What kind of ethno-centric bull$hit are you spewing?? I would say a greater % of international players in the league play with more heart than their NBA counterparts. There's no way you can convince people that Yao has not been playing his heart out lately. Get off your high horse, and feel free to remove the silver diaper from your a$$. We lost, get over it and grow up.
Another thing, Yao flops to much. Atleast 60% of those times he goes to the ground he can really stand (I will argue with the balance statement with him, 60% of those times are not because of balance issues, just watch the game) and what is funny is a few of those times that he would of stood the whistle would have been called. It's kind of hard to see exactly whats going on when you have a 7'6" guy going to the ground over and over again like he just got pummled by a sumo wrestler.
Yao is clumsy. This is not a knock, it's a fact. Some people are more prone to falling down, losing balance, etc. I don't know if any of you caught on 610AM, they interviewed a guy who wrote Operation Yao Ming. He commented on Yao's coordination, or lack of. Just makes it more amazing that he is still so good at what he does (can can get better).
stop b*tching and moaning because you can't do anything about it anyway. jeez.. I thought you guys woulda figured this out after 4 years.
I have been reading that book all week. What I've gotten from the book so far is that Yao is a competitor. For example, he went out and learned the three point shot behind his coach's backs so that he could best Wang Zhi-Zhi. He has always understood when he is not the best at something but he works at it and improves.
Awesome, I am interested in reading the book after the interview. The history of his mother seemed especially interesting.
Yao Ming is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't to some of you in here. It's never enough for some of you. If you think the Rockets without T-Mac are anywhere near the overall talent level of the Mavericks, you need a reality check. Same with Detroit, and Indiana. Not to mention SA with or without T-Mac in SA. The November schedule is ridiculous, and a Tracy injury made it impossible. Personally, Yao has been the biggest bright spot of the whole season, right up there with Luther Head. Yao has been incredibly aggressive this year and has shown the willingness to be the man, something people have wanted from him for years now. It's not his fault that he is without a healthy T-Mac right now, and that he needs his teammates to be able to hit shots when he gets doubled and tripled teamed. Last night was the first night in awhile that the Rockets other players made shots. Plus, JVG is more demanding of Yao than most other coaches would be with a person of his size/speed. Notice all of the defensive responsibility and the picks on offense he is asked to take on as a player that don't result in PNR or PNP's for Yao. I realize other players do this too, but they aren't 7'6 which hinders their stamina/lateral mobility. And I'd bet you anything it's those extra responsibilities that hinder his stamina come crunch time. The point is you are getting the production the Rockets need from him night in and night out, and you can see he is working hard to be a guy who demands the ball. The 3-8 record is due to a brutal schedule and a T-Mac injury. Not the play of Yao. Just because some of you will never be satisfied does not mean he is exposed as a player.
Good point! His stamina problem partially caused by JVG's play scan. Yao should learn how not to follow exactly what the coach tells him to do. And also need to learn how to save some energy for the clutch time.
On a more serious note, the team has to learn to recognize when Yao is tired. Let him pass the ball from the high post and let guys like Head (who can run all night) take over when he's winded. Yao has to be rested in spurts, that will keep his fouls down and give him a shot at being effective in the 4th quarter. Don't mean to beat a dead horse, but JVG really needs to modify Yao's role on the defensive end of the court. He should not be running around chasing guards on the perimeter. Yao's energy must be conserved for offense where we need him most since T-mac is out.
I have to agree. While Yao's statistics don't show a dramatic increase, his attitude seems to have been revamped. This year he's throwing his weight around. He was destroying Alonzo Mourning down low in Miami until they started fronting him. He was bullying Ben Wallace, dunking on him and laying him out for his last foul. Last year, we would never see a 4-16 or 6-17 FGM/FGA stat line from Yao, he would get tentative and just pass out and stop shooting after missing a few shots in a row. He's mentally willing to be the 1st option, unfortunately his body can't hold up. He's trying to dunk more, even though he misses a lot when he's tired. I still want him to stop getting cheap fouls. I want to see a few hard fouls on penetrating guards. I want to see him set more hard picks like he did to Gary Payton and Andre Miller.
The good news: With McGrady out, Yao is doing his best. The bad news: His best is not that good. Yeah, he'll get better in his next couple of years, just from experience. Hell, maybe in a year or two, he'll even hold position and keep his hands up for the ball. But there's no reason at this point to think the improvement will be more than marginal. We got lucky in the lottery a year too early. We got a good shooter who happens to be 7'5" and can set effective screens. But that's all we got, and all we're getting.
I agree. I think Yao is nearing the peak of his S-curve for improvement. Even with an attitude adjustment, physically Yao is maxing out as is his skills for what I see. And now, with the blessings of JVG to create this Yao centric offense, Yao still can't dominate, something is seriously wrong. In the beginning I used to fashion the Rox blueprint as akin to the Lakers of old. But more and more, I think we're really more like the Indy Pacers of old a la Rik Smits and even the Cavs to now with Yao playing more of a secondary role. Back in the day, I think Yao's "value" is sadly more tied to his endorsements and his overseas exposure, IMHO, than pure talent per se. In terms of pure talent beyond height, it's the limitations of his size and girth that makes him such a big risk should he fail to dominate. Yao NEEDS to dominate. If he doesn't, as some astute posters have already noted, he becomes a serious liability. If he were the ultimate blocker and defensive stopper and rebounder, then perhaps there is recompense in his limits. But even on the defensive end, short of a few games near the end of last season, Yao hasn't been able to dominate and set the tone on a consistent basis. Can he do it? History says no. I'm holding out and saying yes. But he's really got to get some confidence and swagger back in him. theSAGE
Well, YEAH! Nobody in the NBA had a young Sabonis. Young Sabonis supposedly was Hakeem-caliber. He didn't get to the NBA until he was old and slow. Rik Smits took 7 years before he put up similar stats to Yao, and he only held that level for three years. Yao may not be Shaq, but he has been consistently better than Smits ever was. Anyway...I say relax a bit. Yao is not going anywhere in the forseeable future and he is better than most NBA centers. You can never judge a player by his worst (or best) game. Besides (I know excuses, excuses) the announcers reapeatedly said that the Suns defend opposing centers better than any other NBA team this year. Yao will bounce back... The team on the other hand...who knows. But it is too early to write them off. Goal#1: make the playoffs. It's still doable if McGrady gets back in the next month. Maybe by then we'll have some idea who of our bizarre cast of characters can play.
The really bad news: we just signed him to a max contract, if his current play continues, it will be very hard to move that contract. Oh yeah, our only other start player has bad knees, bad back, and is in his ninth year already.
TMac doesn't need YAO near as much as Yao needs TMac... This was the time that Yao to step up for his team and he did not... He is a good center and a good role player, he is not nor ever will be anything more... He does not deserve the MAX...
I wonder if Yao is a little out-of-shape conditioning wise from having a summer off. Maybe the big guy just needs a few months to get acclimated. He does look to be a better player then last year though - just lacking some endurance...
