Yao: Extreme Makeover or Evolution??

While I doubt I'm clever enough to post observations that haven't already been thought or discussed, this is my current thinking on Yao. From what I read, people are conflicted about whether Yao should be re-made into a Shaq, or allowed to evolve into a combo of Shaq, Sabonis and Smits. I'm in the evolution camp and I think I'm starting to see some progress. I measure his progress based on qualities that "great" players have.

1. Feel for the game and his game: Great players flow and feel the game. Oftentimes, Yao remains mechanical, executing pivot moves like a teenage boy nervously counting the steps to a dance he just learned. Yet in the last 10 games, Yao has flowed a little better and some of his natural ability has shown. His "up and under" move had disappeared for months, but re-surfaced recently. He has been more willing to turn, catch and shoot. There is an inherent conflict between his instinctive game and the Shaq power game he is being taught. In time, Yao will come to understand that his game is a combination of both. When Yao reaches the 38th chamber -- forgive my Shao-lin temple reference, I love those old Shaw brothers kung fu movies they used to show on KRIV on sundays -- he will quit counting his steps and just dance.

2. Initiating contact: All the greats hit first. This is one of Yao's greatest challenges. Yao still does a poor job of this in all phases of the game.
- In his post moves, he bumps, but rather than rocking his defender back, he rolls backward off the defender as if he hit a wall. That results in Yao "playing small" and his shots hitting the front of the rim. Where Yao does his up fake, he needs to lean in and dare the refs to not blow the whistle.
- Same problem on the boards, he needs to look at Mutombo and take note. Yao can be a force, particularly on the offensive glass.
Yet I see gradual improvement. Part of this is due to the fact that the refs are cutting him a little more slack lately (hard for the refs to do worse then they did before). It's hard for Yao to know what contact is a foul, but he's learning to ignore it and play through.

3. Demanding the ball: I look to the last quarter of the season as the time where Yao will start demanding the ball more. Part of this is getting used to his teammates, particularly where Yao has never, ever played with anyone as good as TMac. A big part of this is confidence.
- when Yao is denied the ball in the post, he must step out to the elbow and clap his hands, bark for the ball. This is the high post thread discussion. He can find cutting teammates or shoot the J. He cant just fade to the weak side and become irrelevant in the possession.


-- I'm not ready to make a prediction on how good or great Yao will be. None of the precedents apply to him. You can't compare him to Hakeem, high school phenoms or anyone else. If there's a comparison to be drawn, I'd actually look to Novitski's development. But Dirk had it easier b/c he plays a perimeter game. The sum total of the adjustments that Yao is having to make is unprecedented. All I know is that I'd rather have him than Joe Smith or Kwame Brown.

-- And, rest assured that the Rockets are going nowhere of significance unless Yao continues to improve. Tmac is not going to win a championship by himself any more than Kobe will.

And kudos for Van Gundy's handling of Yao. JVG could be a negative troll, using Yao as his whipping boy. But Yao wouldn't respond to that (nevermind that it would be a marketing/PR nightmare).

 

My comment is based on Van Gundy's public comments re Yao - he is a good guy, a hard worker, we're lucky to have Yao. Maybe he rides Yao like a donkey behind closed doors, dunno.