you're right. he NEVER does this when he picks and rolls with yao though. why? 1) yao can't shoot the mid-range J 2) the other man would rotate over to yao in the 04-05 dallas series, tmac did pass to yao alot of the pick and roll b/c teams back then didn't really game plan for yao and just leave him wide open after that play. now they adjusted and rotate over to yao he does this frequently with landry or scola though b/c of their ability to hit the mid-range J
Good point. It is a relatively a small thing but it means a lot. It would sure give some extra points but it gets me frustrated sometimes but most of the time McGrady is passing the ball around fine.
You haven't seen T-Mac do this in a Rocket uniform? I'm pretty sure he and J-Ho had pick and pop play down to a science in the 04-05 season. Maybe you're talking about a different play. Anyway, when J-Ho went out with the viral heart infection, we pretty much lost that play. We'd probably beat the Mavs that year if Howard was there.
Yao could hit that jumper in his rookie season but I am telling you he lost it, he has tried to implement that in his game since last year but I have not seen him be consistent from that, he has had many open looks, he's probably 10% from the mid-range game shooting since last season. Then also, you have Landry and Scola who are able to hit that mid-range J, the thing is they are better when they are spotting up and in proper position, usually on the screens it happens beyond the three-pt line, Landry and Scola would have to dribble inside to get to their range. Wish Novak turned out to be good, a pick and roll with him/t-mac would be deadly with his three point threat.
Last season, Yao shot 38%EFG on jumpers...for comparison to good midrange jumpshooters at the PF/C position, Amare Stoudemire shot 46%EFG, and KG shot 47%EFG. Along with the fact those two are better shooters, they are also much better ballhandlers and slashers from 15ft out, so defenders have to sag off on them more. With Yao, they can play him tight as a glove.
dude we tried yao in the high post last yr. people clamored to fire adelman b/c of how poorly yao looked in the high post. yao did have the mid-range J in his rookie year. but ever since JVG took over, he made yao into a dominating post presence and thus his mid-range game disappeared. now he looks uncomfortable away from the paint. he admits it too, in regards to playing under adelman's offense.
Unfit for playing high post not equals Yao can not shoot mid-range J. Yao made some tries and did not shoot well early last season. That did not say he lost the skill forever. He just needs some time to practice and to regain his skill. Yao can shoot excellent FT. Why we don't believe him as TD still can shoot mid-range J ?
The simple solution is to have Yao and Scola fake the screen and flash to the basket before the pick is made. You do this every once in a while and it will keep the defense from over-committing and "showing" their bigs. Although he will make them on occasion, Yao definitely isn't comfortable taking 18-20 footers yet. Scola seems to have a more developed elbow shot at this point and is showing he is also productive from the corner. TMac also keeps defenders on their toes by driving opposite the side of the pick, this is particularly effective because he favors driving to his left anyway. I think TMac's tendency to drive off the screens is a product of JVG's system. JVG designed his offense in a way that requires the defense to focus all their efforts on Yao and McGrady, leaving dead-eye shooters open to knock down uncontested shots. The defensive dilemma, or at least as JVG had hoped, would be the difficult decision of choosing to leave McGrady in single coverage or to get let shooters take open shots. The plan is pretty brilliant on paper but flopped on execution. In their blind pursuit of outside shooting, the Rockets brass completely neglected defense, rebounding, ball movement, etc. From David Wesley, Jimmy Jackson and Juwan Howard (whose careers were clearly on the decline) to Rafer Alston, Luther Head and Steve Novak, we blindly pursued shooting at the expense of athleticism and overall talent. Unfortunately for us, none of our shooters are reliable. This brings me back to my first point - TMac's tendency to drive off screens. While Yao occasionally rolled to the basket after setting a pick for McGrady, most of the time he will stay out in the high post while McGrady drives in off the extra-space created by the screen. In theory, this forces the defense to collapse leaving a corner shooter like Battier wide open for the trey. If McGrady can't trust his shooters, he will pull up and shoot from the perimeter. Yao was never intended to pick and pop, although an attempt has been made to add outside shooting to his repertoire. Any way you slice it, Yao has terrible hands and will fumble the ball 4 out of 5 times if he catches it anywhere outside of 8 feet. As a result, McGrady will only dump the ball to Yao in a PNR if Yao has a clear lane and only if he can deliver the ball to Yao within 8 feet of the basket. McGrady is clearly the focal point in the PNR offense and it wasn't working because Yao wont shoot from the elbow and our spot up shooters are bricking. Even worse, when we go to a corner series or power triangle, Yao couldnt get position or the defense would front and we couldnt make the entry pass...
I saw something I've never seen T-Mac do tonight... Play sub-Luther Head basketball for two straight games. According to the Chron, McGiveup said he wasn't sick tonight and that he just had a bad game. That is a freakin understatement. That was without a doubt the most craptastic game I've ever seen McGrady play. He was simply lifeless, gimpy and soft, shooting bricks, getting stuffed at the rim, basically motionless on offense and defense.
