Yes , good enough in some areas, but there is room for improvement in other areas also. I believe Yao will get there, because a player like him never rest, and will keeping keep improving until they acheive their goals. What I like to see is Yao on a mean streak. When I say "mean streak" , I'm not asking him to be an NBA thug like guy who intimidates by throwing elbows , cheap shot and bully guys with powers. Example of mean streak: 1) Tiger Woods just doesn't want beat his opponent when he plays, he wants to stomp them to the ground with his feet on their throat and beat them by 20 strokes. 2) Bill Gates is not satisfy with just beating his competition, he wants to destroy the competition and put them out of business. I don't want Yao to settle for turnaround jumpers when he could do much more with his size. He should continue to play physical, take it strong to rim and dominate. Finish strong in the fourth quarter and put your opponent away. Keep that foot on your opponent's throat while he's is down and not letting him back up ... is the kind of mean streak I want to see from Yao. When he starts doing this, the softie image will disappear and he will get the respect. I see it coming .. and coming very soon.. The time is indeed YAO !
damn that's a great article...addressed some of the more distasteful issues like the fear of the 'asian invasion'...and the guy's probably right...the refs are cracking hard on yao cos they cant stand an asian taking away the spotlight away from their beloved americans...but in the great spirit of yao...what doesnt destroy him can only make him better...keep pumping the iron mate...
I do hope Yao watch some Bill Russell videos duringhis free time. I don't think Russell was as atheletic as some other great centers like Wilt, but he had great anticipation for his oppenent's move, which makes him the best denfender ever.
Is it me or does Yao lead the league in bad puns based on his name? I bet Jason Richardson doesn't get this.
Last night Kenny Smith commented Yao's current 86% free throw is nothing to brag about until the other commentator pointed out Smith was a 83% shooter. Smith immediately changed subject.
This is the same so call "The Jet" who along with Sir Charles wanted the Rockets to take Jason Williams out of Duke instead of Yao. This guy makes me sick along with Charles. He never has anything nice to say about the Rockets. He should return them rings back to H-Town. I mean you never hear Magic put down the Lakers no matter what. Charles is always there to give more props to any other big man not name Yao. I can't wait till Yao leads the Rockets to a Championship and I wish Yao would have the attitude of saying to all the haters "You can Kiss my ass" all you Mother F#$%#$.
he also said that out of the number he had against the knicks in the 1st game, the one thing that impressed him was the 7 blocks. not the fact that he scored 35 and grabbed 17 rebounds, why didnt he just admit that 35-17-7 combined in one game are all more than impressive. maybe its cuz im a little sensitive to yao comments, but this just didnt seem fair.
"I've never understood the Yao-hate," Van Gundy said. "I'm trying to figure out why people have a problem with him. They always kind of say what's he not. … He doesn't refer to himself in the third person. He hasn't given himself a nickname.And he doesn't try to offset his negative nights with excuses." that's so f***ing hilarious!!! gotta love it
isn't it a culture or something to give athletes nicknames? Maybe good if Yao got a cool nickname....
No its pure ego. If someone else gives you a nickname and its sticks.. then that's okay. Cause your actions modivated it rather than your need to boost your own confidence. I am with JVG on this one. Yao doesn't need to do those things to prove he is good. His actions on the court will do it for him. People who won't recognize that he is talented and "dominant" have a need to boost their own egos. Yao is now! I just hope the rest of the team continues to respond and the Rox get championship with Yao as the force behind it. He deserves it after his continued improvement.
Maybe you could construe it as Kenny saying that the 35and 17 are to be expected now, but the 7 blocks show even further improvement. I'm not really sure I even believe that's what he meant, but it may help you feel better about it.
Great post. Not sure if Yao is or has been doing this diligently, but he can definitely learn a lot from the past greats like Russel by being a student of the game. Heck, Yao can even learn a great deal from guys like Bill Laimbeer, who wasn't a whole lot more athletic than Yao, but nonetheless was a monster on boards during much of his NBA career, relying purely upon his excellent positioning and anticipation. Not to act like Laimbeer the thug, but Yao can certainly learn a bit how get into opponents' psych. Another thing about improving anticipation is cutting down his turnovers, whether it's from unseen wicked passes from his teammates or the stolen/stripped balls by quicker smaller defenders.
Everyone keeps callin Yao soft, but i think this year its all gonna change. He seems like hez gettin pissed and hez not gonna take it any more. I'm plannin on seeing a more agressive Yao for the rest of the season.
lol, what's new? the world is unfair? we are all inherently show racism? it's our nature to discriminate and dislike the unlike? poor yao...he's such a nice guy...
this was a great article. now that yao's obviously back in great form, tracy is getting back to his former self, we just need our bench/rest of the team to contribute and we'll be just fine.
