I've noticed that Yao has been getting some very favorable "star-treatment" by the NBA refs lately. Dream never got this much respect from the refs. Sure, they let him travel (known in the vernacular as "great footwork") and all that stuff, but they also let people hack on Dream all night long and never blow the whistle (he once scored 40 against Denver without going to the line the whole damn game). Yet here comes Yao (who plays in Houston - where we never get no respect from the refs - just ask Clyde) and in only his twenty-something game as a rookie is being treated like HIS AIRNESS almost. The refs must think he's Michael Jordan or something. Then I started thinking .... maybe he is Michael Jordan? or maybe the $$$NBA$$$ thinks he's the next Jordan? My suspicions were confirmed when Brad Miller was smacked with a flagrant foul for laying the wack on Yao's head. Sure, it was a hard foul. Sure, Miller wasn't playing the ball. But experience as a fan/spectator had taught me that no way the refs would ever call that a flagrant foul against a veteran in favor of a rookie. Rookies have to pay their dues right? WRONG! Not if they are NBA cash cows like Bird, Magic, or Jordan. Remember it was Bird and Magic that turned the NBA into a legit major league (as in big-time $$marketing$$ machine), and didn't they always seem to get the calls going their way? ... and Jordan, too. We all heard about what kind of money-machine he was. The refs treated Jordan with kid gloves almost. Hell, I remember Jordan would freaking yell at the refs, barking orders at them as if he was the boss. The refs were too scared to call a technical on him. All you had to do was touch MJ, and they smack you with a flagrant. The NBA wanted to make it clear that it didn't want it's big-time money-maker getting injured. So here comes Yao Ming (pronounced $$cha-ching$$ in NBA language), another potential money-machine with a market of over a billion Chinese people with hundreds of millions of TV sets (how do you say "I love this game!" in Chinese? - find out and forward it to David Stern). And now that Yao has proven that he can play and can be a marketable $uper$tar (unlike Wang Zhi-Zhi and Mengke Bateer), do you think the NBA would let Brad Miller damage what might be the league's biggest cash cow since Michael Jordan? Hell NO! If this is the case, then Yao and the Rockets have a very bright future ahead (rings and $$cha-ching$$) with much support from the refs. Of course, everything still depends on Yao ultimately getting to that $uper$tar level as a developing player. However, the NBA has learned from Bird, Magic, and Jordan that it only takes a few cash cows here and there to keep the money rolling in. Right now, Yao is potentially the biggest cash cow they have, and they're going to ensure that his development isn't stymied by a careless hack to the head. Opposing defenders be warned!
Interesting thread...i can't wait to see the comments. Since i don't have a TV and can't watch the games i could not make an informed judgement on the foul calls, but my guess is you read too many conspiracy theory stories...
Yao a beneficiary of Stern's secret instructions? Maybe. By the treatment he got from the refs in the beginning. I thought Stern ordered to keep Yao in check.
I don't see preferencial treatment. I don't see rookie treatment but I don't see preferencial either. The guy gets beat up all game long with out getting whistles(Did you see the Heat game). How else do you keep a 7'6" 300lb guy out of the lane. The reason Miller got that foul is because it was Miller who I think is leading the league in flagrants. Miller's reputation is catching up to him. Also it is easier, to catch a foul when the person you are fouling is 7'6". It is almost impossible to block his shot, so if his ball goes wayward, 90% of the time it will be a foul and if its a block then it better be obvious like the one Mermaid had on him in the first game.
I think it is more a product of Yao giving the referees respect. He hands the ball to them, he doesn't whine about calls, he plays hard, and accepts the whistle. It must be refreshing for them to work with a true professional, as the NBA & the Rockets are full of so many whiners. I think they are just giving him the same respect that he is showing to them. DaDakota
Akeem never got the calls because he was a total hothead. Later on, Hakeem got calls because he earned it. Yao is "getting" calls because 1. He's not a hothead and doesnt whine about every call 2. He's a really skilled player 3. He's so big that theoretically, you can foul him out in 2 minutes everytime he makes contact. There are many rebounds he goes over-the-back but is not called because his arms are just so long. Once you establish that you're good, you dont get called for the ticky tack fouls - Especially at home. The calls will get even better as he gets better.
DaDakota, Precisely! I virtually agree with every post you write. Like you, I really appreciate Ming's basketball intelligence, his demeanor--he is nothing but "class." Like you, I love to see the game played with a sense of strategy. I love crisp passing, motion, precise shooting, aggressive defense and rebounding. I love sportsmanship, a mindset that has virtually disappeared from professional sports. Incidently, did you see Windandsea's post on another thread that Walton tutored Ming before the Pacer game. Interesting.
Yes, he is getting the "star-calls". Reasons: *In the eyes of David Stern and Chinese Officials Yao = $$$. *Maybe the refs enjoy someone that doesn't b!tch and moan after everything called......he's earned their respect. *He doesn't know the NBA "tactics". The jersey pulling, flopping, etc. I guess they figure, when he gets fouled.....he really does get fouled and isn't pulling a "Vlade". And the foul by Brad Miller was a flagrant foul......a hand attack to face. Besides, if he was really getting the start treatment, then Brian Grant would have been fouled out in the 3rd quarter a couple nights ago.
In the Pacers Game Brad Miller fouled Yao Ming at least 25 times and was not called for most of them. So it cuts both ways!
Danjojo, Funny! I said I "virtually" agree with every post. This is basketball, not true love! You have to admit that it is refreshing for posters to agree, instead of these "hate-fests" between posters that go on for days. But I do hope DaDakota will write back; it would mean sooo much!
It's a theory only because the NBA has managed to keep everything about the refs hush-hush. So we can only guess at what's happening behind them closed doors. I must admit I was somewhat conflicted in writing this post. Because of how Dream, Clyde, and the Rockets had been treated in the past, I abhorred the refs' uneven/unfair distribution of "star treatment." But now that I think Yao is getting star treatment, I'm beginning to see the logic of it. It's good for bu$ine$$. You want to showcase your stars and in some cases protect them so that they can continue making money for you.
haha...i don't think there is a conspiracy. yao also gets a lot of calls just because the fact that he is so tall and the only thing shorter players can hit when they go for the ball are his arms. so his length helps him get calls too.
In the beginning, the NBA did not know what to expect from Yao. He could be another Wang or Mengke at that point. So the refs initially gave him the rookie treatment. Then came the breakout game against the Lakers, the huge publicity generated by Barkley's "Ass" kiss ... and now you got Yao-mania. By the way, I think that all of the negative projections of Yao (a-la Barkley) at the time and prior to Yao's arrival helped make Yao-mania even greater once he blew up. He surprised the pundits and made them all look like asses
Not giving Yao the standard rookie treatment is in itself preferential treatment (to me, it seems as if the NBA is willing to make exceptions for an exceptional rookie).
I believe the game I referred to where Dream scored 40 without a single free throw occurred after the championship years - when he should have gotten the respect he deserved. As a rookie, Yao is showing he's good with huge potential, but I wouldn't say he's "established" it .... that should take another year or so. Consistency needs to be demonstrated over time. If he's getting good calls now as a rookie, can't wait to see how they'll handle him as an experienced vet.
Oh, come on that was a hard foul from miller. He punched Ming using hook like in a boxing match. What's the matter with you, are you Rox fan? Do you want to know if that hurts, easy you can be the sandbag I will punch you just like that.
The thing that I remember about Dream was that in his first couple years, he would nearly get fouled out in an opponent's arena, but generally did not have the same foul trouble at home. And if you mixed Joey Crawford and Dream, it usually wasn't very good for Dream. Something about Dream would set Crawford off and he had to play on tiptoes the rest of the game. Dave
