Has anyone else noticed that Yao seems to get knocked to the floor a lot? His balance must be off somewhat. Also, his timing on rebounds and blocks is a half second slow. I think he has never had to jump in any league he has been in before and is now going to have to learn to jump for rebounds and blocked shots. Yao's aggression is also lacking, although this could be because he is a rookie. Also, I see him getting stripped of the ball a lot, he needs to make his moves quicker and protect that ball. I think Yao is a long way from a finished product, here is to hoping his timing, balance, and ball handling improve a lot. DD
a lot of this is due to his not being able to "feel" a double team is coming. He's gotta learn that not all double teams come running from the top of the key and that most pesky point guards like to come up behind him and strip the ball. He also needs to learn not to lean on the opponent so much because if the opponent is smart, he will pull a rick mahorn/charles barkley on him and yao will fall flat on his butt and be called for travelling.
His moves are also slower. And sometimes he holds the ball in the post far too long. In the Lakers game when he post up Madsen in OT, I wondered why the ref didn't call 5 seconds. LOL. He needs to learn to make his moves more quickly after receiving the ball.
i think the reason he holds the ball for so long is because he wants to attract the double team so that he can pass it out to the open guys.
Is it good or bad? A long away from a finished product is averaging like 17 pts and 10 rbs in the last 20 games. Imagine what Yao is capable of doing when he becomes a finished product.
I understand that. But against scrubs or those centers 1 foot shorter, why doesn't he just turn and shoot or make his spin move rather than wait for the double team? Maybe his position is not deep enough sometimes. Then he needs to learn to use different ways to get deeper position so that he can catch the ball, turn, easy 2. His turn is too slow sometimes too, and he spends too much the shot clock to set up. That makes it easier for the double team or the weak side shot blocker to come and strip his ball or block his shot. He needs to learn a quicker turn just like Shaq.
He should try Pilates the core strengthening exercies ballet dancers perform. I've tried it and it's the hardest workouts I've ever had (and I lift heavy weights every day!).
before anyone else does, i'm just gonna go ahead and say I blame steve and cuttino for yao's lack of balance.
Is there a more unconstructive post than this? But I guess you are not being serious and just kidding right?
Now that Mad Yao Disease is coined to deface the Yao fans. Might I take the pleasure to say that the Stevie Wonder Blindness symptom is pretty prevalent too? With that aside, I think Yao's legs are oversized. Those look like 150 pounds tree trunks. Sure those huges thighs and calves protects him and give him power, but everything should have a limit. Having beefy legs makes one's weight distribute unevenly in the air. If Yao can trim his legs down for 10 pounds and add it to his upper body, while keeping strengthening his legs, he won't lose leg power but gain better body control and more upper body power. I still want Yao to be light on top and heavy below but the current proportion is overblown.
Right on F4P! The ISO dribbling of the guards creates such a giant worm hole on the court that Yao got dragged way off balance due to his high center of gravity...
Yao holds the ball for a long time because he's surprised that the Rox PGs actually PASSEd him the ball
does Yao owe money to a debt collector or something, seems to be the only explanation for the beating the Mavs gave him, when did it become legal for the post defender to put two hands in the back of Yao!!! he could pay a hooker a get less physical contact
He needs to take a few months off in the summer to get his head straight, and then he needs to hire a trainer just before training camp. He does have trouble getting into his move early though. Dream was especially masterful in getting RIGHT into his move. It's like, he knew how the defense was going to come at him without even looking, so he made the move already. These are actually good things. Yao has things to work on that ALWAYS can be fixed in NBA players (physical fitness, timing). I think that, once he's had a good summer of rest and some (little) weightlifting, his timing will automatically improve.
My 2 cents... 1) A good thread except for the one obvious post. 2) There's a reason sports cars are built low to the ground and don't resemble the double decker busses in London. 2) I'm not sure Yao will ever be a great leaper. Jumping ability is largely a function of the ratio of fast twitch vs slow twitch muscle fibers in the legs. (As unusual as it sounds, both need to be present which is why not all track stars nor all power lifters have good leaping ability). Yao's tree trunks are probably more akin to the power lifter slow twitch type. 3) Agree on the timing aspect. I think the speed of the NBA game is still an adjustment he's making on the fly. I also agree that Yao has a long way to go. That's not a knock..that just means he has a very high upside potential. How many months has he been here...4+?
