Yao played mostly face up during in his rookie season, so we know he has the skills to do it. If he were allowed to use a mix of low, middle, and even high post, life would actually be easier for him. He could save energy by not having to bang so much in the low post, and he wouldn't get brutalized nearly as much. The team would benefit because he could spend more minutes on the floor, and his career would last much longer.
I can't speak for everyone else but personally I want Yao to develop this go-to move: a 720 windmill dunk preceded by a reverse double somersault.
Wow. This has been quite the lively thread. verse, you just about say it all here. Nothing to add. On the money! All posts after this one are just fluff. I don't remember you posting much. Please join these debates more often. Devastating logic is a pleasure to read.
My take on the situation is that there's not really a problem with JVG's offense, but there is a problem with having Yao in JVG's offense. Yao clogs the lane offensively as well as defensively. And with our atrociously poor post-entry passing combined with poor finishers our offense looks ridiculous. If you can get Yao out of the post 25% of the time I firmly believe the offense would improve. If Yao wasn't so hesitant about taking 15' jumpers now he'd be making them as he did early in his career, which the last 2 years he hasn't been with great regularity. I think people who think a dominant center with today's rules can routinely take the pounding Yao received last year are delusional. If Yao were less skilled it wouldn't be an issue, but both he and the team would benefit from Yao taking some open shots occasionally. Whoever said Yao's needs more work on his post game obviously thinks there's someone in the NBA who has a better one. But I forget, Yao scores inside just because he's tall. This will be Yao's 5th year and I pray he realizes he needs to play his own game. For the last 3 years he hasn't been allowed to.
It's quite an oxymoron to hail Yao's 10 feet turnaround fadeaway while denying his 15 feet face up jumper. Yao's height and talent should be utilized in two modes. The scoring plus double teaming mode is the low post play. The variety mode is for his face up game, let it be pump fakes, let it be hook shots or lay ups off drives , let it be shooting off dribble, let it be stop and pop, pick and pop, pick and roll, high post passing or whatever that can be contrived from Yao's capability. Count how many options one chops off Yao's game by confining him in the low post block. Yao's amphibious(sp?). He's a big crocodile. One can argue that the low post game is the most devastating part of Yao's game. I agree with that, however, the low post game's effectiveness is contigent on many conditions. The refs, an off game by Yao, the cold shooting by the guards, the great defenders, the effective defensive schemes such as fronting, fatigue and the dullness in repeatedly low post scoring will all lead to significantly reduced effectiveness of the low post game. On the other hand, Yao's face up game relies less on various conditions, and if properly utilized, can be more potent than any other guard play the Rockets can juxtapose. It's doubtful that Yao can achieve greatness at the level of Shaq or Hakeem by his low post play only. Even by his blistering play in the late season he still comes up short to the historical greats. Yao's true strength is his versatility, he has range over Shaq, and he has passing over Hakeem. However, those things won't be fully utilized in a rigid low post system that limits his strengths. A sole low post game utilizes Yao's presence on the court at only 30% or less(just my guess), mixing it up can push it to about 50% or more. The Rockets needs to utilize Yao's presence more. He is a unique player that is underutilized. Some of you guys seem to think that Yao shrinks to 6'5" once he steps out of the low post block, congrats sir, you have been successfully brainwashed by the unimaginative Jeff Van Gundy.
Very well written, very good analysis. We all love Yao, now it must become tough love. Dream never settled, and he became the best post post player of all time, while there are some things Yao will never be able to do due to his size,speed lack of athleticism..there is still plenty he can do. With his work ethic, it's only a matter of time.
I am not sure but before Rockets one the first Championships they thought Dream was just another good player! I am not sure Yao will surpass the Dream- frankly they are not the same players- but I am sure that when all is done- he will count in the same calibre. I agree with you on mixing up the game- but I really dont see it as a JVG issue- you play percentages- not who is big or who is small, Yao in the low post has a very hight percentage shot- as a change up I agree he should take the 15 footers- but you cant have High Volume shooting of Mcgrady and not have a high percentage shot of Ming ( which happens to be in the low post) Yao already has more offensive weapons than Shaq at this point- he was finally given a chance to get the ball and show what he could do in the second half of the season. IF this guy cannot get us the ring- it will be a long wait for Houston fans.
Yao is 7'6. Pump fakes, stop and pops, shooting off the dribble will never be very significant for him. He's too big & slow and we know after 4 years he should avoid putting the ball on the floor if possible. Yao will never have an offensive game as diversified as Dream. No way! He isn't the athlete, doesn't have the dexterity, footwork, agility, quickness or explosion that Dream had. But Yao has something Dream did not: Awesome size and height. He doesn't need as much diversity to be as effective. It's not him. Yao will continue adding to his repetoire, but when it comes to a "face up" game, Yao just needs to develop a deadeye jumpshot. With his height, he rarely needs to shake defenders in order to get his shot off when facing another player. Other than the jumpshot, Yao needs to dominate the low block for a whole season before moving on to stop and pops, shooting off the dribble, etc. There are some guards who can't shoot off the dribble that well.
I just feel Yao lacks interaction with the teammates, aside from the back to the basket play. And the back to the basket play is not a very good way to emphasize interaction. It deemphasizes the ball movement and off the ball movement. If JVG insists getting the low post game down pat first as a developing strategy for Yao. Hats off to him. If JVG thinks it's the only and ultimate way for Yao to play, I think he's missing out on something good. I believe in balance in all aspects of the game. The balance between offense and defense, the balance between individual one on one scoring and systematic play, the balance between slashing and shooting, the balance between being a creater as well as coordinator and finisher, etc... I would like to see Rockets having an identity on offense, a team that feeds off T-mac and Yao's creation, while T-mac and Yao are also at times put in position to score, creating for others while being created, helping others while being helped. So far I'm not seeing enough of it and I will keep an eye on JVG for that to happen.
It utterly shocks me that there are people in this thread who don't want Yao to improve his game. What are you, Yao-haters in disguise? Any Yao or Rockets fan should wish for Yao to continuously improve his game to make him more unstoppable. We KNOW he can play face up, because that's how he came to the rockets. Now mixing it in with his post-up game would give amazing results. He'd be a taller, stronger Duncan. Think about that.
if he do what tim duncan do he will get doble team in every posesion. because he's not fast enough to drible the ball why because he's tall,if he do that the point gard will defend them, remember the seatle vs. houston series when olajuwon can't make a good pass because he get doble team and when he pass the ball seatle get the steal he can do that inside out set up as post up, pick and roll and then if he's wide open he can shoot the ball so the center can get out of the paint and let the small and strong foward or even the guard get the rebound
OK. I thought about it. Yao is NOT a "a taller, stronger Duncan". They are very different players. Name any great player, past or present, and Yao doesn't fit in their mold. Yao has no precedent. He is his own mold. Everyone here wants Yao to improve. Nobody says he shouldn't. It's a matter of WHAT to focus on. Get it? I don't mean to be harsh, but your first paragraph is incredibly dumb. Try thinking before you post.
I agree Yao should improve in all aspect of his game. But I don't agree he should become the next Tim Duncan, because Yao is already playing better than Duncan at this stage. If he had teammates like Duncan does then he's in the final already.
I can't belive you started out your post with "Yao's 7'6". End discussion, huh? You know better and your brain must just freeze when almost every basketball pubdit there is who questions how Yao's being utilized. Yes, he's 7'6" but what part of you can't get past that? He's a very talented bb player whose skills keep growing, but anyone who's watched him for 4 years (some here longer) knows he's not playing his game. He is definiteley doing things now that he couldn't before, but why is it he can't do the things he could before he got here? We've all seen it. Four years, JVG, Yao's much better now. Even in this unwatchable season he improved. But he's 7'6" and his entire milieu should be on the post? Unreal. Right now he's the guy I trust most in the organization. Yao has to do what he thinks he should. Les, CD, Morey, JVG and even T-Mac be dammned Yao has to be his own man. Either that, or leave. Amazing how some here think the status quo is fine. Utterly ridiculous.
I really don't follow Yao's games in China.. But since he's been in the NBA and capable of scoring 30+ points.. How good does he do in China playing lower level competition? I remember reading he does about the same over there stats wise.. why is that? I maybe wrong on that..
With all due respect, Dream was never viewed as, "just another good player!" Just as Yao has been viewed as special, by anyone with something between their ears, since he was drafted, so was Hakeem. And he played like it, from the beginning. We saw flashes of Yao's own special abilities early, but until the second half of this season, we hadn't seen the kind of play Houston has expected to see from it's All-Star centers. Yao is no Dream, but the first Yao. Based on his play after getting back from toe surgery, that will do just fine. Nice thread!
I was just wondering that's all. I would say he should be scoring 60 points.. But ya.. I know that he barely plays like 20 min or something cause most of the teams over there suck.
I am not sure if you are responding to my post. But if you still wonder, the word is 'improvement'. I was just trying to say you can't compare the Yao now with the one before he joined the NBA. The difference is night and day.
That's not true. Most of the posters opposing the change basically say, "Yao played very well the second half of the season, why change anything?" That means they don't want anything changed, which means they don't want Yao to improve.
