Can anyone post or know if there are highlights of Yao Ming's first NBA season? I've noticed on a few thread some posters are worried about Yao Ming's development now that JVG is gone and how Yao will now slide back to being a taller Rik Smits or Brad Miller. I think its great that Yao learned to play in the low post but I also remember that when Yao first came here he also showed some flashes of a diversity of moves, including no look passes and Dream Shakes. In the article about Yao being more sad than anticipative that Pryuen translated Yao mentions that he will have to take up skills that he hasn't used in the last few years. This tells me that under a different system rather than seeing Yao's play deteriorate we might see Yao become even better if he learns to integrate both the low post presence he learned under JVG with the creative moves that he has done before. Under a more open offensive scheme we could see Yao living up to the promise that people talked about in 2002 as a huge guy who both can dominate in the paint but also take it outside and break down a D with a variety of moves.
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That is the type of quickness we need him to get back to, he has become too plodding a player and his center of gravity is too high to play "push em out" Shaq like basketball. We need him to mix in some finesse ! DD
^ Thanks. That had one of the plays I was looking for the Dream Shake against the Lakers but the other one I didn't see, the scoop pass to Mobley from around his feet. Those highlights illustrate my point. You've got a lot of posters worrying that now with JVG gone Yao's going to regress instead of being the dominant inside force. I think Yao can be even better than he is now if he both combines the kind of low post play he's learned under JVG with the creativity that he had earlier in his career.
I posted this before, but here's Yao right before he entered the league. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLXwzaNnv9w"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLXwzaNnv9w" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
I just can't figure it out a business man like Les, he cares his business so much that he fired JVG, why can't he bring back Calvin? Calvin definitely are more popular as a commentator than Clyde.
yeah hearing his voice was pretty awesome. he was a great commenter and i really wished he was still here..
7:52 <-- I have never seen Yao elevated like that to get the ball. Lobbing the ball in to him wouldn't be a problem if he could still jump like that.
The things that struck me about that video was that people were saying early in his career that Yao doesn't like to dunk or talk back to the refs but you see him dunking and also asking the refs about why a foul wasn't called when he was pushed over. Also Yao's English is a lot better than he let on. It was also sweet watching him swat Nash.
