Well, just so you know the "I'm tired" will get old next year. And in 3 years, we better not be hearing: "He's new to this country..." "He's learning the language..." "He's learning the plays..." "He's got a boo-boo on his knee..." By the way, "protect" players means lie to the media.
Sure...sit back, relax, pull up a chair.... ...it's going to be a long rest of the season. Steve needs to stop leading the league in turnovers. And that problem wont be solved this year.
man....Bradley is more ferocious than YAO! GO ROCKS ON JAN 29th....its a National game like stated, and the ROcks...better show up....plus. It's a home game. well. until then back to the games now. who's up next.... One thing that is very consistent for the Rocks is their ability to have two different streaks in a row. First usually winning....then losing. everytime....
I'm sure that lifting weights may be subtracting from his FG % as well. Rookies have a lot of physical and mental hurdles that take their toll.
People need to keep in mind about somethin: Yao's parents are not just ordinary folks. Both were in Chinese national teams. Both had coaching experience. On some aspects, his mom is like yours & mine, cooking, washing, cleaning... On the other hand, she watches every of his son's game. She knows what is going on. She can give advices (probably better than Rudy T) & Yao can talk to her like a son. So moving away from his parents is, if not detrimental, at least not advantageous.
I guess...but Yao has to move on... I mean. everyone moves away from their parents. I did my freshman year of highschool to go toa boarding school. My parents are in one country right now. and i am in another. Its hard at first....but you get along. Boki...i think is a plus for Yao. a Gamer....and buddy.
I hope you people know that within the last four years in China Yao has spent no more then a total of 27 days with his parents in Shanghai thats less then seven days a year. So I think he has been pretty much on his own for a while. And for those who thinks that Yaos game will improve if he did not live with his parents well thats highly debatable if you consider that without his parent he will probaly be up all night either playing games or surfing the net. And if you think Yao is tired now just think how tired he would be with that scenario.
just wait til he gained like 50 pounds that would add up to be 296 + 50 = 346 which equals to ....SHAQ !!! ha ha ha...i think the rockets is trying to create a Shaq Clone..on Yao..what you guys think..i know they been making him lift weights and gaining pounds..
I've got a training suggestion. Yao should play some 2-on-1 with his folks everyday. 2 hours per night. He would have to score 20 points before he gets supper. And another 20 or no computer games for him.
I don't know if he's really tired, but if you play basket ball you know what it's like when you have a few ball hogs on the team. Then the whole team just stops moving and it breaks down the rhythm, sometimes when you do get the ball it becomes harder to make a decision whether to pass or shoot. And the less touch you get, the colder you become, it's just a bad cycle.
Yao tires of questions about fatigue By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Yao Ming was tired. On the court, he said, he felt fine. But he had grown almost unbearably tired of questions about how tired he was. Asked directly if he was wearing out, he said simply, "No." Asked if he had hit the "rookie wall," he said: "I am a rookie, so if I hit the rookie wall, I don't really know." Asked again -- after an inquisitor's description of what an expert he is on all things Yao -- if he was physically worn out, Yao said: "This is the third time I said in five minutes (that) I'm not tired." By then, Yao's interpreter, Colin Pine, even mimicked the irritation clear in Yao's voice. But after Yao explained a few more times that he was not tired, really, most were convinced he was actually pretty tired. Yao scored just six points and committed five turnovers in the Rockets' 21-point loss to the Mavericks on Tuesday night. Whether he was unwilling to make an excuse in the face of the latest wave of scrutiny or merely feeling fresh after sitting out all but six minutes of the second half, he refused to admit to fatigue. But Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich left no doubt where he stood. Others could -- and did -- cast their votes. Tomjanovich assumed veto power. "I think he is tired," Tomjanovich said. "Just talking with the coaches, we're thinking he should take both these days (Wednesday and Thursday) off and rest. He is not a mistake player, and to have five turnovers in 22 minutes is a lot for him. This is a tough league for everybody, but what he's gone through, I think he needs to get his battery recharged, and I think it will start happening again. "I don't think it was a good picture of him. This is sort of what we've been seeing for a while. I feel for the guy. He's really trying. We're going to look at two days off. It's hard to do it because he always wants to be out there." Tomjanovich had been seeing the change in Yao for weeks. He worried before the celebrated showdown with Shaquille O'Neal that Yao was already worn out. Yao harnessed just enough adrenaline to get by, but was rested through the entire fourth quarter of Rockets losses to the Spurs and Mavericks. "He's been great. I don't know how he does it," Tomjanovich said. "I don't think anybody has gone through what this guy has gone through, the whole setup, how he got here, what he went through before, the assignments, the responsibility he has, to come in and do well as he has is really a miracle." But so far this month, Yao has made just 40 percent of his shots, averaging 10.6 points and 8.8 rebounds. Increasingly, his scoring has not come as a primary part of the Rockets' offense, where defenders are more often in position to challenge him and double teams can surround him, but on teammates' drives, offensive rebounds and broken plays. "I feel that I have had some good opportunities," Yao said. "I just haven't put the ball in the basket. "I don't think I played that well." Mavericks coach Don Nelson, however, reminded that Yao's adjustment, though in many ways extreme, is unique. "Yao played like a rookie, which he is supposed to do sometimes," Nelson said. "It is a learning process for him. Let's not forget when (Dirk) Nowitzki was a rookie how he struggled, and I'm sure Yao is going through the same things. He is soon going to be a great player." But Tomjanovich is not the first to wonder if Yao was wearing down. Steve Francis was upset when Yao faced the usual pregame media mob before Monday's game in San Antonio. To take some of the burden off him, the Rockets had moved the daily interview with Yao to the morning shootaround, rather than the customary pregame session. But because there was no shootaround that day, he was grilled in the locker room. "That will never happen again," Francis promised. "He has to get ready for games." When Francis was reminded that he is almost always available at shootarounds and pregame, Francis said, "But it's never like that." That, however, brings the Rockets back to the greater concern. As grueling as the schedule can be for any player, and as certain a condition as the "rookie wall" can be, Yao's demands are unique. A few are self-made. He has spent two of his off days in the past month flying to Los Angeles or New York to tape television commercials. But the next taping will come during the All-Star break, rather than between Rockets games. He has faced the usual rookie adjustment from a much shorter schedule. The longest professional regular season he had ever played in the China Basketball Associating was 34 games. But after his last season with the Shanghai Sharks, he immediately went into months of training and touring. USA Basketball team players have spoken about the long-range effects of two weeks of practices and 11 days of games last summer. Yao's national team training went on for months, three continents and even after the World Championships, continued through the Asian Games. The effect of the intense scrutiny on him by fans, media, teammates and opponents has been the most unusual, and immeasurable. Yao is expected to be named tonight to be the Western Conference starter in the Feb. 9 All-Star Game, leaving no time for rest and bringing another wave of attention during the All-Star break. Tomjanovich said he was tempted to wish Yao could skip the trip to Atlanta, but knowing that wishing would not change anything, Tomjanovich said, "There's positives in that and negatives. I'll focus on the positives." He was better off hoping that two days of rest would be enough. "He might be tired," Rockets center Kelvin Cato said. "It's like coming out of a college season and trying to play a pro season. He has been doing a lot of traveling. He's had a lot of cameras in his face. He's been doing a lot of interviews. He has to rest at practice. But he loves the game too much; he doesn't want to sit down. The day off will help him. We have to hope he'll take Thursday off, too, and get his legs back under him." Yao would not agree there was anything wrong with his legs. Eventually, however, he conceded that perhaps he was too tired to tell. "I guess," he said, "you might be the only people who can really tell."
A good idea on how to keep Yao on the floor longer without getting too tired would probably be by limiting his time in the post. Yao doesn't always have to shoot fade away jumpers that roll off the rim, he has shown he can shoot jumpers from the 3 point line in. Actually it would probably be better for the Rockets as well. With Yao spending a little bit more time outside of the key, he can bring out a couple of the other defenders; allowing for Steve and Cat to go inside with less pressure. Now I'm not saying that he should live outside of the key like Griffin, I just think it would benifit the team as well as Yao if he were to spend more time around the mid-range. Then when the defense isn't ready for it, he could always go back to a post up position to make the defense react.
I am sure in 3 years, you wont hear those excuses, because Ming will deliver what we all expect him to be by then. BTW, what you listed are not excuses, I believe those things really bother Ming's progress. Have you been in a foreign country and everybody expects you to be a superstar while you barly speak their language and has to play their game.
Most 1st year players get a lot of lattitude. Whether it's a college freshman, a NBA rookie, or even a veteran who gets traded - ala James Posey. Frankly I think your statement is a cheap shot considering we're 40 games into the season. When someone hits the rookie wall, it's unfair to suddenly be up in arms over "excuses" - all of which are legitimate. The fact he denies he's tired, despite the obvious, should dispell your worries about him making any excuses.
