I believe it'll boil down to one word - CONFIDENCE. The aggressiveness is in Ming already as we've seen from the Asian Games last summer. Why he was so much more aggressive over there? Because he had 1 yr NBA experience and was confident that noone could compete with him. Give him enough time to adjust himself he will be more dominante.
From what i have seen in this young season, Yao is still getting the rookie treatment from the refs. Last night he was battling for position with Zo, the 2nd strongest center in the game, and they whistled him for a weak offensive foul. Also, players are pushing him in the back with both hands while he tries to get position, but it's rarely called. Sure, yao needs to get more aggressive, but every time he's tried to be physical, the refs slap him with fouls. This reinforces his passive play.
Sounds right on. There is also a cultural difference. Seniority is a big thing is Asian cultures. Maybe that is why Yao is reluctant to accept the new role we want him to take. He is thinking he is only a second-year, and a lot of guys have been here and fought for much longer.
Ragingfire's post got my gears turning a little. Is it a matter of Yao not being "mean" enough or is it Yao and/or the team not knowing what to do with certain defensive schemes which makes him look soft?
Right on. JVG should manage the referee's call better. When Shaq was not called for offensive fouls by lowering his shoulder to bump a defender, people now say Shaq is so big, it is difficult to referee him. Hey, Yao is 7'6", he should never be called loose ball foul or something like that because he is so tall! or Yao should not be called that much offensive fouls because he is too big, by moving his body a little, he is going to throw people away.
Yo, man yao needs to stay a summer in da hood, feed him some bbq ribs, play rough street ball, get him to speak ebonics, make him listen to some rap, get his own crew to back him, and the most important thing : GET AN EGO
In the Nets game, it was both. Sometimes, Yao did not post strong and low as he did against Denver. Other times, when he did get decent position, the Nets sent 2 men at him before he got the ball. Our whole team looked confused when this happened: 1) Yao stayed at the same place with 2 men with him. He is better off moving off the block and come up to set screen for the passer. This will take 2 defenders off the paint or 1 of them would have to scramble back to find his man. 2) Cato did not know where he should go when he was by himself. If he goes to the opposite block, he is too far from the ball. If he goes to the top of the circle, he can get the ball but he is not a threat from there. 3) The passer held the ball for several secs, waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did. What he should do is to swing the ball quickly to the opposite side where we have 3 offensive players guarded by 2 defenders. In the game, we wasted several seconds then resorted to some 1 on 1 play or some meek PnR.
I don't know if this was clear on TV, but one thing I noticed at the game was that Yao didn't really go after rebounds. There were several times where Yao got rebounds solely because he was standing at the right position and the Nets players were retreating back in transition defense. Yao doesn't have a quick jump to the ball. It seems like he has to do a "wind-up" to get his energy to jump after the ball. I'm not sure if this is a lack of physical skill or just because he's tired.
Hey that would be awesome, Yao Ming on And1 tapes, and at rucker park(now that hes with Reebok) imagine a pass from skip to da LOU
he is not tired. He just lacks jumping ability. It is well-known anyway. The other thing is that even though he has gained weight, he still has not gained much strength in his mid-stomach part. It will take time.
I think that what you say is true, concerning his cardio, but I don't know if his stamina can improve much. He's a GIANT after all, it's a long way for blood to pump. I think his size is as much a limitation as it is an advantage.
It was Lorenzo Wright that had more points in the Memphis game, but not rebounds. Swift had, I think, 10 points and Yao had 19.
holy crap. JVG must be a Yao only fan, according to many on this forum who are so quick to brand someone as Yao-only fan whenever they mention something close to Yao needing more touches and being aggressive. Yao-only...that's so last year. can we get off that this year? Jeez....
