Yao Ming: Let's Hope VSpan Will Have His Change of Fortune

Why is it so important for Vspan to have a three point shot. We already have Mac,Head,and BAttier who amke 10 threes years, and we already overshoot the three as is. Vspan can be the next Tony Parker for allwe know. And i rather have a Toni Parker/Kenny ANderson type(for our team at the moment) than a Damon Stoudimire.

 

that should be "100 three's a year" in my first sentence^^

 

Welcome aboard...this is exactly what I have been saying......only in English.



DD

 

V-Span has to bring something to the table on offense that compliments our two stars. He must learn to play off the attention Yao draws in the middle and the easiest way for him to do that is from long range. The same exact thing applies to when Tracy draws the double team.

He's not a great finisher/slasher like Snyder. He's isn't quick enough to get wide open mid-range jumpshots easily like TP does. However, if he does develop and pull-up jumper that would be huge.

V-Span will not be TP. You are dreaming. He won't be Manu either. He doesn't have the physical tools to be either player. Whatever he becomes on offense will be different and we can only hope it's effective in the NBA.

 

I agree

 

I think the bar shouldn't be set very high, TP and Manu are different cases.
He needs to become a useful part of the rotation first and then he can aim higher. He can bring good size, defensive capabilities and penetration to the table but needs to become more reliable when handling the ball. I liked the way he played in Philly, he looked better than in his first games. He also shared the point with JLIII. Noone knows if he'll succeed, he has to keep working on his game and be consistently good whenever he plays...

 

Boy....just don't know where to start here.

Not quick enough to get wide open mid-range jumpshots??? That's nuts. VSpan's forte is running the offense from the top off a pick. He can get that little jumper all day if the defense fades off, just like Parker does. Not quick enough???? No, he's smarter than that. He's not dumb enough to just jack the jump shot. He takes what the defense is giving him. If they fade, he is gonna take the midrange jump shot. If they play up, he's gonna fade away, and throw the ball to the roller.


Has to learn to play off Yao and McGrady??? When we are trying to find a solid go to 3rd scoring option? I don't see VSpan as ever becoming a player that spots up and plays off McGrady and Yao, hitting the 3 ball. That does not mean, however, that he cannot be effective.

San Antonio has a 3 pronged attack, Duncan, Manu, Parker. Parker don't hang around the 3 point line getting looks off Manu's slashes an Duncan's interior play. If just having spot up shooters around two superstar players was the best thing to do, then the Spurs would be killing Parker about learning to shoot the 3 ball and staying out of the paint area so that Duncan and Manu have more room to operate.

The biggest problem this team currently has is the fact that we rely on hitting a bunch of those home run balls. And that will not work come playoff time when other teams have the athletes to rotate around the perimeter and force you to hurry up the shot. Rafer does not have a quick release and Luther has to stepjump into his shot to keep his accuracy up. Their 3 point shooting will not working come playoff time. Mark it down. This is the reason why we aren't going to win it all this year, unfortunately.

VSpan is not a great finisher/slasher like Kirk???? Like he can't get to the rim and finish??? No, he's not going to sky up and throw down like Kirk. But to say he can't get to the rim and finish is absurd. VSpan can get to the rim and finish a ton better than either Rafer, or Head, or Lucas. It's not even close. VSpan has a far superior ability to break down his man off the dribble and use his body to create space to finish with in the lane than any of our other players that play the point position.

Yes, VSpan needs to complement our two stars. And our offense needs to be modified to accomodate a point guard with tremendous penetration/passing ability. What our offense needs is a guy they can give the ball to that can make a play with it when teams are forcing the ball away from 111 and covering our shooters with good rotation. What our offense needs is a guy that will penetrate to the hoop relentlessly and draw fouls and be able to set up 111 with some easy shots. What our offense needs is one more player that can effectively initiate the offense and give McGrady a break from having to do everything when he is on the court. That kind of player will most definitely complement our stars.

Unless you prefer 2 for 17.

 

good point son

 

jopatmc, I typed up a long reply but decided to cut it. In short, I never said V-Span couldn't do those things at all, just not as good as TP or Kirk. His time on the court hasn't shown me very much and I think you and some others are extrapolating his abilities into fantasyland. There was a lot more to say but I'll just leave it.

Your last big paragraph is on the money. If V-Span is going to be that player he must get a WHOLE lot better than he is now. That is completely on him. No excuses or blaming the coach. Assuming he does learn to do these things consistently at the NBA level (which is a huge assumption), if he can't shoot, it will be all for naught as teams will adjust by playing off of him.

IMO, V-Span is this year's Stromile Swift in that his supporters just see stuff that isn't visible to the rest of us. I expect a new starting PG next year that is not currently on the roster. Anything less will be very unfortunate for the Rockets.

 

The next time he does this in the NBA will be the first time.

So you're evaluating things with the expectations of him becoming a part of a triumvirate. He just hasn't performed anywhere near that level.

When Spanoulis starts warranting playing time (which won't be till next year), then you can start talking about ways to alter the offense for him. Till that point, it's all illusions of grandeur.

 

Haven't seen him do this yet. I hope he can/does, but he has not yet.

I agree with you here...but if he isn't gonna be a 3 point shooter, he needs to show (in the NBA) that he can create his own shot. A mid range stop-and-pop would be great

True, but Parker is lightning fast and is a finisher. If VSpan works on this, he could have an effective similar role. Let's hope he does.

I kind of disagree with you here. We did win two titles playing the inside/outside game...but you are right...Luther/Rafer/Shane need to prove that they can hit the big shots like Max/Sam/Kenny/Horry/Glide could. Then again, they didn't have zone D back then...

I think if we lose, it will be because Phoenix and Dallas are simply better teams than the rest of the league. We have to be lights out to beat them, because they don't miss often and have a more talented roster.

I agree, but have not seen him do it yet. I hope he can/will at some point. I think he could be good, but not yet.

Totally agree, but it's tough to be an undersized slasher if you have no threat of an outside shot. If his man has to commit to covering him up top, then he can be a lot more effective driving and dumping. If Vspan works on his shooting (which he can), he could be great for us and certainly better than Rafer...but right now I'll take RA and his terrible floaters

 

They're not going to play off of him, because he will step inside the circle and burn them. He doesn't have to learn the majority of what I am proposing. What needs to happen is the offense needs to be adjusted for a playmaking midrange shooting point guard.

What you do not see and realize is how deadly VSpan is from the top in a pick and roll set. He's deadly man. You don't see it. But if put in that position he will kill the opponent by breaking them down and either getting the finish at the rim (which he can do very effectively, much better than any other point guard we have, and very comparable to Snyder) or the simple dish to the wide open roller or 3 point shooter. VSpan does NOT need to learn to play in a pick and roll set. What you think he needs to do is learn a skill set to be a shooting guard next to McGrady as the point. What I am saying is ultimately, we need a point guard to be a point guard instead of depending on McGrady to do this along with being the main scorer, and a primary defender.

 

Is Billy the next Arenas? The cartoon kind of looks like Spanoulis. Hopefully Vspan is motivated to prove everyone who is against him wrong.
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True, but we're talking about development for a player normally not in rotation. I don't think he can develop if he plays with other people normally not in rotation.

 

First of all, you are correct that I don't see what you see in V-Span. If what I consider your fantasy actually becomes reality in the NBA (when he "kills" teams and becomes "deadly"), then we will all be very happy. But the Rockets can't put their hopes into what many consider a pipe dream. I'll be happy if V-Span just becomes a contributing rotational player.

On what this team needs, you misread me some. I said after the 04/05 season our backcourt of old men (Sura and Wesley) both needed to be replaced. I said we needed someone at PG who could create off the dribble to take pressure off of Tracy. Rafer's problem is he can hit jumpers and create but he can't finish. His lack of finishing ability negates any drive and kick value he could have.

 

Exactly. And that is where VSpan excels. Just because you haven't seen it in roughly 250 minutes of play where probably 240 of those minutes he is playing off guard in the corner while Lucas dribbles around, doesn't mean he can't finish effectively. He can, and that is precisely why the kick-out and the pass to the roller works. You can't run pick and roll with Rafer because nobody respects him at the rim.

 

What exactly are you basing it on that makes you so sure he can?

Just because you've seen him do it in some Euroleague highlights doesn't mean he can do it in the NBA.

 

Well, his Euroleague play was pretty consistent. But, when he has operated in preseason and in his limited minutes from the top off the high pick, he has been extremely efficient. And he has finished.

 

I'm no expert, but I think its safe to say that Yao understands the situation much more than you do.