I've never questioned yao's competitive drive. Yao is very competetive, but sometimes u have to mark your territory. Yao can look at guys like Jordan that had to stand up against the pistons. There battles were so fierce,Thomas wouldn't even shake hands. I don't think it will ever be like that again, but toughness starts with ur best players. Just like Tracy needs to be tougher, but so do our big guy. I don't expect him to be dream or shaq, but the abuse has to stop. People are dogging him physically because he allows it. He has slowly picked up some american ways of hoops, now he needs to get the other part of. People around the nba say the coach is the toughest person on the mavs. I don't want other people to think chuck hayes or Francis is our toughest player.
I'd love Yao to be a nasty player on the court. However, are you guys ready to support him when the Jesse Jacksons and the Al Sharptons call for Yao's head?
i don't agree at all. first of all, he is not soft. we all know it. secondly, i don't think it's a right thing to do to HURT other players just to prove that you are mean, dominate, and hardcore. you can seriously hurt someone. broken noses, heck, some people may need facial surgry after a yao elbow. it's a game after all. so don't hurt people if you can. those who hurt others, especially intentionally, have no business in professional sports. deke never intentionally hurt others. he just have sharp elbows. lastly, yao is representing china. nobody wants him to look like a thug. i'm sure he doesn't want to be looked as such either.
I remember Yao did that in FIBA game, may or may not be the the same instance you mentioned. Yao definitly should play "dirty" or play "outside of the basketball rule" once in a while and just let some guys learn some lesson.
sorry, Yao is softer than Robinson. Yao will never elbow somebody intentionally. It's not part of his game, not part of his nature, not part of his background. I can speak for him.
I think your right Yetti, but Yao needs to instill alittle nastiness to his game if he's going to take this team to the next level. It wouldn't hurt if he lobbed a few elbows at opposing bigs when he's down on the block. His opponents are beating him to death down there and it's time he returned the favor.
Of course that (Yao getting mean) would be one way to try to deal with it... But truly speaking, there should be no room for thuggish behavior (or flopping) in professional basketball. It isn't football. If that is desired then issue some equipment for full contact and let 'em rip. This is on David Stern. HE is the one who needs to develop some backbone and really see to it that the sport doesn't wind up in the gutter. Just a for instance... why not let fans from several teams (to be rotated during the season so all teams get represented) review the questionable calls by refs and report grades to be published in the media? Why not assess the equivalent of fines for poor refereeing? Or suspensions? In other words, why expect players to have to pound one another so they can "get respect" when the rules should dictate that to start with? I know, I know. There will always be players who will play physical and dirty and who won't be caught by the referees. But here again, why can't reviews by fans mete out some sort of punishment (suspensions or whatever is needed). There is WAY too much going on on the court that shouldn't be. Refs don't always see it but cameras catch a lot more of it. If the tools exists to make the league better they should be used. And if the game is for the fans then they should have a say in policing it.
I been saying that Yao needs to break some noses, knock out some teeth, and cause several concussions for a long time now. Yao needs to inherit Mutombo's elbows.
The NBA is not a finesse league, it just isn't. You have to get physical and assert yourself, to drive, to get position, to hold position, to force the action, and so on. Finesse players don't get the respect of other players or the refs. I am not saying you have to be brutal, but the NBA is a very "physical" game. Yao needs to send a "message" from time to time. I don't think he will, but he needs to. I think other players were just a tad scared of what Hakeem was going to do, yet he was considered a "character" guy.
What Yao needs is a reminder from Les Alexander that Yao shall leave the nice guy image at home and take care of his paycheck. There is a curtural gap inside. He wants to keep his image while consuming his max contract. He needs continuous education in American way of life, because he is taking American dollars for a living. The point of this thread is valid. That was one of my suspensions in Yao when he came to America. He needs to defend the franchise that pays him, instead of defending his Chinese ego. Stop saying Yao is a gentleman and this and that. Many NBA players are gents in their own private life. Whenever Yao gets on court, he needs to do whatever it takes to win for the franchise, as long as his deeds are within the norms of the NBA, nor his ego. Therefore, Yao must play as a leader. Heck, every max contract recipient mush play as a leader. That means he needs to set the tone on court for his team, part of which is to draw the line in the sand for both his team and his opposing team. As I said five years ago, Yao, stop being smart. Be da man and kick some arce
Nobody should ever intentionally hurt somebody for the sake of winning a game , but if the other players are intentionally hurting you with hard fouls and the refs are not doing their job, it is the right and duty of a player to defend himself. Yao should not try to "instill fear" in others by breaking noses for no reason, but if some punk (i.e. devin harris) tries to drag him down maliciously, Yao has to at least set a hard pick or give a little elbow to tell that opposing player that he wont take that sort of crap. The last thing I want Yao to become is a thug; nobody respects thugs. Still, Yao has the right to protect himself from the thuggery (is that a word ?) of other less upstanding players
most of those guys on your list were straight up mean guys. hornery mean dudes you just didn't not want to mess with. moses and shaq were borderline dirty players, in that they would use everything and anything to gain an advantage, if that meant they used their size to bully you aside or fell on you after a block or dunk to motivate you to get out of their way sooner, so be it. If you got hurt cuz I landed on you, well you should have moved faster. even Deke who everyone sees as this grandfather figure had a mean streak. and ewing who's so laid back now as a coach was a feared figure in college and pros. it's not coincidence that just about every big name Big Man was tough. Robinson, I agree is one of the few along with Yao who didn't have that in him. Like Yao I agree that the refs didn't give him the calls that shaq or dwight howard gets. that's where you're wrong, the refs DO treat you that way. so does ESPN and so do the announcers. IMO this is clearly where the discrimination against yao comes in, it has nothing to do with Yao being chinese (unless being chinese is in fact what makes yao "weak" on the court) it has to do with the lack of respect that refs AND players have for yao. In Yao's case, his not standing up for himself off the court against slurs and disrespect has also dimmed yao's "juice" on the court. then again, is this something yao can realistically change? dont think so man.
Good thread. I've been calling for this since I made the thread that Yao should take elbowing lessons from Deke before he retires, but was chewed out by fellow posters who felt it was 'uncalled for.' He needs to do this, it may actually prolong his career by minimizing the physical defense often played on him.
Really a good thread to start. But I think I have found Yao being more and more aggressive in games now. I can still remember his elbow on Maryon during the fourth quarter ,Just the one we beat Suns at home. Yes. more elbows, Yao!
Sometimes ,I don't wanna ask Yao too much, I don't wanna give him pressure,cause he is such a diligent and disciplined guy!
