On TNT, Magic pointed out that Ming didnt defend well on the ball. He also said Ming needs to understand NBA players play faster, and jump higher. Then he showed clips in which Ming stole from A.I, a block shot and fade away jumper. Barkley was like wowing when he saw Ming made that jumper. Magic finally said Ming is going to be the star in the league becaue of his heights and offensive skills. After commerical break, they continue on Yao Ming. Barkley again emphisize that either Steve or Mobley needs to pass the ball, quote on quote"no excuse for that". The Yao ming conversation ended with agreement that it is hard to score from bench just playing 11 min.
Magic is right on; in my opinion. 7 minutes in the first half is barely enough time to break a sweat. I know he has to be hearing referee whistles in his sleep after the preseason he just went through. Admittedly, he is not looking to be aggressive because of the calls he got. I believe it was in the 4 second-half minutes that he got those 2 boards and missed his only attempt. I think he will get some good minutes at home vs the Raptors and I think he will not be as nervous. Everybody knew going into this that Ming was going to be a work in progress. On a sidenote...do you hear anyone dissing Dunleavy Jr. because he didnt score in his first game? He played all of 18.9 seconds. Do you hear anyone wondering if he is a bust or not? He was the 3rd pick in the draft for crying out loud. As Rockets fans, we need to be prepared to hear this garbage from the average basketball moron who likes to jump on every bandwagon that comes along. We also need to prepare ourselves for the bashing's Yao is gonna get from the wannabe Jim Rome's out there that talk out of their @$$ just to get attention. On this team, Yao isnt going to average 25-30 ppg every night. I feel that he will, on a given night, put up 25 and have a huge game. With Franchise getting his 20, Mobley getting his 20, Taylor getting 15 and so on...there just wont be enough touches for Ming to score 25 a night on a consistent basis. For once, I agree with what Magic had to say. And Charles actually made some sense tonight for a change. Simply put...if Ming is going to score, he needs touches. It has been a while since Houston has had that low post option. It will take these guards a little while to get accustomed to Yao being able to go down there and finish.
I agree emoreland. We should have all prepared ourselves for the media hype that Ming has and will bring to the team. I mean, we all knew that he was talented and incredibly hyped before the draft, and now that he's a Rocket, we have to be well prepared for all of the negative media criticism, as well as be aware as to not fall for every little comment or opinion made on the guy, whether positive or negative. That being said, don't worry about the "Jim Rhomes" trying to criticize Ming. He will eventually shut everyone up, with the exception of all of the ooohs and ahhhs, and applause he'll recieve. Nuff said!
Isiah Thomas also said he just needed time and fans have to be patient. For Magic to defend Yao, I'm really happy. Players and coaches that know the game, knows Yao will be a butt kicking center one day. May not be as soon as we think, but it will happen. That's all I gotta know. Big fella, just be patient, play, and improve.
Yao to Steve: Pass me the go*damn ball! Rudy to Larry Smith: Yep, his English is coming along just fine. I hope Blinebury didn't catch that.
I don't think that's a fair statement. Yao is the one on the cover of SI, on the front page of ESPN.com, and getting tons of attention on Sportscenter in the preseason. The hype around Dunleavy Jr. has been nothing compared to Yao Ming which seems lucky for Dunleavy right now.
It's hard to argue with the King of Assist in the NBA. That guy is a legend as a team leader. Who better to make judgement than Magic.
There's an article in today's SF Chronicle talking about Dunleavy's surprising benching in the first game of the season... the guy had apparently been averaging 20+ mpg in the pre-season, on top of which the Warriors could only dress 10 players for the game! But that aside, there's another note from that article that should be comforting to Yao Ming (as well as Dunleavy): "Jamison, selected fourth in the 1998 draft, can empathize with Dunleavy. Shown a copy of the stat sheet from his regular-season debut, Jamison smirked and said, "Damn, thanks for reminding me." Jamison went 0-for-2 from the field with one point and one steal in five minutes in an 86-84 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 6, 1999. "
I agree that he will be a stud but he needs some agility drills and what not, he looked much to slow out there. Come to think of it though it could have been his nerves, but i also feel that he needs to lay- off and give other players more distance. This is how J oneal burned him he just went around him he should use his size more, it's not like anyone will shoot over him. Forgive me if you feel that I am over-reacting but he has to get some things engraved in his mind and develop more fundamentals. Having said that he will be a stud.
Yeah, thats him. Asians wouldn't play with him at school so he's a little bitter. Ming still has a way to go on his transition to the NBA, but I'm sure Yao and the Rockets already know that. In my opinion, so far he has shined just enough when the critics were doggin him the most. Maybe not with outstanding play everytime but enough to earn praise from greats like Magic.
You meant YOUR DONKEY balls. Tell me how a donkey would react when its balls got bitten off. YAAOOOOOOO!?
