Yao's latest interview

YAO is entitled to have his own opinion. And fans kinda wanting to know what their star thinks.

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This is his words translated verbatim:



"... The ball goes through me first, but now I don't even get to touch the ball..."

 

This is the kind of casual talk typically happening among friends.

Following is my translation of the last paragraph.

" ... my goddness, what a snow. Guess it may take an hour to get the runway clear. It'll be morning when we get to Toronto. I am really worried that our team will not be able to run tommorrow."

 

I agree. YY may just want to quote YM here to show some credibility of his phone interview but nothing more. Besides, IMO the translator did not carry the right tone of the interview but made only brutal-force translation. That's why I'm afraid he would create chaos, no offense. Sometimes, we really have to keep something among Chinese readers only. Culture may not be translated easily.

 

I believe the right translation on the last setence is:

Unfortunately he could not play much anymore (because of injury and age)

 

Yao is a very smart guy. How could he say things like that where it has a good chance of getting out there for his teamates to hear and stir up the team. Worse, it could even leak out to ESPN!

 

i suspect somebody made this up.

 

I think it's valid. Yang Yi is a good guy, he is the CBA commentator for CCTV.

It's the talk is just nonofficial. It is not even an interview, just casul talks.

Yao must be extremely dissapointed with the 4 straight lose. He has to say something to his close friends, and say some different to the reporters in public.

 

I think Yao needs to say things like this...someone has to stand up and tell the truth, since Rudy and Steve and Cat are unable to take responsibility.

It is refreshing to have someone like Yao on the Rockets.

DD

 

A friend shouldn't report and publish these "casual talks" to the public IMO. This is too bad and could affect Yao Ming's image.

 

Maybe Yao and this reporter are not real familiar with the globalization of the internet etc....

DD

 

I will try to translate:

Rockets met the Pistons which had lost seven straight, but came away with their fourth loss in a row. Yao got twenty points playing against Ben Wallace, but the Detroit night seemed really cold. Sitting on the bus going to the airport, this dude(Yao) picked up his cell phone.

Yao: I had my ways with Ben today, but we lost again.

Yang: I know, this seemed to be the only bright spot in the game, did you try to go at him one on one?

Yao: Ya, that is the true one on one play, two people playing eight people watching (rudy shoiuld be proud). I just turned without any step and dunked on him, the score was 10-10 at the time. He wanted to get back at me right away, but he stuffed him, that is really cool.

Yang: After you dunked over him did you scream at him or something?

Yao: No, I don't want to give up $500 fines again.

Yang: Today your free throw seems to be off.

Yao: I hurt my middle finger on my right hand today, I wanted to straighten it out but was afraid somone would hit it again.

Yang: How did you guys fall behind by so much in the first half?

Yao: When I got out of the game we were down by 4, then I just sat there and watched that white dude Berry hit 3 straight threes, not sure which one of the three is he, by the time I got back into the game we were down by fourteen already. Chase Chase Chase and cann't catch them, guess time for shower and sleep.

Yang: That is four losses in a row. Espn predicted you would fall apart in the spring, well you didn't but your team seems to be falling apart now. What is the deal?

Yao: Our problem is the outside and inside game are not working together. Doesn't matter outside game or inside game, they must work cohesively, if the inside game is stronger that night, you try to work the ball inside, when the defense collapse, you dish to the outside shoters; If the outside game is stronger that night, the inside game try to be ready to get passes from the outside (after defender focus on the outside). But on our team, if we are using the outside game, the inside players never sees the ball, all they can do is go after rebound, if we are going to the inside game, the outsider players just stand around and watch, how can you win games this way.

Yang: The ball is still in the hand of Steve and Mobley, they are still not well adjusted.

Yao: They really haven't adjusted yet, basically they are not sure how to play with an insdie presence like me. I am not well adjusted either, psychologically i have no problem not being the number one option, I am not the type that has to be the big dog anyway, but I haven't adjusted completed to the new game plan. At Shanghai, I am the focal point, every trip down the ball has to go through my hands, but now I often never even get to touch the ball, I really need to ajust myself too.

Yang: I think they are have the same problems too, from play design point of view and not psychologically. Of all the NBA starts, Steve is one of the few that are easy to get to know. Last season on the nugget team, McDyess(sp) seem to be the number one, but it is actually G.M. (Who the hell is that?) that guy is really full of himself.

Yao: I think our team really should really be Glenn Rice, he has the experience and have his own ideas, only thing is he cann't play like used to be able to.

Yang: Steve is off again today.

Yao: For a long time now, there is only one hot guy between Steve and Mobley. If steve can get eighteen points, we have a shot of winning the game.

Yang: Doesn't matter if the rockets make the playoff or not, there must be an adjustment in the summer, to make the team more balanced.

Yao: Today Rudy T said if we don't win this one he is going to shake up the lineup. This years trade deadline already passed, guess we will have to wait until next season to seem some changes. Actually before the trade deadline, I heard they were going to used Mobley and Eddie to trade for Brand, but I don't know what happend at the end.

Yang: Next game is against Toronto right?

Yao: Ya, that team has no center, if we still cann't win that one, we are really hopeless then. I guess there will be alot of Chinese at that game too. Man there is really alot of snow, I guess it will take an hour to clear the runway, by the time we get to Toronto it will be morning again. I am afraid everyone won't have the strength for tomorrow's game.

 

Good efforts for the tranlation, but you may focus on one third of the interview and leave the rest to others. In this way, you may improve your translation drastically and convey the original interview.

 

i think it's down to Yao not to speak so casually to reporters. Eventually Yao is going to master English and make some media friends in the States.

 

YAO says what he thinks, this talk is nothing personal.
In fact, he says the same things most of us have been shouting/yelling all the time.

He has been very prudent by keeping Colin with him during the press conference.

 

I've been saying this before, Yao really needs a good lesson from his TEAM about "Who Should be Your Friends 101", or "Never Consider a Media Guy Your Friend".

Some of the things belong to lockroom, some others can be shared among friends, now he let them to public. Rookie mistake.

 

I wonder how much Colin Pine distorts what Yao is actually saying. We're seeing the evil side of Yao now. lol

 

I think it is a good interview/talk from Yao although I think the first translator may have translated it into a bit aggressive tone.

He is right on about the uncordinating between the inside and outside game and acknowledge that both himself and the guards still need to adjust to each other.

He need to adjust to the outside game and the guards need to adjust to the inside game.

I think that RT need to really help them to adjust.

 

But Yao Ming only talked to Yang Yi "the friend", not Yang Yi "the reporter". Yang Yi simply should not let this kind of inside talk go out to the public.