I dont really think that's true. Howard's liabilities... including bad FT shooting, 1 dimensional post game and lack of range is pretty well established around the league Also most fans around the league recognize that in our matchups with him Yao has owned him. Personally I give Howard an A for effort for this game. Seemed like he was trying to stretch his game and also send a message to Yao. Got to respect that effort just as I'm sure Magic fans respect the work Yao is putting in. But like MightyMog says let's see how many midranged jumpers he's taking game 7 against Miami in the Spring. Or for that matter take stock of who comes out ahead when Yao and he go head to head again after the All-star break
......Durvase let me repeat this to you again. My ranges Poor(un-effective) - Average (Effective) - Good (very effective) DH = Effective/Average which aligns with your comment about other boards thinking he is highly average......
I personally don't think Yao will come out head to head with DH anymore from this point foward. Healthy, limited minutes, lack of focal point ends that discussion. With the magics, you can see they are committed to getting DH the ball early in the game, something which Rocket's can't count on because Yao may never be the same offensive player again.
I am actually glad his first game went so poorly. If he had a great game people's expectations would be too high and he would surely fail them. He has plenty of room for improvement, but I actually was happy to see him get up and down the court and to go for some blocks and such. Timing on rebounds seemed pretty bad, but again that will come with time. Good luck to you Yao
If you mean to say that the difference between "good" and "average" is that the "good" are more effective, then we are on the same page. By the same token, having more post moves only makes you better so long as it translates to being more effective. Good night.
This is a preseason game... There is still more preseason games to work out the kinks. Yao will get there.
Just saw the replays and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Yao. He seemed to be quicker than before and his defense on Howard was pretty decent for a guy who hasn't played in 17 months. He still has a pretty jumper and hasn't shrunk. He needs to be more assertive on offense and some of his passes were a little off, but it's to be expected with basically new teammates like Martin and Lee. I am confident by all star break that he will average 12/10 and by playoffs about 17-20 ppg and about 10-11 rpg. YAO IS BACK BABY!
Honestly Yao was flat out awesome out there. I just wish he had played in both halves with 6 mins each rather than play all 12 mins, in 1 half
By my watch, Clutch is soon going to post his over/under thread for the season, if I remember correctly. I wonder how many reactionary "Yao is disappointing me threads" we are going to get before the New Year. what's the over/under on that! haha
(obligatory) hey,partner! welcome back! have enjoyed your takes from before. look forward to them again!
Two observations: 1) Just watching Clutch's video of Yao, I actually think he looks pretty good. Meaning healthy. He just looks like he's got some cobwebs from not playing. He'll speed up eventually as he gets more confident in his foot. By Feb, if not earlier, he's not going to be getting blown by with his feet in the sand the way Howard was tonight. Have patience. 2) Dwight looks to have improved his limited post game. I know you guys are debating if his game is effective. My take: it's fairly effective due to his strength and athleticism, but not as effective as it could be if he had a broader range of skills. He looks like he's adding skills. My main beef about his game is that he doesn't have a go to move that great offensive post players have: the sky hook, baby hook, dream shake, etc. Without an automatic move like that, it's harder to justify going to him w/ the game on the line and his FT% so low. This is why the Magic always go away from him in the end of playoff games (and why he gets pissed perennially at his teammates). The lack of a wider repertoire of moves and his reliance on his power move has made him less effective against big opponents like Yao than smaller ones. His size and athleticism simply trumps smaller opponents, but against Yao, his power/size are neutralized and his lack of other moves gets exposed. But, I'm glad DH is working on his game. Gotta respect that. And hope he develops a better game over time. I wish there were more skilled bigmen in the game than there are these days.
I think Yao played great, expected the rust, it'll take him a couple months or so to get his timing back. Great to see him on the court......I'm actually encouraged by what I saw, it seems like he'll be able to reach his pre-injury level of play.
Shroopy2 and peleincubus...hey I've been reading for awhile. Thanks...it's really fun to get a welcome back to cheering for the Rockets with all y'all. I miss Houston. And no, I haven't become a Nuggets fan in CO. But check your Rockets schedule...New Years in Denver! cheers!
In what universe did Yao played great?.Will he get better?Obviously yes, because frankly right now he might be the worst player on the roster. Will he be the Yao of old? FAT CHANCE. those days are over injuries and age do catchup to people. McGrady, Hill and others can agree with that. He will probaly be a solid 15 and 7 type player and that would be great.
my thoughts? we badly need another center...Yao is shaky and we never know when he's goin to break down again..Brad's not gonna last as the starting C coz of his age..Dampier? nah...
OK, name another center, then. If Yao is shaky, we need Bosh (haha) or Melo, who is only 25 and the best clutch scorer in the game. Sounds like you want to trade Yao. For me, YAO IS THE ROCKETS. but I do like Melo. I have no answers. I'm happy watching Brooks shoot that three around the pick when he's not really squared up and nails it, and boy, I do have a thing for Martin doing the "no one thinks I can be an all-star" quirky shot IN YO FACE! I love this game.
