i honestly think the level of scruitny he recieves is based on the amount of expectations has from a 7'6'' guy with this much talent. i think furthermore the it is based on how he plays the game and that we realize as fans that he is not just a project and that if he was he would not recieve any of the criticism that he recieves now
Dude you must not have been watching baseball very much and must've missed last year's playoffs. Anyway we saw Yao in the playoffs last year and he didn't play as well as he did in the regular season.
There's a lot to reply in this thread so here are my 2 Yuan on the mattter. I agree that the Yao bashing gets overboard but sports writers and sports fans are given to hyperbole. The fact alone that we spend so much time pontificating about a game shows how in love we are with our own voices and when debating about things like this it usually becomes a pissing match to see who can be the most extreme in their opinion. From watching Yao its undeniable that he has skills that show up everynow and then but consistency is a big problem for him. This is probably due to a lot of things, stamina, mental toughness, still not adjusted the NBA, youth, improper coaching or utilization. I'm thinking that Yao is so unique that his skills are shortcomings are also unique. When has there ever been a player so tall who could shoot so well, pass so well and instinctive moves but also have so many problems hanging on to the ball and establishing position? I'm thinking that even though this is the middle of his third year Yao is still learning the NBA, JVG is still learning Yao, and the refs are still adjusting to him. Since I believe Yao is a smart person who does try hard I think eventually he'll figure it out at the same time as JVG or some other coach does too and then we'll see him performing more consistently. Of course its undeniable for now that Yao hasn't proved to the next Hakeem and for him its unfortunate that he's hyped to that extent. We just may have to accept that Yao is Yao and its unfair to compare him to others. Also in regards to hate I gotta agree with wizkid interms of hate among recent Rox I think Francis has him beat. Heck I've seen people blaming Francis for our current struggles and every thread about our current guards inevitably turns into a Francis bashing thread. As for the basketball analogy to Derek Bell I think that would be Joe Barely Cares or Quitten.
More and more ppl can accept the fact that he is not next Hakeem or Shaq. But I believe ppl still expect him to play at his mentor Patrick Ewing's level. But he is more and more Rik Smits like. That is really frustrating.
the quicker that we realize what we have in Yao the better it will be for everybody involved. expecting him to be a 24 ppg 11 rpg player (I got those numbers from the front page poll) is almost ludicrous. why do people expect him to be able to produce such stats? once we realize that yao is what he is the pressure will fade from him and the expectations here will decrease.
Yao's inconsistency makes him a mystery. He absolutely dominates in about 20% of games and plays great in another 30% of games. He obviously can do much better than 18/8/2, which makes him very frustrating to watch in those bad games. Will Yao be another JoeBarelyCares or Ewing? If the latter, we should get at least 2 rings with Yao+Tmac.
I keep hearing let Yao be Yao, to me that is the enigma, which player is he and will he find the middle of the road which allow him to make a solid contribution night in and night out? He is frustrating because you never know what he is going to give you. At some point he must establish himself on some level so the team knows exactly what his value is going to be. Right now, he is nothing more than a really good role player who simply can not be relied on to give the team a solid contributin consistently. That is ok for a Bob Sura or a Mike James but not from your franchise center especially in this stats for dollars NBA. Right now giving Yao the max is like shooting yourself in the foot. It is gambling with the future of the very franchise. Max dollars IMO are not to be gambled with, hopefully Rox management will feel the same way as me on this one. I do not want 24 and 11 from Yao yet if ever, I'd be happy with 17 and 10 if he was giving it to us every night for that is what a cornerstone is supposed to do. He does not have to be Shaq or Hakeem but he does have to consistent. If he can not do that then he will forever be nothing more than he is now.
but that is the thing, he does have to be as good as dream or shaq or he will (deservedly so) be labeled a bust. since we drafted yao he has become the focal point of houston basketball. we changed our entire team for this guy, not just francis and co. but the uniforms, the endorsments, we made houston the mecca for chinese athletics. furthermore, yao is going to be the starter on the allstar team as long as it is a fan vote thing. as it is, yao deservesnone of what he has been given and until he starts to measure up to the greats he'll have the reputation of being a punk. pure and simple.
I could care less about perceived meccas, all star appearances or anything related to such matters, Yao has got to be more consistent but no he does not have to be Shaq or Dream, that's where we disagree; 99% of the league would be punkasses if this were the criteria.
99% of the league is not handed the mantle of the next BIG thing. imagine if LeBron had not produced, that to me is the situation with Yao.
Well, this went completely away from where I wanted it to go, everyone that usually bashes Yao has crawled back into their holes with their stat sheets and espn game reports. Oh yes, by the way, for Yao to get 24 points a game on 14 shots, even with 4 freethrows, he has to shoot 10-14 all the time.
Yao's mainly problem is inconsistency. The cause of inconsistency is mainly due to the role he's been cast into - he's mainly an opportunistic player rather than a systematic player, yet his character and approach to the game is more suited as a systematic player. On the post plays, which lacks counter measures, Yao shots are often given by the defense. if the defense decides to block the post play by fronting, sandwiching or soft double teams, the play is usually over. Therefore, in this sense the post play for Yao is opportunistic. Yao's touches on post plays is consequently inconsistent. Yao also has the duty to create for the teammates, which further decreases the already low shot opportunities he has. On the non post plays, the Rockets lack in plays that's designed to create for Yao or utilize his passing. When Yao is not setting picks for his teammates, he hovers around the court to find opportunistic baskets, the open layups or jumpers that happens to fall in his hands. No guarentee for Yao's shots, he's not Tracy McGrady, he's just used as a role player but expected to be the next big thing. Yao may or may not be a great player, but the problem is not it. It is that Yao is not performing to his current level. Yao can be an eagle right now, but he's used as a vulture.The Rockets have adopted a formula that breeds such inconsistency. Yao himself needs to take blame for his lack of temper and will to fight against adversity, either against the system, the coach or the refs. When he is being forced into a role that doesn't suit him, or is mistreated, he doesn't fight back. He accepts his fate and tries to be the good boy. He passes the ball for the play and watch other dwarfs shoot the jumper that belongs to him. He needs to be told as a leader instead of asserting his role. His style doesn't mesh with the system yet his personality maintains the status quo. There is not many choices regarding the situation. Either change the system or change Yao, either his personality or his location. There is no guarentee which way will work, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out which way to go.
I think that has more to do with Les and the NBA looking at Yao as a gateway to a 1.2 bil person market than as Yao himself being a superstar.
After today's game does anyone else think that no matter what happens this season the Rox should keep Mutumbo around to mentor Yao?
Does anyone know if the coaches actually work with Yao on his shortcomings instead of just talking to him about them? They could have him press in on the ball for 20 min at a time between his hands and put him in the habit of pressing in every time he gets the ball. They could have him chase rebounds from different angles in rapid succession to help him read where the balls are going before they hit the rim. They could have him stay upright to defend outside shots instead of crouching down and away from the opponent while putting a hand in front of their faces. It would be easy to have him do these things over and over. In sports, it's not enough just to think about them.
