Now that we have pretty much committed to Rick Adelman as a coach and we will be more uptempo, look for the following phrase to be repeated often in the offseason. "Yao Ming is too big/tall/unathletic to run an uptempo offense, he will be tired easily" To this I say HORSE RADISH!!!!! Anyone who has ever played competitive basketball knows that playing the post is much more tiring than running up and down the court. Cardiovascular fitness is a primary component of any NBA athelete, NO one in the NBA will be tired playing in an up tempo offense, that excuse is just pure bulldust. Second, by running an uptempo offense, Yao Ming will be able to get deeper position much quicker and often, because he will be able to establish position much earlier in the shot clock before the offense is setup. If anything, going uptempo will get Yao easier baskets and also save him banging in the post, he will be less tired by playing in an uptempo offense.
The question isn't about stamina. It's about how fast he can get up and down the court. Who is he going to outrun? Nobody, that's who. They can still play uptempo. But Yao is not going to be playing the role of Amare Stoudamire or any other fast big man.
On the other side of the coin is the myth that Yao will be some kind of prolific passer from the high post. I think he has an outside shot but he isn't a fluid passer, is clumsy with the ball, and I could see it leading to turnovers rather than assists. He did seem to have some decent court vision in the Rudy days though...
Uptempo means fastbreaks and layups. If you believe our best offensive player is Yao, playing uptempo would mean running the break and in most cases that does not equal Yao. I don't think that Yao will necessarily get winded but if we try to become an uptempo team, he's not gonna be getting the ball as much. A 7'6" guy is option #1 in the halfcourt, but on the break he's usually behind most of the other players.
Everyone above pretty much summed up what I was gonna say. Unless you're expecting us to run 5 mph fastbreaks, Yao isn't capable of running with the herd.
He doesn't need to "run the break". When teams get out and run, the defense is getting back to try to stop the break, if the fast break doesn't work, you can still execute plays in the half court. The difference is that the defense has not had 10+ seconds to counter Yao getting position in the post, because they have to recover from transition defence. That means that even if the intial fast break does not work, secondary shot opportunities are much easier and plentiful. Look at the suns, their fast breaks don't work that often, but they get so many secondary passes in for layups coming off the 2nd/3rd/ passes.
Is that what uptempo means? I always thought it just meant there is more movement in the offense like the way the Bull's play or the way Sac Kings used to play.Even Pheonix, when the opposing defense is already set, instead of players standing still waiting for a pass, they will move to an open spot to recieve the pass, thus breaking down the defense. Fast break points should be a result of good defense, exploiting turnovers and rebounding.When Les says he would like a more uptempo offense, I dont think he means out running the other team to victory.I think he wants a smooth flowing offense instead of having players standing still and be predictable. That has nothing to do with Yao having to run up and down the floor. Also, from what I have seen concerning fast break points it usually isnt 5 on 5. I always remember fast breaks 3 on 2 or,3-1,2-1 etc, even with the Dream, who was an agile big man. I hope Im not wrong with the way I interpret what Les wants. If he expects Yao to be able to run up and down the floor the way the Grizzlies played this last season with Barone, he is truly an idiot. If I am confusing this all with uptempo what would be the correct term for what I am describing?
Well I don't know how you can say that since he's never been given the opportunity to play the high post. And I think he's always been pretty good passing the ball on the interior. It's only passing out of the post to the perimeter that he's had difficulty in the past with, and he's made a lot of strides as of late.
Let me ask if anyone here is also 7'6 and 300 lbs. Running up and down the court might be easier for a 5'10 weekend warrior then playing in the post, but I hardly think that would be the case for Yao. Like it was mentioned before, he should always be under the basket on defense, so he has to outrun the opposing team to get this quick deep position you say he will have with Adelman, and again 7'6 300 lb guys arent gonna do that very often. Im actually more worried about how it will effect Yao's defense. if we become a team that shoots quickly there will be times he is just getting upcourt when we miss and the other team triggers a break. I think he has the hardest time when he is running to get on offense and has to quickly turn and head back on defense ie a turnover or quick shot. Thats when other bigs beat him down court. I hope Adelman does wonders for Yao's offense but still remembers what his limitations are physically and has a system to minimize them.
Yao probably would not run so much but rather be the outlet passer and then occasionally come in for the secondary break. DD
For what he can do in up-tempo offense, he makes up for with a dominant post game. Name another player in the league who is automatic in the deep post over last 6 years, except Shaq and Duncan.
Personally, I don't think a center like Yao Ming can be effective in an uptempo game.... Sincerely, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Use Yao like the Showtime Lakers used Kareem; run for three quarters, then play the half court and pound the ball into Yao in the fourth quarter (with Yao still fresh from not banging away the first three quarters). This would also extend Yao's career.
As hard as I try, I can't remember a single instance of Divac finishing the break in Sacramento. Of course Yao can't excel in a fast-break game. But his offensive skills can certainly excel in a different style than he's currently been playing.
Yao never looked better in his career than he did by sticking to the low post game during the first part of the season before his injury. He was a dominant force. If it ain't broke....
Yao makes Kareem look like Carl Lewis. Yao is just that slow. The more transitions during a game the more tired Yao will get, which is why limiting the number of transitions during a game was a good thing for Yao. If someone hasn't figured out that Yao tires easily I guess they never will. This is a fact, not a myth. The high post stuff will be interesting to say the least. It turns the big fella into a statue. Unless Yao can consistently hit jumpers, putting him in the high post is a waste of time. He can't take anyone off the dribble because the opposing team will have a steal and a fast break dunk faster than you could blink an eye. I suppose the idea will be to hit cutters and it will be on Yao to make a crisp accurate passes.
It's very simple. To move to uptempo all the Rockets need to do is: 1) have a PG that can get up and down the floor and "finish" on a drive. 2) have wing players that are willing to RUN (and not spot up for 3s). 3) In our defensive system, allow wings to "break early" so when we secure the rebounds we can outlet to them on the run. NONE of that involves Yao running up and down the court. It is more about fixing the perimeter personnel and changing some of our defensive rules. If you want to see ALL of that in action, tune in to the San Antonio Spurs.
agreed entirely. oh, and the guys on this roster are known for being tremendous cutters and finishers, right? oh, wait. they totally aren't. if more kirk snyder is the answer, what the hell was the question?
