Front Yao like Memphis. Simple question. Does Memphis just have the athletes to do it. If you play behind Yao, you get killed, if front him, you give him trouble. Memphis always seems to give Yao trouble, and its more than one coaching staff. So maybe its just personnel.
I think the problem with fronting Yao is that he can now successfully pin his defender so that he can either: catch a lob pass Run to the other side of the court and repost Give the ballhandler a lane to the basket That's why last night you saw Memphis fronting Yao and sending someone behind him (something Hakeem never had to worry about before they changed the rules on defense). The problem with this is that it means someone is always open. I remember at least several plays where they used this tactic and the Rockets got an open shot out of it. Hopefully our personnel is good enough this year that they can nail that open shot. This is why Yao is so useful. He can affect the play without even touching the ball because he draws so much attention.
For obvious reasons, fronting ALWAYS gives Yao more trouble than playing behind him. This is why small, mobile centers and help defense is the best way to shut Yao down. When this happens, it's on the other players to capitalize using quick ball-movement and attacking a wide open rim. Supposedly, putting Yao in the high post is one way to counteract this. But if the defender backs off and Yao isn't hitting the jumpers, it's almost over because Yao is a statue when he gets the ball out high.
In the case of the fronting, I would let Yao create some space close to the rim (pushing his defender further out), others shoot at will with Yao back down to catch a rb. No thanks no lob pass. They are not suppose to double Yao with one front and one behind since we now have so many scoring options right?
That method of defending Yao wouldn't have worked so well last night had Scola not been missing all his outside shots. There were several times when Scola's man flashed to double on Yao before the lob pass hoping to trap him, and they passed it to Scola around the FT line because that was the open space on the floor....and then he proceeded to miss the shot. It will be interesting to see if they do the same thing tonight.
Its preseason for coaches as well. Adelman will figure out more creative ways of getting the ball in the post.
I'm frustrated with this shortcoming of our supposed franchise player as well. At least you tried to frame your frustration in the form of a question about strategy. You are a better person than me. I would have just said whytf can't our franchise center catch a lob into the post.
If by midget you mean 6'9" and 7'0", then yeah, Swift and Darko would be midgets. I remember in several games last year the defense was fronting Yao and doubling him off ball, and then Juwan hit a few jumpers in a row at the top of the key and the defense went right back to playing behind him. If they play defense like that someone is open, and almost certainly McGrady has single coverage.
Putting Yao in the high post really doesn't counter this strategy because unlike Duncan he is too slow and his dribble is too high to take his man off the dribble. It just gets Yao to shoot low percentage jumpers instead.
Nice try but better work on your argument. Give me an example of any big man in the game that can handle a constant double team off the ball.
Umm, let's see. KG Shaq Amare even Tim Duncan many others. All capable of a exploding into the air to attack a pass lobbed to them when fronted.
I was going to ask you the same. Apparently you are so blinded by your Yao hate that you didn't realize that to beat an off-ball double team the guy who is left open must make the shot.
