Rockets Analysis with concerns about Yaos shot selection (long read)

WHY you have to concern about Big Yao's shot selection?

Regardless of scoring from high or low post or from the free throw line, he is still the best offense weapon we have in this team.

WHY NOT worry about

• the shot selection of Tracy McGrady?
• Why no more penetration from Tracy McGrady but chose to shoot his 1/3 3-pointer/long range jumpers?
• Why all those other guards kept air-balling and missed their open looks?
• Why Rick Adelman kept using Luther Head as point guard in 4Q?
• Why the decline in defense, turning the Rockets from #1 best defensive team to a mediocre 20th placed defensive team?
• Why Rick Adelman is not second-thinking on his rotation, giving play minutes to either Steve Francis or Aaron Brooks?
• Why Rick Adelman is not a bit alarmed by the lack of intensity and the dramatic decline in defense, and only worrying that there is not sufficient production on offense?

The list of concerns goes on and on.....and the shot selection of Big Yao should not be an issue at all.

 

o really

 

Posted on a different thread but may make sense here:

My thoughts on Yao are this.

He's been officiated *so* badly and unfairly that he can't play anymore. Did you watch him just stand there with his hands up against Shaq? If he bodies up Shaq it is a foul. If he reaches to swipe the ball it is a foul. If he attempts to block the shot it is a foul. So all he can do is just stand there like a 7'6" stiff. Note that players do all the things above to Yao and almost never get called for a foul. Heck, they're even allowed to hit him across the arms or even in the face without impunity.

On offense, the slightest bump caused by Yao is an offensive foul. So now, he's turned into the tallest fade away jump shooter in the world. Earlier in his career, he had a spin move, could back you down, etc. Those things are all fouls now.

No wonder he is so upset and depressed. The officials jerk him around like a marionette.

Seriously, he should go back to China where he might get some respect and fairness in officiating.

 

Guess who is to blame for this? ADELMAN. Along with a great many other things that are wrong with this team.

 

When your 7'6' Center is becoming more one-dimensional by the game it is certainly ok to worry about that.

 

• 
  
  Pryuen, I love the fact that you take the time to translate articles and contribute to the board, but please don't become a try to restrain from making threads into YOF v. TOF threads.
  
  The shot selection of Yao Ming is a concern because we don't want a 7'6 shooting guard. If I want a shooting guard to play alongside T-Mac, then I trade Yao for Kobe Bryant who shots better than Yao and can stretch the defense to the 3pt line and attack the rim.
  
  Yao is 7'6" and NEEDS TO PUNISH TEAMS down low. I don't think this is entirely his fault because the coaching staff is trying to play him on the high post, but something needs to change. I love it when I see Yao hit a turnaround from 15 feet out, but not when the game is on the line.
  
  T-Mac also needs to attack the rim, but the TS has a legitimate concern about Yao's shot selection. You can't allow shorter defenders to push you out. Or else more and more teams will do it. We need to figure something out for that type of defense because where as one Dallas and Phoenix use to do it, now more teams are adopting it against us.

 

The shot selection is a concern. But this is Adelman's fault for making Yao play soft, especially by planting him at the elbow. If we bring Gundy back the problem will go away, as we saw Yao pre-injury completely dominate in the low post. Yao's struggles are a direct result of Adelman's bankrupt coaching.

 

i understand your concern.

but just to give u some facts, yao ming shot 51% last yr. he's shooting 51% this yr.

his go-to moves in the post have primarily been the fallaways even last yr like this yr. so it's still a "tough" shot.

his fg% will never be 55%+ even if he's in the low post.

but i agree, he should be in the low post more

 

If I were Yao, I would have charged the flopper 6 times in 5 minutes every game and got fouled out. If the league still keeps officiate like that, Yao should buy his contract out and play outside of NBA.

 

The dominate Yao is the one we saw in second half of 05/06 season(after his toe inury) and first half of 06/07 season(before his injury). Since Yao came back from his second injury, he became timid. He shot more fallaway/turnaround jumpers. He seldom uses the drop step and spin around those power moves to the basket.

Could it be his knees and ankles are still sore or hurt? But seem to me, he is avoiding contact to prevent injuries and taking easy route! Yes, Yao still put up good numbers. stats wise he still the best center in the league but he is not dominating like the way he did before his second injuries!

That's my thoughts!

 

I think the injury excuse was valid last year, but it's not this year. Honestly I think having Yao at the high post, where he is very ineffective, is preventing him from getting into any rhythm in the low post. I wish the dominant Yao would come back, but with Adelman around I don't know if I'm going to see it.

 

Shawndme7,

we all agree yao need to play low post more, but mix of some high post play which yao is capable is good for the team and yao. i understand your concern about yao's shot selection. but we have watched so many games of yao, we know who he is. 4thQ low post is always cause yao high turnover no to mention it is hard to feed him inside. The problem with yao is: he is not smart enough to fool both referee and oponents. in NBA especailly when you play more years, you got to know sometime you need to play dirty which yao still a rookie. i am also upset about the way call against yao, but when you watch SHAQ play the old time, that is even worse. it is hard to referee to call big guy like yao and shaq, so yao have to let referee notice he is upset about the call. sometime play dirty or get a technical isn't bad for yao. that is something yao need to improve most at this point

 

I for one would like to see Yao playing in the post 85% of the time when the 4th comes...

just like I would like to see Tmac... driving to the net... every possesion in the 4th...

and the guards to pass the ball under any circumstance...

 

I don't think these two go hand in hand. Yao hogging the low post reduces space for McGrady to take it to the rack to be honest. We've seen alot of drives from T-mac this year and alot of them occur when Yao is out of the low post

 

although Yao is playing well this year, people expect more out of him this year. we do not believe Yao has reached his potential still and it is worrisome to see him not dominating in the manner he was last year.

i think you're overreacting pruyen or being over defensive as a fan of Yao.

 

I am a huge fan of Yao and I don't think he's playing well this year; on the contrary he is struggling. But I think the reason for that does not lie with him. His lack of dominance is entirely due to Adelman planting him at the elbow. He is a very bad player at the elbow, as JVG likes to remind us, and putting him at the elbow every third possession or whatever prevents him from getting into a flow in the low post.

 

dude... morey said in an interview yao only plays in the "elbow" 1/4 of the time. he should be dominating even more. to me, i think yao's just quit on trying to dominate seeing how bad the officials officiate.