name a 7-3 or taller player in history who was as talented as Yao. I think he can be a better rebounder then he does now. if he plays more agressive
JVG had all the reasons in the world to be upset with his all star center. Its the nets that were talking about here. My goodness. If he can score 32 against a donut team like the lakers, at least he can score 20 against a hurting nets team. Zo or no zo, he should score and grab rebounds. Simply put yao is playing below par and it would be difficult for the rockets to win if either yao or tmac is not on the game. We dont have a deep bench like the mavs or the pistons, what we have are just two of the best in their positions and its more than enough (i.e. Shaq and Kobe). Tmac can do it, now the pressure is on yao to be at least half what shaq is. Were not talking here of dominating like shaq becoz he just cant, but at least put some decent numbers big guy. Ur the so called best center in the west, the second best center in the game. At least show some game.
Yao's performance is heavily determined by the referee. Other night in Houston, Yao got lots of call when the three laker center try to deny him. His confidence boosted and his shots were falling. Tonight, the referee allow Nets to murder him, and on the other hand, a gentle touch by Yao on Collins who flop automatically was called as offensive. Zo is vet and he knows the dirty tricks.
I guess Yao should put a 36+ game to keep his stats, but since he doesn't know about stats it might not happen.
Man, you make a lot more sense talking about Yao than you used to. Do you turn into a Yao fan? Wellcome aboard!
I said this the a week Ago Also . .. I think yao and Tmac need to TAKE OVER different parts of the game Them working well together would be ideal BUT If one dominated the 1st and 3rd and the other Dominated the 2nd and 4th I think I could live with that Rocket River
On a positive note---- Yao is # 4 on the Top Ten plays on Sportscenter. It was that monster dunk on Alonzo Mourning.... I think Yao will respond by playing very well tonight...
what make me concern is that the offense totally did not work well with TMAC and Yao in court at the same time. Our guards just refused to pass the ball inside even yao already got a good position. You know, after those games, the fans in china already started to feel YAO should go to another team where the guards is willing to pass the ball. If things do not work well this season, i am quite sure YAO will consider that.
1. I counted on the Rockets first 6 possessions Yao established good low post position (fought Mourning hard for it) and Ward passed up the entry pass 6 times. On one of the possessions Yao got a pass and it was from the wing after Ward gave up the ball. 2. Yao still has alot to learn about the NBA game. For instance play tougher under the basket going strong to the rim, Expect to get fouled on most every jump shot, adjust your shot and hope for some calls, Don't try to shoot off balance against the double team. 3. Big problem is that when Yao gets the entry pass and passes back out the Rockets are not sending it back in to him. This goes for TMac also. When they pass back out they are going to reestablish position the pass has to go right back. Yao works his tail off to get position. Keep feeding him. 4. Yao does start to lose composure and make mistakes out of frustration. But this frustration doesn't come from the opposing defense as much as from the dysfunctional execution of the low post offense. Part of this is his fault. But mostly we are not as focused as getting him going as we should be. 5. I am concerned about JVG because it is obvious that Yao can dominate in the low post and he is very good when he faces the basket from 15-18 ft. (if he is not forcing the shot) Yao can score 18-25 easily per night and with a good percentage. Keep going to the guy and get him the ball where he likes it. The same goes for TMac ride the dude till he is on fire. Nobody can guard these guys one on one. Rockets wake up. I am glad we be the Nets but don't expect to handle SA, Utah, Dallas, Minn, Indy, Detroit or Miami that way. 6. JJ and Ward need to get the two horses going and hit the wide open 3 when it is their. MoTay and Howard both can get their shot and score give them the third option green light. The sooner we get the tight identity and chemistry the better. Yao is pouring his heart and guts out, reward the man. TMac is the most insane talent we've seen here since Dream, reward the man. Build the offense around these two. period.
How is California? Found a place to Ball there yet? Oh, and come on D....Yao will never be great but he is a heck of a sidekick to Tmac. DD
10 bucks says Yao responds and plays great against Atlanta and then 2 or 3 games later we’ll be right back to where we are now with Van Gundy needing to call Yao out to light a fire under him. It’s a never ending cycle.
Sabonis, 97-98, 10 rebounds per game. Fact is, there have been very few 7'3" or bigger players in the NBA, and even fewer who had any talent.
Yao spent all night at the Nets game 15-18' from the basket and looked like he did not want the ball. He nearly fouled out Mourning when he WAS in the paint and only took eleven shots. He better foul out AND humiliate Collier tonight. Ewing is the problem. VG is a very good basketball coach. If you do not like his philosophy, fine, but don't ever say he is not a good coach. If as you say that Yao is a half court kind of guy then Yao should be flourishing under VG as Ewing did. Yao has more overall talent than Ewing if not the athleticism. (Ewing wasn't exactly Dream in the athleticism department either.) Let Ewing take his head coaching job somewhere else and bring in Dream or Malone or Russell for a few years.
It has been ingrained into Yao's mind by the likes of Rudy T that the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. So much moreso for the Chinese Elvis who just finished an olympic run with a bunch of all-asians-look-alikes. Offensive effort all the time, or when it counts? A simple question with a not so simple answer.
If yao responses and play great against atlanta (it also depends on how much support he can get from the guards), the problems are still there. We have not find a way to run offense with both YAO and Tmac in the court at the same time. Our guards simply don't know or don't want to pass the ball inside with Tmac in the court. They may pass the ball inside for a few times. If did not work, for the rest of game, they just simply dump the ball to TMAC or shoot themselve. what a waste for yao's effect. I would rather see Tmac take full charge in 1st and 2nd quarters and Yao take full charge in 3rd and 4th quarters. By doing these, at least we can beat most of the teams and secure a position in playoff. The current offense makes nobody happy.
Personally, I think Jeff Van Gundy is a little too relentlessly negative. He's never happy and is rather dismissive of his player's efforts, as if they're not even trying. People have good games. People have bad games. It happens. I don't think any NBA players enjoy being raked over the coals every time they mess up. Occasionally, it might work but occasionally, it might be better for a coach to stick up for his player when times are tough. Going to the media with your complaints might motivate players up to a certain point, but it could also get players worried less about winning and more about avoiding the ire of the coach, which is no good. Let's face it. Van Gundy looks constantly miserable and I hope that temperment doesn't spread to the rest of the team. He's basically the opposite of Rudy T, who was perhaps excessively positive and couldn't deliver any criticism. I'm worried about this team. Basketball is supposed to be fun. I didn't like the way Steve Francis played, but his enthusiasm for basketball was evident. That seems to be missing on this team.
First of all, where do you get the ridiculous notion that Yao can't shoot midrange any more? Based on this season? I guess that sandbag on his arm makes no diff in his shooting motion. As if that's not bad enough, you go and repeat it in every thread. Oh btw, where was Brad Miller's jumper in Chicago and Indiana? The only reason he can even score over 12 right now is because he gets open looks. You always want a big man who can hit the 15 footer, but games are won in the low post.
