I saw bits and pieces of last nights game, and sportscenter this morning, and am disgusted by how soft and deferential Yao Ming is around the bucket. He has about 100 lbs. and 1'1" advantage over Ray Allen, and Ray Allen gets the offensive rebound and the put back when Yao Ming is immediately behind him. I'm not giving up on Yao, but I really don't think he'll ever be a 20 + pt. 10 + rebound player. I'd say he'll be a 18-8 guy at his peak...and he'll always be soft like Charmin! P1,S2nd
I think he will become a 20 - 8 guy but still be soft.... As long as the Rockets have Yao they will allways need a bruising powerforward who can control the paint.
I think we've needed a power forward like that for years now. We dont need a big scorer. We just need a big, pissed off guy that can rebound and play defence.
Well Yao can afford to be soft if we have a angry young man playing at power forward along side him. I think the better question is this: Who wants to piss off a guy thats nearly 7 feet tall?
Nearly 7' tall? Isn't the dude like 7'6"? Leave me out of it unless I am doing a drive by or something so that I can escape.
I wouldn't make too big a deal out of one play. Allen had inside position; someone else was supposed to have blocked him out. Allen up-faked three times (whatever happened to 3 second calls?) before going up while Yao was coming down.
Lately I've come to consider Yao sort of doughy.... all soft around the middle... I hope he can prove me wrong.
Man I hope the guy toughens up. I have so much hope riding on Yao. I still have the belief he will dominant the game...some time. ....
It's not just one play, though. And it's not just playing soft. To me Yao, looks at times like a different player from last year. I do think that a lot of the reason he seems to be getting pushed around more this year is that teams have simply figured out that's the most effective way to D him up. I think the league has adjusted to Yao, and he hasn't adjusted back. But it's frustrating to watch. What baffles me is that he seems slower than last year. His reaction time seems to be a step slow. Now he gets the ball in the post and there's a noticable pause before he decides what to do with the ball. I know he's analyzing the defense, but the defense also reacts to him while he waits, thereby reducing his options. Remember last year, when he'd make that quick spin move and go baseline for the jam? What happened to that? I understand the need to read the defense, but sometimes you have to make a quick move to beat the double team ... And then there's the rebounding thing. I remember him tipping a lot of rebounds last year instead of grabbing them ,but it's nothing like this year. He's very slow to the ball and is losing a lot of boards. Sometimes it looks like his feet are glued to the floor. And where are the over the head passes to cutters? Or the bounce passes in traffic to cutters? Sometimes I'm not sure he's seeing the floor like last year. It's almost like we fast-forwarded 15 years and got the "about to retire and making one last trip through the league" Yao. Look, this isn't meant to be a Yao-bashing post. I want Yao on this team, and I think he has great potential. And I know this is only his second year in the league. I'm just calling it like I see it. I'm truly baffled by what seems to be regression from last year. I don't know if it's the added muscle, JVG's new system, fatigue from the Asian Games, or what. I just wish the Yao with a bounce in his step would come back.
I don't like falling back on excuses, but I think Yao is simply very confused player this year. - Should he be a bruiser or a finesse player? - Should he be a dominant player or a passer? - Should he be more agressive and risk getting the fouls or be less agressive and risk being ineffective? I think the refs are REALLY confusing Yao this year. Over half the games I've been to Yao is simply getting screwed on the offensive end every time. He is pushed, grabbed, bumped, pinched, squeezed all night long. Potapenko did it to him all night last night and did get called for 5 fouls eventually. Calvin Booth similiarly had a good number of fouls. But, it is hurting Yao's game. Even when rebounding, you will see someone on Yao's arm or back, etc. - his balance, for example, is much worse because of it, and the other team only gets called for the foul one in 6 or 7 times. I don't think it is necessarily because Yao is soft. It is because he obviously plays much less effectively when he is played so physical. Hakeem was never defended like this, because if you played him physical his game didn't decline and you left yourself open to foul trouble. Yao just needs to learn to play this way while the team as a whole finds more than one way (post-up) to get him involved offensively and thus get him more in the game overall.
Don't let last night be your reference. They put him in foul trouble with like 10 minutes to go in the 3rd. Stupid refs. Called 2 CHEAP fouls on him in the beginning of the 3rd. Freaking Sonics were mugging Yao -- locking one of his arms in the post, shoving him 3 or 4 feet away from his set position. And they call ticky-tack fouls on him on the defensive end. W - T - F?!?!?!?!
Toast, you're right...BUT, it is becoming clearer and clearer that this is the way Yao is going to be played every night, and until Yao clocks somebody and gets the league's attention, Yao will have to learn to play with it....but I think you're right.
I think Yao will make the shoving look worse than it really is. Shaq probably gets shoved and grabbed twice as much as Yao. It just doesn’t look as badly since Shaq barely budges. The defender gives Yao the slightest nudge and he bowls over like a train just hit him. At least, that’s what I think are the refs reasoning for letting them get away with it. Often times, Yao will be in a position where he has absolutely no where to go with the ball and he tries flailing his arms like he’s been murdered. The refs have decided they’re not going to bail him out. They’re not going to let him become another Vlade Divac.
Maybe JVG needs to start working the refs. Not necessarily complain but make sure the refs be on the lookout for the things Yao's defenders do to him in the paint.
