Shaq out for Rockets' game

Sweet. I want to see Mourning mourning..

 

Awesome! This could be a good start for the Rockets this season.

 

haha, wuss!

 

Awesome, are you joking??? This sucks for at least 3 reasons....

1. Yao vs Shaq is such a fun match-up to watch. I look forward every year along with Im sure a lot of you for the clash of the titans. These are the 2 best at their position going head to head against each other only twice a year and now one of them is not going to play.

2. This could have been another measuring stick to the progress of Yao. How much better has he really gotten? Is he now the best center in the league? Finally if they would have met on the 10th and Yao would have outplayed him, maybe even dominated then finally all the Yao haters could STFU for once (very unlikely I know but they might have calmed down). The media would all be riding Yao's jock and the other players of the league would take notice that this is not the same Yao Ming. This is the future, the biggest baddest nightmare any center wants to face!!!

3. I have faith in this Rockets team. I am not scared of anyone we face. The Rockets need to play the top teams (with all of their stars). This will give our players confidence, experience, and preparation for them in the future. The way we play against a fully loaded contender shows how much character our team has. If we beat top contenders then it gives a warning to the rest of the league that we have joined that elite group as well as all the haters and the media.

I want the Rockets to win fair and square with the BEST the other team has to offer. If they lose then they learn and they come back STRONGER. Shaq being out really sucks.

 

Yea, I am dissapointed. I think Yao would have outplayed Shaq. Shaq would have had a hard time stopping Yao's new jump hook. Rockets would have won convincingly and it would have added a lot of confidence to the team.

Nonetheless, I will take a victory, even if Shaq is not there.

 

Yeah, it sucks big time. I was hoping to see Yao starting to take over the Best Center title from Shaq.

 

Y'all are smoking something. The only thing that matters is wins and losses, not a Shaq-Yao matchup. Shaq being out gives us a better chance to win. Winning is contagious. Losing is contagious (see Philadelphia currently). Rockets need to win.

 

You can't applaud a guy getting injured, but I was watching the game and Shaq got hurt because he shoved a guy in the back (and got called for the foul) going for an offensive rebound... so the karma here is a little confusing.

I said it before the season, but I do believe Shaq's on a steep decline. When he said he did "all the cardio stuff last year" and this year he "bulked up" I just shook my head in disbelief.

And SVG looks like he put on 30 lbs. and aged five years in the offseason and I felt sorry very for him last night. Pat Riley has rooked this guy whether he intended to or not.

Bact to topic, I think all of November is going to be a trial by fire for us and I too regret Shaq won't be around for us to be able measure ourselves.

 

This whole "measuring stick" idea is a thing of the past. The way to measure Yao is how he plays against the other centers in the NBA, 95% of whom are not like Shaq. If Yao takes Shaq apart, fine and well, but that doesn't tell us how Yao will play against the quicker, smaller centers who can jump and will front him most of the time. My measuring stick for Yao is how he does against teams like the Pistons and Spurs who will do everything possible to deny him the ball and double him when he does get it in scoring position. Will Yao fight hard enough to get the ball in the right spots? Will he quickly get off a good shot before the double team clamps down on him? Will he get assists from double teams or turn the ball over? These are the measuring sticks I use.

Yao vs. Shaq in head to head matchups is a blast from the past that has little application in today's NBA. The real question is: In his own way, can Yao destroy the rest of the league the way Shaq does (or used to)? Will he become "unstoppable" as T-Mac says he can?

 

I wish we could see both the teams at 100%, a healthy T-MAC and a healthy Shaq

 

The Heat are still a dangerous team without Shaq. We have to avoid a letdown when we play them.

 

Good post. My caveat is just as the rule changes have limited Shaq, "Yao destroying the rest of the league" seems to be a measuring stick that is completely out of whack with reality.

If you want to measure Yao based on great team D like the Pistons, that's cool, but isn't that more than a bit much to ask for at this stage of Yao's career? Dream wasn't the best center in the league going into his 4th season but if Yao turns out to be, that obviously won't stroke your measuring stick.

Yao possibly being the best center in the league is a big deal. When you draft anybody as an overall #1 that's usually more than you can even hope for.

As for T-Mac quotes, well let's see how he does when Yao has 2 or 3 guys in his face. He's the one I expect to do better. Any wonder why?

 

Players getting injured are bad for the league. I wouldn't want hornets fans giving thanks for tmac's injury if they win tomorrow. I wouldn't want Duncan to get injured just so the rocket's could win. And like the rest of the league's fans, I enjoy watching a Yao/Shaq matchup. It's a clash of the only two titans left in the league. They are the last two left no matter what Eric Dampier says.

And as for Yao having to deal with double teams, we heard that during training camp that he had to play against doubles from Deke and Ewing. If that doesn't get him comfortable, I don't what will. Now all that's left is fronting defense......

 

no? lol

 

One thing I have noticed about Yao's new and improved hook shot is that he seem to lean more toward the basket when taking the shot whereas in the past he'd be fading away !! He should be shooting a higher % this year!

 

What are you smoking?!!!!!!!!

What matters is wins and losses. With shaq out. We have a beter chance at winning. It doesn't matter on Yao's performance. Or how Yao does against shaq. **** that!!!!

it's all about the wins.

I'm glad he won't play, now we have a better chance at the W.

 

It's official. JayZ750 and Uprising and the same person.

 

We were gonna beat them anyway.

 

Looks like Shaq "I Work Thru It" O'Neal chicks out.