I did not say from the inside, did I? I said shooting 33% from 3 is the same as shooting 50% on the jump shot from 15 feet. Yao is not going to get fouls called on him on either play and he sure ain't gonna get to the rim for the offensive boards and putbacks on either play. The reason why Adelman is going to move him out at times and face him up is because the defense is packing it in low. He ain't getting to the rim for putbacks and he has just as great a chance of drawing a foul shooting the 3 ball as he does of shooting the face up 15-17 footer. If you watched the Rox for the past couple years, you would know that the vast majority of runouts that opponents got against us was from Juwan shooting the 17 footer and it bouncing out. I'd rather have Yao shooting the 3 and trying to get back from there as opposed to him shooting the 15 footer and trying to get back from there. You are right, inside attempts do lead to what you are saying, higher effeciency, more FTs, more putbacks, etc. And as long as the defense is not packing it down on Yao, that is exactly where he should be and I am confident that is exactly where Adelman will have him............until the defense craters in on him..........then it's time to step Yao out and face him up high and use cutters/penetration and another postup mismatch. Doesn't that make the most sense?
This thread reminded me of this. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVGGcrUUSJ0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVGGcrUUSJ0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> As for Yao shooting 3's, I would rather have him work on the inside game than the 3 pointer. He can shoot 3's in a blowouts. Why have Yao shoot 3's anyway when we have all these other players shooting 3's.
For most basketball players, yes. Most basketball players also have the option to drive to the basket - hence the triple threat. Everybody and their mother knows Yao isn't going to put the ball on the floor that far away from the basket. Shooting from longer range is different. If you can't appreciate that, I don't know what to tell you. If you want a big who struggles out there, look at Zach Randolph - 80% free throw shooter, sub 30% 3P shooter. There are plenty of players who are good from the mid range and in, but can't shoot from 3. Look at Sam Cassell -- an absolute lethal mid range jumper, but not so great from the 3 point line. The same can be said for Steve Francis. You just can't assume if a player is a good shooter from mid range it will extend to the 3 point line. Okur and Raef both have significantly quicker releases than Yao and shoot with significantly more amounts of lift.
All the argument is about whether he should do that, if he shoots around 35%. But what if he is wise in shot selection, only shoots 3s when he's open, and make them at 40%+？ I think he can. Wasn't that how he used to play? I am not saying that he should become a slower Brad Miller, but I just think he should mix it up, and make the defenders either be more cautious or keep guessing his move. You see when Yao gets the ball beyond or even a step inside the arc, defenders just run away from him, and treat him as if he's Cato. Why not drain a couple of 3s to punish them? It's not like he couldn't do. Instead, the only defensive strategy against Yao is to push him as far as hard as possible, and play him rough and lean on him as close as enough. Imgaine if defenders have to lean on him at the perimeter, how much room will Yao create for others? If defenders leave him open, as they do to Cato, how much easier would Yao score with open long jumpers? It just doesn't hurt for Yao to "borrow" two 3 pointer attempts each game from Rafer, I would bet that he will make more out of it than Rafer does, and defenders will have a harder time to defend Yao, and more importantly there might be more room for others like TMac to drive. Just my thought.
except for that 5'9" guard from the knicks who completely stuffed the hell out of yao when he went straight up for a shot, kind of like how he might have shot it for a three pointer. So i wouldnt say that yao cant be blocked by any guards.
I'm sure that will happen, and when Shane is open in the corner, that is a good play. But, Shane ain't always open, you may have Shane's defender laying in Yao's lap on the front side then jumping back out on Shane. Those are precisely the plays I'm talking about where Shane throws the ball back to Yao, Yao winds up taking the turnaround jumper from 8-10 feet with Shane's defender crowding him along with his post defender. That is a lower percentage shot for Yao and I believe it is less effective offense. Look, we already know Adelman is going to use Yao out high when the defense caves in. That's a foregone conclusion. Adelman has already said it. It is going to happen, when the defense caves down. The only discussion really is can Yao shoot the 3 and be just as effective or more effective as shooting that face up 15 footer 3-4 times a game or at least mixing up the two. If he can shoot a 15 footer at 55%, can he shoot a 16 footer at 54%, and can he shoot a 17 footer at 52%, and can he shoot a 20 footer at 48%, so can he shoot a 22 footer at 40%. I'd like to see the Rockets experiment with it in preseason and see if Yao can shoot it.
First of all I think it's a good thread. We all know Adelman is an offensive coach and probably he'll try to play much tempo game. If we didn't have Yao it wouldn't be anything tough. But it is tough to play up-tempo with 7-6 guy runnin' the court. You have to expect that he isn't so quick cause he's too big. In my opinion Yao maybe has the good range to shoot the 3s but we can't make him a 3-point shooter next year cause he will never be a 3-point shooter. I think Yao has to use his size not shootin' touch. Why? At the begginin' of the last season Yao was attackin' the basket and Yao was amazing. But after the injury he startet to shoot that fade away jump shoots more and more. I hate it. I know he has the range to shoot it but he has to attackin' the basket, he's 7-6! That's all we need. I'll say again: Yao isn't a 3-point shooter.
None of the player comparisons you keep making fit Yao. You keep referencing smaller players. The biggest players are the ones I referenced and they do not even compare to Yao's size. Yao doesn't have to have lift. He's 7'6". And if you don't think Yao can't put the ball on the floor for one dribble, one step and flush while facing the basket...............well, I don't understand that. Yao is one of the most highly skilled big man to every play the game. Don't you remember the wrap around dribble off the steal and fast break that he went in and threw down??? You really don't think he could handle a single dribble snatch up the ball and throw it down move? You are right, you cannot assume because a player is good from midrange that he will be good from 3. But you can't assume that because other players are good from midrange and poor from 3 or that other players are good from 3 and poor from midrange, that Yao cannot be good from 3 either. I'm basically asking if Yao can shoot the 3 and how effective does he have to be at it to make us a better team. And a quick release is not important when you are taking wide open uncontested shots. We're not talking about playing Okur's game where he fires up 5 or 6 of those babies a night and the defense is rotating out on him. We're talking about taking the shot against a defense that is frozen because they do not want to commit out on him because they will get burned with a cutter on the pass or they are having to fade off him to help another defender who is outmatched against McGrady or Bonzi. See the point?
No to making Yao a 3 point shooter. Let him practice the new sky hook CD has been teaching him, reducing his turnovers and making that fadeaway jump shot under pressure that he missed so many of in the playoffs. Teams don't win with Brad Millers and Raef Lafrentz wanna be's, we need Yao to be dominant inside.
I agree with you, he's not a 3 point shooter, he's a big. But would you rather him attempt to get off a shot in the paint against a triple team of defenders that is forcing him away from the basket, dropping his shooting percentage, and creating a lot of turnovers, because they are coming backside or the guard is sneaking down slapping the ball out, or would you rather he occasionally step outside and shoot the face up shot? That is the point that Adelman is making when he says he is going to make it easier for Yao and Tracy by moving Yao up high from time to time. My question is if he is going to move out high from time to time then why not move him clear out to the 3 point line from time to time, if he proves he can hit the 3 ball at a decent rate?
cd is not working with yao on a sky hook, but is trying to refine his jump hook which is already very good. this arguement goes against all logic...taking our best post player out of the place where he is at his best to shoot 3's.
That shot clearly illustrates the difference between JVG and Adelman. Under JVG, that shot earned Yao a seat on the bench. Under Adelman, that shot earns Yao another 3 point shot.
Yao doesn't need to go all the way out to the three-point line to face up or open up lanes. Maybe for an end-of-the game situation I can see it but generally speaking Yao taking a 3-point shot outside of those special circumstances is unnecessary ... The high post is far enough. Here's a thought, why do people keep making suggestions that sacrifice Yao's advantage in a game. How about getting more multi-faceted players around TMAC and Yao versus asking them to minimizing their strengths for less talented teammates. TMAC last year sacrificed his strength, which is being scorer, a finisher because no one outside of Yao could create. You worry about opening up the lanes during those times in a game where double/triple teaming occurs ... How about asking Spanoulis and Rafer to make a jumper so that opponents respect it and thus won't clog up the lane or Luther and Rafer improve on dribble-penetrating and creating, taking contact. You know, be more than a one-trick pony.
Yeah, but 7'6" is not the target for defense, it is more like 9' or more from the ground to where he actually releases the ball....He does not need great elevation...just 3-4" under his toes and the ball 14"s above his head or more. heck, if he shot the ball from his forehead and flat-footed, even Agassi could defend Yao I can just see our "slow" Yao using the pump-fake to draw a foul from downtown........all he has to do is hit 33% and he will have the fake all day......this will open up a quick pass as the defense prepares for a rebound and bam..inside pass and score.
I don't think it's a good idea to play JVG style with Yao. JVG planted Yao at the low post, and playing in the low post is very taxing. All that pushing, and struggling. Not to mention, physically punishing. It's better to mix it up a bit. Let Yao take some mid-range/ 3 point shots. About 65% to 35% ratio. In the 4th quarter, a Yao who has stored up the saved energy playing low-post, and putting the game away. Previously, JVG only played Yao in the low-post, and by 4th quarter, Yao was exhausted. Why not let Yao cruise and take easy shots in the 1-3 quarters? This is what Adelman meant. To make things easier for Yao and T-Mac to score. We all know Yao can dominate in the low-post, but he can't do it for 4 quarters. So since we have a center who can shoot very well in the mid-range, and even has 3 pointer range, mix it up. Let Yao score without tiring himself out, and by the 4th quarter, let him put the game away by dominating inside. Very simple, and reasonable.
