The issue with Yao getting the ball in the high post basically deals automatically with him getting the ball enough. How many big men could shoot the ball off the screen like Yao did today? Dirk, KG, Duncan? Hubie Brown complimented Yao on the skill he showed off with that play. Yao will never be a low post monster even though I think he should play some low post like Arvydis Sabonis. I remember discussing the prospects of Yao playing QB at the high post. With Yao's height, passing, and shooting skills, it allows him to easily guide an offense to easy baskets as long as the receivers are moving around to try to get open. TMac is like Randy Moss without the attitude. If he is allowed to catch passes from Yao and finish, the offense could really take off like today when Yao passed to TMac when TMac was being fronted. TMac caught the pass, and easily scored. In a half-court offense, a very tall passer is actually a luxury. Think about it in football terms, a pocket passer like Peyton Manning who is tall can just sit back in the pocket and sling passes to his receivers. The smaller guys like Doug Flutie and Mike Vick have to scramble around to make sure they can see the field and not have their passes batted down. Yao doesn't have to move at all. The dude is tall. He can see over all defenses. Damn! Even Jack Ramsay is now dissing on Yao calling in question Yao's development. Everyone knew the ESPN triumvirate of Legler, Anthony, and Tolbert hated Yao, but even Ramsay is jumping on the Yao-hating. Yao needs to shove his foot up JVG's ass.
your comment completely explains why the kings will never win the championship. yao must become a dominant low post scorer in order to take us to the next level. his jump shot can always be gone back to by coaches whenever it is necessary. brad miller playing high post basketball will not get the kings anywhere, which is exactly why the rockets are desperately trying to help him become a dominant force in the paint. with yao it is all mental he has all the physical tools necessary to dominate and we see it when he is alert and has his mind made up to dominate teams.
I think Yao at the high-post makes sense. His touch and range are at least as good as Brad Miller's, and it would draw out his man, making it easier for T-Mac and Sura to drive. Also, like Charvo said, he could make some nice passes to cutters. Yao's midrange game is tight. His low-post one makes me want to throw things at the tv sometimes.
Ming should be primarily a low post player, however he should mix it up a bit and do some time at the high post as well, especially against teams that are fronting him with smaller quicker players. Move Ming to the top, post Tmac and JH down low.....let Yao be the passer or shooter from 15 ft. DD
Then the Rockets might as well trade him for Brand. Yao is what he is. He's not a dominant low post guy. Watch him in the low post. It's like watching a wounded dog that just got hit by car. He looks like a cripple in the low post.
Unfortunately, I don't ever see that happening with this regime. JVG has a set in stone vision of a center that he will never stray from. I heard that Bill Walton, who has probably followed Yao's career very closely, in the pregame talk said that Yao needs better coaching. I think JVG is a good coach. When he got hired by the Knicks, the guy who was fired right before him was Don Nelson. Both are good coaches. It's just that some coaches are better for some players and vice versa. I don't think JVG and Yao mix. I don't think JVG and Steve mixed too though. Bill Walton is right. He didn't finger JVG explicitly, but the dude made his point.
Late to the party but ... My wish list for MIng: 1. 40-42 mpg 2. a go-to, money low post move 3. more apg 4. more high post O sets 5. more 15' Js WRT #1 can a 32 mpg player really be the number #2 option in the O (and a max contract player to boot)? I don't think so. Ming needs mo minutes per game. One solution would be to attempt more fast breaks per game (including early O), where Ming's rebound and pass leads the fast break. Ming does not even have to cross the half court stripe. Second running a high post set through Ming would let him take a short breather and exploit his passing abilities (and his J abilities if the opposing center does not come out all of the way to guard him). More fast breaks and more high post O are not a recipe for success in the post season. They could lead to more easy shots during the regular season games and might lead to handful more wins. More wins equals higher seat for playoffs, a good thing. Once in the playoffs though, fast breaks won't be there agianst the better teams who always get back on D. The high post O might be there, but the low post is where high percentage shots are. If Ming has a money low post move, the defender either has to be aggressive and risk a foul and/or a teammate has to double team.
