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YAO Calls Out Teammates: "Come early in the morning before practice"

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by tsunami, Dec 4, 2007.

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  1. tsunami

    tsunami Member

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    Chron Link:

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5349057.html

    Dec. 4, 2007, 1:45AM
    Rockets stars could use more help
    McGrady, Yao carry burden when teammates miss

    By FRAN BLINEBURY
    Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

    Of all the amazing things Tracy McGrady can do with a basketball, the one trick he can't perform is to put the ball into the hoop for his teammates.

    "They've got to shoot it," he said.

    And make it. Which hasn't happened nearly enough this season for the Rockets.

    It's one thing to miss. It's another to lose confidence and become reluctant to pull the trigger.

    "Absolutely. I see it every day," McGrady said. "Every game I see it. Guys are hesitant on the offensive end. The only thing I can do is keep advising them to shoot the ball."

    McGrady and Yao Ming combined for 69 points Saturday night in Sacramento on 22-for-45 shooting. But the rest of the lineup was 13-for-37 from the field.

    Inaccuracy established

    The season is a little more than a month old, and the Rockets have firmly established themselves in the lower levels of the NBA, ranking just 22nd in shooting.

    They are an even lower 27th in 3-point shooting.

    "We're just not making shots," McGrady said. "Guys are getting shots. It's evident that teams are putting more focus on myself and Yao to try to take us out of the game and make those guys make shots. Right now, we're just missing them. We're shooting poorly from all over the place.

    "I can go out and get 40. Yao can play great. It's really not going to matter. Until everybody else contributes, we get bench production, we'll be a mediocre team."

    Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, Mike James, Steve Francis, Bonzi Wells, Luther Head. Not one of them is shooting 36 percent from 3-point distance.

    "If you're missing shots, you have to do something different," coach Rick Adelman said. "You need to attack the basket more, which is one thing we haven't done."

    Another part of the problem has been the Rockets' failure to embrace the motion offense.

    "We don't take it to one more pass," Adelman said. "When you're not shooting it well, teams are going to adjust and take it to the good shooters.

    "Even when we were 6-1, I was concerned that we weren't getting enough production from other people."

    The Rockets are not getting enough of the hard cuts that are a fundamental part of the motion offense, the moves that create opportunities to go toward the basket and score.

    They are quick to revert to what they know best. They simply dump it to McGrady or Yao.

    "You tend to go with what you know is good," Adelman said. "In the long run, you'd like to see them be more facilitators, especially Tracy, where he can get guys other shots."

    Good shots available

    The Rockets keep saying the shots are good shots. They say they are familiar shots with maybe slight variations.

    "Most of the 3s I got last season were late in the shot clock," Battier said. "Now, I'm getting shots much earlier in the possession.

    "It's a different feel. You have to adjust. But as a shooter, you always feel that you're just a shot away."

    Or many shots away?

    "Come early in the morning before practice," Yao said. "Maybe stay for a half-hour and take a couple hundred shots, like I do every day.

    "We need to repeat what we do every day with shooting the ball. Maybe not in the game, but you have to keep shooting in practice, before the game.

    "Before the (last) game, I saw a lot of players doing this. I think we need more."

    fran.blinebury@chron.com

    I like Yao's working ethics. And now he starts to show his leadership. Our role players definitely need more practice. There is only one Iverson in this world, geez even Jordan need practice to shoot good.
     
    #1 tsunami, Dec 4, 2007
  2. rofflesaurus

    rofflesaurus Member

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    Great read. Maybe now that they're saying these things, something will actually come into fruition.
     
    #2 rofflesaurus, Dec 4, 2007
  3. NO NAME

    NO NAME Member

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    It's definitely a good thing to hear.
     
    #3 NO NAME, Dec 4, 2007
  4. kwng

    kwng Member

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    Just like also stressed, everyone need a good intensive SHOOTING PRACTICE.
    Everyone need to shoot and score when open or making a lay up. That's why
    the team like SAS, Suns, Mavericks do, they score when given opportunity or
    open shots.
     
    #4 kwng, Dec 4, 2007
  5. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Basically "Take your job seriously"

    Good for Yao.....

    DD
     
    #5 DaDakota, Dec 4, 2007
  6. Pringles

    Pringles Member

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    i want rick to scare the crap out of these players that are in a slump, and have a contest for starting position pg/sg/sf. tracy wil adjust according to if a sg or a sf wins. the contest will be like the 3 point contest in the all-star break. maybe that will light some spark under their ass. :cool:

    seriously, i'm glad yao and tracy are telling them, the reason we are losing, is because of our role players. they are doing terrible, and have no motivation, especialy mike james. i'm very disappointed with mike james. i guess when you get your last big contract, the game doesn't matter to you. :rolleyes:
     
    #6 Pringles, Dec 4, 2007
  7. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    What Yao and Tmac should have said is "Join us early for some EXTRA practice"

    Then see who shows up and is committed.

    Build that team chemistry........

    DD
     
    #7 DaDakota, Dec 4, 2007
  8. TMc1

    TMc1 Member

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    Kobe bryant MAKES 1000 shots EVERYDAY. That's why he can be so confident when going for the jumpers at every corner on the court. No question that our low shooting percentage is due to the lack of practice. Really glad YAO bring it up!
     
    #8 TMc1, Dec 4, 2007
  9. duluth111222

    duluth111222 Member

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    Am I the only one who thinks it's NOT right for Yao to say that? As much as I love Yao, he needs to realize not everybody is a workaholic like he is. As long as they come to practice and games on time, anything else is like work overtime. Yao is basically asking teammates to work overtime without paying them. That just doesn't sound right.

    But yeah, Yao does become more and more vocal this season, to refs, teammates, etc. That's what I like to see.
     
    #9 duluth111222, Dec 4, 2007
  10. duluth111222

    duluth111222 Member

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    Yeah, that EXTRA is the key, cuz nobody is obligated to do that.
     
    #10 duluth111222, Dec 4, 2007
  11. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Also, it shows that Yao and Tmac are willing to LEAD by taking charge and doing the extra things .....

    Also, find out who is really committed and who is just doing lip service.....who you can depend on when the chips are down, so to speak.

    That my friends is what leadership is all about.

    Come on Yao....get out of that shell and lead this team.

    CURAHEE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    DD
     
    #11 DaDakota, Dec 4, 2007
  12. IamKhan

    IamKhan Rookie

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    I think last year jvg came to work even earlier than yao, this might put alot pressure on players to work extra hours. All I heard so far coach A is a typical 9-5 guy, so no pressure on players to work hard.
     
    #12 IamKhan, Dec 4, 2007
  13. poprocks

    poprocks Member

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    Shooting 100 shots a day will guarantee that your shooting percentage gets better. I used to do that in the summer time. Go out to the playground alone and just shoot the ball. When I got into a pickup game, my shot was falling. So yeah, those guys need repetition to get their shooting percentage up.
     
    #13 poprocks, Dec 4, 2007
  14. abc2007

    abc2007 Member

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    Other good percentage shooting teams' role players come early to practice their shootings? If so, that is the right words to say. Otherwise, it is unfair to our role players!

    Do you guys think our role players still want to stay here and other teams' role players want to come here?
     
    #14 abc2007, Dec 4, 2007
  15. hotballa

    hotballa Contributing Member

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    well I think Yao kinda said it when he said

     
    #15 hotballa, Dec 4, 2007
  16. BackNthDay

    BackNthDay Member

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    U r not serious with this post are you. Players maybe practice 3 to 4 hours a day and are paid millions of dollars to make open jump shots, which only increases their value. This is the only reason Luther is in the NBA, he can hit shots.

    If the best player in the NBA makes a 1,000 shots a day then everyone else should follow suit. That's why Michael Jordan is the best of all time.

    Guaranteed money has killed the NBA.
     
    #16 BackNthDay, Dec 4, 2007
  17. AggNRox

    AggNRox Member

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    you have to think about it in this way. if you can't perform very well during your work time or if you can't finish your duties in regular hours, you have to come to work overtime to get things done. otherwise, company will send you home. :D
     
    #17 AggNRox, Dec 4, 2007
  18. duluth111222

    duluth111222 Member

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    Oh yes, I'm serious. I don't like NBA's guaranteed contracts myself. But until they change it, you and I and everybody else just have to live with it. If the players are satisfied with getting paid millions for being mediocre, who are you to pass judgement on them?

    What are you? A dictator? Just because Jordan does that and becomes the best, everybody else SHOULD follow suit? How old r u?

    Like I said, nobody is obligated to put in some EXTRA effort to improve their game. It's good if they do, no big deal if they don't.
     
    #18 duluth111222, Dec 4, 2007
  19. duluth111222

    duluth111222 Member

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    Don't get me wrong. I'd be more than happy if the players are WILLING to come to some EXTRA shooting practice. I just don't like the way Yao said it. Like DD said, maybe just rephrase it a little bit, then it'll sound much better.
     
    #19 duluth111222, Dec 4, 2007
  20. orbb

    orbb Member

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    you arent the only one. If I were a player on the team and yao suggested this to me in person, I wouldnt have a problem with it. But calling me out in the papers .... I'd ignore him ... you cant order me to practice, but then again, i'm not on the team :p
     
    #20 orbb, Dec 4, 2007
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