It seems like Yao's complacent, like he doesn't have anything left to prove anymore, no more chip on his shoulder. He's probably a little too happy at home and doesn't have the edge anymore.
well honestly, i was quite critical of him too the past 2 games but looking at the positive side, he miss almost half of last season and only started being around 70-80% during the Olympics. Then training camp and this game is only his 5th game back on an NBA court. the NBA is more physical and i believe he needs time to adjust to this contact and pace. I'll give him 5 more games then see him peak. besides that, i think its also up to him to mentally tell himself, he needs to step up a few notch to reach his all-star level. i think he will do well with the Clippers tonight. he just needs to play hard and show some effort on the defensive end. he needs to really hustle for rebounds. no more mr. nice guy!!
One more idea - Mutombo isn't there to give Yao any competition in practice so he's not used to the contact that teams are giving him. This wouldn't be the only reason, but it might contribute to that. I think it's just a continuation of a slump from when Yao got into early foul trouble in Boston. He's thinking way too much now and hesitating. He should just play with abandon instead of being scared of picking up more fouls. There's no other way around it.
Agree 100%, if he brings it on the defensive end and the boards that will eventually be the catalyst that will get him out of his offensive funk. There's nothing better than snapping in a few rebounds and getting the feel for the ball to get you out of your offensive malaise.
I am concerned about his vertical and reflex response. He's certainly not like two years ago or last year. I noticed in the game he was trying to block fernandez on the play and his hand was barely above the rim, and I guarantee that fernandez given another similar play would try to dunk!! and seems like on that play he was on full cylinder... which also explains all those failed dunk attempts. Now if he noticed those things himself, there we go the confidence thing. because that means on D, basically anyone can blow him off through offensive rebounding while on offense, he has to put in extra effort to avoid the block. Now if that's the case, he's even no better than ilgauskas for 1st: same physical ability but shorter windspan; and 2nd: he thinks too much and would probably dig himself a deeper hole. I mean he is smart, but sometimes, his smartness would exacerbate the situation, until he proves me wrong or he finds a way to adjust his aging body.
i honestly think that the burden lifted off his shoulders from hosting the Beijing Games has left him in a funk. He has talked about this in public. Instead of him having the weight lifted, it seems like there is something empty about his demeanor, like he has to re-identify his entire self, as it fits in the NBA, the International game, etc... when did they announce the '08 games would be in Beijing and how far along in his career was Yao when this happened?
he will drop quadruple doubles tonight; 10 pts, 10 rebs, 10 turnovers, 10 ba, 6 fouls, 3 blocks and 2 assists in 35 minutes
You're right, of course. But Yao is not a rookie; he's a vet who probably can't change his game much.
Scola has been great for this team. He has been one of the best for the Rockets this season. The problem with Scola is his defense isn't a problem, he just doesn't put his hands up at all. Hayes is always having his hands up and moving. He pokes out soo many lose balls all the time. Scola isn't as fast as Hayes either. That plays into consideration and the fact Hayes is stronger than Scola as well.
There're ups and downs,even greatest players like michael Jordan. I'm sure Yao will back it up. Just give him some times.
I'm surprised by how poor he's played, but my thought on yao has been the same. His bbiq/basketball instincts are not good, his core strength is poor, and his leverage is bad. The injuries and the olympics probably didn't help, but his mental midgetness is at a all time low. People used to say for yrs that Shaq was just bigger and stronger than everyone else, but aside from ft's, shaq's iq and his mental toughness was far superior to yao. Shaq had in his mind was to destroy and demoralize the other team. His strength,stamina and leverage allowed him to be a force for every minute he played. You knew Shaq was on the floor all the time. His core strength allowed him to take incredible punishment and still perform. His leverage allowed him to stay in balance at all times even when being pushed. His mental toughness allowed him to play through the hack a shaq and still force teams to account for him. His bbiq allowed him to be "unfrontable" in his prime. Now I will say Shaq is probably the most freakish athelete ever in sports along with Lebron, but we've seen big atheletic guys like Stanley Roberts and Thomas Hamilton not perform like Shaq. In the end, I don't know how mentally tough the big guys from across the water are. I'm never sold their hunger to be great in the nba is as great as say a hardship like lebron or amare. I would like to think so, but it just seem like the bigs are kinda soft mentally and physically. That said, I think yao will snap out of it, but I wish he would rebound and control the paint until his offense comes back.
I think its all mental the first two games he was outstanding ever since the boston game his soul is shattered
The league has figured him out, push him around and he punks out. Every team that plays him physical gives him the blues and he starts settling for lond distance jumpers. He had 1 physical move on Pryzbilla and scored. 1 the whole game besides the lucky turn around and 1. He's living up to the Big Liability nickname.
Not surprising. Yao is soft and if he is not scoring , he is useless. Injuries and no athleticism will be the death of Yao. I wish we traded KG for Yao last off-season, before the Boston trade. Amare is a better Center than Yao. Yao get your act together . Your are key component to the team. Do your part we need you big guy!
That's what happened when you reduce his training load but prolong his game time. There is a reason why training is training and game is game. Otherwise, every starter can play 48 minutes without training.
I'm convinced it has to do with his physical status. Maybe he's tired, or the surgery last taken away his hops. I've never seen Yao get blocked and outrebounded so much these past 2 games, and it's apparent to me that hes just unable to elevate anymore.
