I think the problem is that some of Yao's dunks aren't made with a lot of emphasis. If he starts dunking more like some of the 'rip the backboard and basket down cuz I way 310 pounds' dunks ala Shaq, I'm sure people will remember them more.
He is doing that a bit more and i am really liking it. The first i saw it this year was in the Minnesota game at home where he came from the backside and threw it down with 2 hands and he had one more dunk with a foul towards the end of the game. He is dunking a bit more with autority but still needs to do it more. He seems to only do it when he is frustrated already by the hacking and other stuff.
As others have said, your timing could not have been any worse, Almu, in starting this thread. And I don't care how valid your points are in criticizing Yao, comparing the man to damn Rik Smits is going to get you labelled as a Yao hater. It is just a fact of life. Now with that being said, I get frustrated with Yao like everyone else and have said that I would wish he would grow a pair. However, I know that he plays with heart every time he steps on the court. And this complaining about him getting "facials" is ridiculous. I guess it is a good thing that ESPN was not around during Russell's, Chamberlain's, Kareem's, etc heydays or you would have "Almus" complaining about the facials that they have done on them. Would you like it better if Yao just never try to contest any shot? I can see it now - his mind is racing and he thinks, "Eh, better step away from Duncan because I don't want to be seen on Sportscenter as having a facial done to me, so Duncan can just score uncontested."
almu, you have been a rox fan a lot longer than I am. I respect that. as a result, I went back and watched yesterday's last minute clip again. and again. and I'm convinced we are not seeing the same game... you know what brought my tears when seeing that last minute? no, not tmac's miracle shooting. what he done is unbelievable, but I still kinda expected him to do all those unbelievables from time to time. It's how Yao fought for every potential rebounds that really brought my tears out. go watch the time when tmac hit his FT for the 4 point play, look how hard yao fought for position when the FT is up. go watch the offensive put back that started the whole come back. go watch how freaking fast yao was running up court in the last possesion. Hell, he is a 7'6 guy and by the time tmac released the shot, he is in the range of a long rebound already. If anything, those are called hearts. If anything, those are the determination we all want from him. yes, Yao still have a lot to learn, a lot to develop. but no, yesterday he is full of heart, and it's not a night he deserves to be criticised.
Dear All I post very rarely, but reading this thread made me say something. There's one thing you all should keep in mind: NJ let Martin and Kittles go. Why's that? ... Yao is gone next summer. 2 much pressure here, many teams interested. And for gods sake, he wont be hakeem-great!
I just want to reiterate what everyone else agrees on which is that Yao is fantastic person, great teammate, humble guy etc., but this has nothing to do with Ming the basketball player. This is his third year so the arguement about giving him time to further develop his skills is beginning to lose its merit. The bottom line is this, the reason 7 foot + centers are so coveted in the NBA are as follows. 1- They can anchor your defense 2- They become your team's primary rebounding weapon. 3- They can get you tough, but high percentage inside points. 4- They can command double teams and find open player from either the low or high post. He is not much of a shotblocker. 8.4 rpg for a 7-6 center is a joke. He is more at home shooting jumpers than taking it strong to the basket. And finally one assist per game does not say much for his ability make his teammates better. Even Amare is getting more assists than Yao.' So if a player does none of things that a 7-6 player is supposed to do, then what exactly is the advantage of being 7-6? Even if he goes through a personal transformation where all the meekness is exorcised from his soul and you infuse him with Jordan's fire and aggression, he just doesnt have the strength, quickness, coordination, or explosiveness to ever become the force that people expect him to be, I still think he can be an asset to a championship team, so long as the team is not centered around him. He can be a good sidekick for a real superstar, because despite all his deficiencies, he is still an effective scorer, and is not a defensive liability. So the Rockets can definitely win a championship with Yao on the team, but never with him as the focal point. The sooner everyone involved with his tutelage understand and accept his limits, the better off they will be. Both Yao and the organization.
Funny because what you said contradicts yourself. If Yao is so bad at defense but good at offense, we should not use him as the defensive anchor but it's still ok to use him as the focal point of offense. We should cover Yao's defensive weakness by excellent defenders at 1-4 spots. Fact is Yao has anchored one of the best defense since his rookie year, even we always have holes in a couple of spots. On the other hand, I am not sure he's able to be the offensive focal point right now. He can draw double-team and find open teammates. But none of them are good shooters. In fact, our roster is poorly constructed, and doesn't completement Yao and TMac at all.
What annoys me is that we haev annointed this guy as the new "king" and the heir apparent to MJ. He is netiher of these and let's all take an objective look at the guy. He commits stupid turnovers, get's stripped a lot, is slow to rebound and go after a loose ball, is a stationary player who doesn't drive the lane occasionally like a Shaq or Tim Duncan. He is not the Dream, and certainly not a franchise player who consistently puts a team on his back night in and night out. T-Mac surprisingly is looking like a top player lately, but will he keep this up. I think after the season ends, the rox have to take a serious, serious look at Yao.
The bad news: Majerus was right. Yao lacks the instinct to dominate. The good news: Yao is very smart and hard-working. He sees what he needs to do and is not doing. He will try to find ways to overcome or compensate for his lack of instinct. He will work hard to improve his stamina. He will learn. Bottom line: This will take years. He will get better and better. Yao has less physical talent than Olajuwon, but more than Smits. We should keep him and pay him the max, but we should assume that for the next several years he will be the best supporting actor to T-mac, not the other way around.
Where did I say he was bad on defense? I said he is unable to anchor the defense. Big difference. If you disagree and believe that he can be the type of defensive anchor that Shaq, Wallace, etc. are then I don't know what to tell you.
He does anchor our defense, which is one of the best in the league. Have you checked the roster of pistons? They are all good defenders and offensive threat. Have you checked the defense prowess of the Heats? They are about the same as the Rockets.
