. OR: dribble, dribble, back it down, dribble dribble DUNK (not fade away jumper to the left as we have been seeing) --in the mold of Shaq OR: dropstep, dribble baseline, jumpstop, dunk. The jumpstop is a powerful weapon Charles Barkley used to dribble until the defense sagged too much before passing it off, but he always moved in until he reached the basket. He didn't back off his persuit of the rim until many defenders were around him. The percentage of "good things" that came from giving the ball to Charles was the highest on the team when he played for the Rockets. The problem I see the last couple games is that Yao is turning the ball over too much. This may be a stupid thing to say, but part of me wants to see Yao barrel himself into his opponent until the refs get used to it. They can't call 4 offensive fouls in a row. This will make a statement to the league that he's not soft. It seems like whenever Yao does become aggressive, 1 offensive fouls deters him from continuing his aggression. Don't be a lab rat. Enforce until the world gets used to it. Also Van Gundy hasn't used Yao in the high post, but we all know has skills there...wish Yao would get the ball at the free throw line from time to time to vary it up ala Rik Smits, Tim Duncan.
I've always hated the post rules in regards to that. It seems like Yao (or Shaq) barely has to touch their opponent and they flop. I hate that rule. The paint should be for men, not wussies! Let them play! They should remove that rule. The "flopping is ok" rule.
