Nov 17th, make or break Yao. If you were Rudy, would you play Yao?

There are no make or break games for Yao this year. It's too early in his career. We have too much of an instant gratification society. Patience, grasshopper. Or else, you'd just keep eating grapes, instead of sippin wine.

 

I would definitely play Ming against Shaq, but if he's not in the starting line-up by then, I would not put him there just for that matchup. I would let Cato start, see how he does, and let Ming come off the bench when we need a push, or when we're up a few points. Maybe we put both Cato and Ming on the floor at the same time to guard Shaq.

Who knows, though? Maybe Shaq won't be very conditioned after all of his time off, and might play slopily, therefore giving him less time on the court and less time to "punish," as he would say, Ming.

 

PUT MO-T on SHaq,. and let yao tear up horry

 

I would try and keep the emphasis off of Shaq vs. Yao. Let him play, but let Kelvin play most of the minutes against Shaq.

It just wouldn't be fair to Yao to make him guard the 300-something lb. mammoth, and then let Shaq, Phil, the rest of the Lakers, and the rest of the league rag on Yao based on that performance. I just doubt if he will be ready in just four days.

I think Feb. 18 will be the game that Yao will be able to hold his own against Shaq.

 

There is no Shaq vs. Yao. Shaq is an NBA veteran, MVP, and all-star. Yao is a rookie trying to learn how to play in the U.S.

Give Yao a couple of years to develop before you hype up a match like this. He'll just get his 10 or 15 minutes and then reflect on what all happened. Don't expect anything more right now, or you'll be disappointed and start posting threads claiming Yao to be a bust.

 

He is certainly not ready, but, I would give him no more than 10 min. I would tell him to be extremely aggressive, and commit as many hard fouls as possible. I believe that would really shock Shaq. (of course Shaq might really shock Ming by putting him the seats). One must fly in the face of the dragon! No Fear!

 

I'd put him in there. This is his measuring stick. He needs to know where he wants to be in 3 years. I'd give Yao some extended minutes against Shaq. Yao will get torn up. No problem. But what if he doesn't. That's a big bonus. Ming has nothing to lose in this matchup. He has everything to gain. Shaq certainly won't get 50 on him. He'll probably get his 27 and 15 like he does on everyone else. But who cares. That's Shaq.

 

Exactly! Rudy should play him just the same as he's been doing. Obviously alot of attention will be on this game because of that matchup. But anyone with half a brain (this obviously excludes media such as ESPN which takes perverse delight in ridiculing Yao) understands this is a FUTURE feature matchup.

Yao seems to have a great attitude about the struggles he's had already so there's no way a "Shaq demolition" would have a negative effect on him. He'll just learn from it like he does everything else. It's not like Yao,after his struggles against the centers he's face so far,is thinking he's going to do much better against Shaq than he has against the others. Obviously he's not expecting to dominate Shaq. We've seen him make adjustments from one game to the next so my guess is he's anxious to go against Shaq so he can continue his NBA education.

 

I agree. Yao's said that game will mean a little more to him and I think it will be interesting how he reacts, he may be a little hyper or nervous. I hope it brings out some aggression.

To me the subtext of this game isn't really going to be Shaq vs. Yao - it's going to be the I]presence[/I] of them both. Laker fans smug as they are can't enjoy being 2-6, and if I were one I'd be very relieved to see Shaq just moving well around the court post-surgery. I think to most Laker fans Yao will be a curiosity, but not much to get excited about. Shaq could very well go for 27 & 15, but it's just as likely he goes for 18 & 8. Rust is one thing, but post-surgery rust on the toe of a 350+ guy is going to be interesting.

But remember, this will also be Yao's first NBA road game in a city with a major Asian population. I'm sure Laker tickets aren't easy to get, but this will be our first NBA taste of a Yao road-show. Because of his limited minutes and performance this far, it might not have been what we envisioned a couple of months ago, but hearing booing at the Staples Center when Yao "gets 'bowed" is going to be somewhat amusing. And of course, it's an as good a shot as you're going to get to beat a 3-time champ on the road. It shoud be fun.

 

Yao is pretty weak on defense therefore Cato should take on Shaq defensively and Ming should come off the bench and try to shoot from the outside and pass from the high post and if he gets the opportunity to drive around Shaq he shouldn't hesitate to attempt it.

 

Above all, I am sure Rudy will see this as a very winnable game. THAT will determine the rotations he uses, not whether Yao can use it as an opportunity to develop.

I think Yao sees his usual 10 minutes.

 

Run the legs off the Lakers...test and see how healed that big ugly toe really is.

 

Last I heard, Shaq wasn't going to be ready for Nov 17th. That suddenly changed?

 

For sure, no one not even Yao can put guard Shaq in the paint. Yao just needs to get Shaq play defense on him by putting offensive pressure.

 

November 12, 2002
Shaq's Return Still Uncertain
LA Times Headlines
By Tim Brown, Times Staff Writer


It won't be tonight.

It probably won't be Friday.

Maybe, it won't be Sunday, either.

Shaquille O'Neal, nine weeks removed from surgery on the big right toe that stilled a franchise, said Monday he could be as long as two weeks away from returning to the Lakers, already off to their worst start in 12 years.

After the two practice days Laker officials had hoped would convince O'Neal he was able to begin his season, O'Neal stood in a downstairs hallway at the team's El Segundo practice facility and made two convincing points:

* The toe's not ready.

* When it is, he'll arrive angry.

"Once the black Patton returns, it'll be all over," he said.

O'Neal continues to have pain on the underside of his toe, despite new sneakers and orthotics. He is scheduled to meet today with Dr. Robert Mohr, who performed the surgery Sept. 11.

Asked if he were having problems with pain, conditioning, flexibility or mobility, he said, "A little bit of all of it."

"I'm disappointed, but this is something I don't want to rush," he added. "When I get in, I want to stay in.

"Hopefully, I'll be back in a couple weeks. When I do come back, it will be vengeance. A lot of people are taking shots. I read that. So, when I come back, I'll be motivated to play."

By the sound of things, O'Neal practiced better last week than he did through the Veterans Day weekend. By Monday, Coach Phil Jackson, who had expected -- or hoped for -- a sound O'Neal by tonight's game against Atlanta, was resigned to at least a few more games without him.

"I think if push came to shove and we were in the middle of a playoff situation, then he could probably go out and play," Jackson said while standing before a larger than usual media gathering. "But, this isn't the time to do that, at this time of year. He could get hurt. He could not be able to respond the right way on the floor. And I don't think he could play longer than three minutes in any one stretch at this point."

The Lakers have practices scheduled for Thursday and Friday, but Jackson noted, "I'm not optimistic."

If O'Neal is back in two weeks, he'll have missed 14 games. It appears he will sit out Sunday's game against the Houston Rockets, delaying his first look at Yao Ming.

"Who?" O'Neal asked, deadpan.

 

Say it ain't toes ...
By Kurt Snibbe
Special to Page 2
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/sportoon/021112.html

The Lakers originally said Shaq would return tonight against Atlanta, but now they're saying the Big Fella probably won't return until next week at the earliest.

Page 2 cartoonist Kurt Snibbe doesn't have the patience to rely on more "official estimates," so he's going straight to the source: Shaq's foot.

 

I think Rudy should put Yao Ming in and he should stomp on Shaq's toe and look him in the eye and say that's for saying you were going to give me a "bow". Let Shaq know he's not a softy mister nice guy that he appears to be. That would be interesting.

 

judging from Rudy T's decisions so far, I don't see Yao playing more than 15 mins that game..

Yao can't guard Shaq inside, but Yao's gotta keep Shaq honest on the defensive end, or he'll start hitting 18-20 footers