yeah, that move by t-mac was really nice.the last time he did that move was last year (he did it once for the whole season)
Actually, that's one of the dumbest moves he does, and he got blocked a lot on that move. NBA is about adjustment, every team has scout reports on every other teams players' move, and they make adjustment on their defense. For players with incredible individual skills, you just try your best and pray at the same time. But, for a slow player like Yao, it's much easier to defend many of his moves since most of his defenders are faster & more athletic, that's why you see more and more of Yao's shots have been blocked lately. The way for Yao to dominate is to use his height & weight, and lean & shoot over people, or just catch and shoot, so even the defenders know that's what you are going to do, but they cannot stop you. The fade-away is the worst move for a 7-6/320lb slow footed guy to use against smaller, but quick defenders.
I respectfully disagree. It is not actually a pure fadeaway shot, it involves a mix of banging and fading. Yao is three hundred pounds and using his body made him unstoppable. That is what set Yao apart from ordinary seven footers, the combination of skill and power. Again, this is the move I'm referring to : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jss1xEzh5b4 He hasn't been using that move lately. at least in the games I've seen like the lakers game. Actually for me part of what sets the special players apart from the ordinary players is their trademark moves. This was a move that made Yao unique. Many teams have scouted Yao but they couldn't stop that move. He was using it for YEARS. As you can see from the video it was a clutch shot which decided the outcome of the game. It was part of what made him unstoppable. Even in the Jazz series when we won the first two games, he was using that move a lot against Okur with success. In the stretch of games where he was scoring a string of games in the high 20's and high 30's he was using that move a lot. Anyway, its just my two cents. A pure fadeaway is the worst shot for a seven footer. But this trademark move is not a pure fadeaway if you watch closely. it involves power: banging into the defender before fading and no other center had Yao's markmanship from freethrow distance to copy and execute that move with consistency. It was a thing of beauty which no one else could execute. It was a trademark Yao post move which set him apart from other centers.
Yao did alot of those moves you're talking about under JVG. Now, with all the talent we have and with our new coach, we don't just dump it down to Yao every time down like we used to do. If we do dump it to Yao, he draws the double then swings the ball around to get an open team mate a shot. In general Yao is taking less shots, and the shots that he is taking are ones closer to the basket when he flashes into the paint quickly and shields his man off. Getting him the ball that deep usually results in a foul or a little baby hook shot. Yao can still go to the middle with that fade away when he wants, but he is turnover prone when he dribbles towards the middle. I like him fading away with that baseline J, I also how well he plays without the ball. When his team mates are being aggresive going to the rim, he gets alot of point blank shots that are almost impossible to miss. When teams dont double Yao on the post up, you may see that shot you mentioned, but honestly, what team doesn't double Yao? You have to double him.
actually man he gets blocked a lot when he fades to the baseline because it is more of a pure fadeaway shot. The fade to the baseline was one of Olajuwon's unstoppable moves. I agree JVG had a lot to do with developing his post game. Actually if you watch the video the Clippers are trying to double team him but he doesn't need much time to execute it. And it actually seals the outcome of the game. I just thought of that move because during the Lakers game there were three or four botched plays when he had Bynum all to himself but kept spinning baseline where he eventually got trapped. It was quite demoralizing to see him not punishing Bynum. Before this season he had bynum's number. Actually I think we got blown out so bad in that lakers game because we couldn't make them pay for not double teaming Yao. When they did it was a soft double team where players were just hedging.
Lakers are a better team than us right now. They're better than everyone right now. Rockets still need to improve their overall team chemistry. That will come soon enough. Didn't we start out 10-12 last season, but we finished wih 56 wins? Yao in the post is a big part of why we're successful. That being said, we dont need him to be as aggressive as he was the past few years. We have alot of options right now on offense, and exploring those options is better for everyone. Yao doesnt have to bang all night and he can do things away from the ball to get easier buckets. His FG attempts are way down so far, but so are his fouls and turnovers. Team turnovers and fouls in general have been down, and that has allowed us to stay in games even though we're shooting a terrible percentage. That little shot you talked about is a nice weapon for Yao, but I don't like how he has to put the ball on the floor in order to get to that spot. He's 7 6, why bring the ball down where people can take it from you. The baseline moves are much safer IMO. I like how Yao is playing so far this year. He is still regaining his form, but I like his shot selection and how effective he is as a rebounder. I also feel like he's making more of an effort ro protect the ball.
I will have to defer to your opinion on Yao's overall play in those other games since I didn't get to watch them. His overall play was better under Thibbodeau though its still early. Its plausible that his shot can work both ways either baseline (as in the clutch shot in that portland game when Prizbilla was overplaying the middle) or going to the middle which I consider his trademark move since no one executes it so perfectly as Yao. Its about reading the defense and playing to your strengths. My only frustration was in the Lakers game when he had single coverage by Bynum and he went away from the bread and butter moves that made him special.
It's still early like u say....His play has been inconsistant so far, but his low turnovers and his low fouls suggest that he is a smarter player. Once he and the rest of the team gets into a rhythm his play will be consistant again. Don't expect 25 PPG though.
