I still have not figured out why this team did not surround Yao with 4 - 3pt shooters spacing the floor to allow him to eat who ever 1-1 inside. This makes fronting him impossible without being torched from outside like a player of Murphy or Okur's calibur stretching the floor from the 4 spot. When you have a Scola or Landry in there or even a Hayes it makes fronting Yao and doubling him that much easier.
Because they didn't have the money to sign players like that nor the assets to trade for players like that? Believe me, the Rockets would love to have a guy like Okur on their team.
Are you kidding me, Shawn bradley is a very good defensive player, go look up his defensive on-off ratings. He gets a bad rap because of the espn highlights he is involved in but he never gives up on a play like so many other people who try to avoid being on a poster.
So why not make a trade for Murphy? You know Utah aint gonna trade Okur. Or play small-ball +Yao forcing the other teams to match-up to our line-up. They should have figured out by now that Yao is no Olajuwon and dont have the same kind of footwork to beat a double team with a baseline fade away jumpshot that leaves your jew dropping with Scola and Landry or Hayes or even a Otis Thorpe on the floor.
Add 2 more to your ignore list --- trugoy and burnnotice. Until they learn how to actually criticize.
I have been pretty critical of your first post but I do agree with what you said about Shawn Bradley. I would rather have a Shawn Bradley on my team any day of the week and twice on Sunday than the other bigs who move out of the way to avoid being embarrassed when someone is about to dunk the ball in. Only knuckleheads (and sadly we have a lot of those on ESPN and around here too) would make fun on the bigs who got dunked on because they made a honest attempt to challenge the dunker. These fools diss the warriors and worship the cowards.
above average, I wouldn't put him in the very good category. How could you come up with thread, it is like you don't watch the games, you rarely see Rockets' game where someone is covering Yao in exclusive single coverage. Fronting, practically, is a double team, though it is even worst than actual double team, because doesn't even have the ball. This also means inferior defensive teams essentially have to resort to what was once considered illegal defense to stop one player. Most teams who do decide to go out Yao one-on-one for an entire game, often resorts to him easily average 21 to 27 ppg and 11 to 13 rebs. That alone tells you that Yao isn't a run of the mill player. #ell, even the so called premier defensive centers in the game cannot slow him down by themselves (Camby, Howard, Okafor, Bynum, Chandler, Noah, Oden). The only thing keeping Yao from become an unquestioned all-time great is his injured foot and grimy referees (Tim Donaghy and Joey Crawford).
If they get a floor spacer at the 4 spot who can shoot the 3 pointer OR go small-ball + Yao Ming with pound, pound, pound him the ball inside, he'd be back to his 25 points, 10 rebounds, 55% FG and wont be suprised to see him launching 3 pointers either like Arvydas Sabonis did with Adelman with Portland. Then bring in Scola and move him to the high-post. Make other big men think he's going to post-up when he actually launches a three pointer bringing the ball up the floor and passed to him or in transition.
My point is that the simple double team doesn't slow him own at all, we could beat the simple double teams even when we had rafer alston starting at PG. My point is that the better teams are all game planning for a fronting defense now, usually throwing it on full press style in the 4th quarter and banking on a rockets collpase, and we saw it in the playoffs as the main defense against YAO. Even against a double or a front especially, there is actually no need for 4 3 point shooters, look at Spurs and tony parker, they are successful with parker despite him being a terrible jump shooter.
I disagree for the simple reason that usually these "stretch 4s" are terrible rebounders, and Yao ming even though he is not a good multi-space rebounder is a very good boxxer outer, and takes up so much space that another good rebounder(like scola or landry) will get lots of rebounds.
to stop the fronting bring in a strong atlethic PF like Amare or Bosh from offseason, then there is no way teams can settle on fronting Yoa as Amare will get the pass and drive to the basket more easily
Your missing the point. The point is to stretch the floor making double and fronting Yao impossible that alone is the reason to stretch the floor. Your better off to take your chance inside to score than to allow a double or fronting come to play or by simply using him just to get a rebound.
this is why an athletic and versatile pf is needed to help stretch the floor by being able to shoot mid range jumpers drive the ball and grab offenisve and defensive boards, someone like a bosh, stoudemire, jefferson, or even a troy murphy, heack even laundry
Teams have a tendency to cheat off the 4 man Scola, Landry, Hayes to front or double Yao and we seen how ineffective Yao became and how effective Scola and Ladry became even with their range. And there range is decent, but not always a good clean look, we been lucky they been consistent enough, but still a clean look is a clean look at the basket even if that 4 man could shoot the three with a better decision to utilize Yao down low better. simply put Yao made them look good, but they did not make Yao look good.
So you are backing your thoughts up based on 9 play-off games. Houston did go 5-4 in those games. But that team had a much less experienced Aaron Brooks and a ballhogish Ron Artest as their starting backcourt. Remember all those open 3 point shots that Artest was getting in the play-offs? Now imagine Martin taking those 3's. Or a better Brooks. Or Scola continuing to take the Blazers to school. Or Ariza slashing to the rim. Different team, and one that I very much look forward to seeing next year.
I think having Jeffries here all year, will help Yao practice against the fronting defense... Jeffries may be a long term strategic practice piece.
when they front, they usually have another guy sagging behind. in most cases, this would've been called illegal in the past. if it's a simple front, then a lob would work, no matter how flat-footed yao is. and a lob is as basic as a bounce pass for every baller. that's exactly why you don't see any team technically "front" yao; it's always a half sandwich. i am not saying yao is dream, but dream did have problems with george karl's illegal defense.
scola is not that consistent and reliable as a jump shooter or an inside scorer (0 pts last night!) and a shot blocker defender because of his lack of size and athleticism, so we need a stronger and bigger more athletic offensive and defensive PF that can deter double teams by scoring well consistently in paint like a D. Blair
As far as i can tell, fronting is only effective against Yao because we don't have anybody that is remotely capable of throwing a good, reliable lob/entry pass. So basically they don't really have to double Yao everytime while fronting him. Fronting Yao wouldn't be nearly as effective if we have a Nash, Kid, DWill, or any player who actually have a clue on the art of lobbing an entry pass.
