# Doubts about Yao



## fsaucedo (May 3, 2003)

As a rockets fan, I feel like Yao is being overrated by most people. They say Yao is the next big thing and will be the most dominant player in the NBA in a few years. I just don't see it for many reasons.

I was watching Yao play today against the Mavericks. He looked unstopable in the first half. Then in the second half Najera gave him a lot of trouble. Yao could not establish positioning down low. Against Najera??? I see that Yao does better against the big centers like Shaq then he does against quicker ones.

I also see that Yao gets tired very quickly. I don't think he will ever be able to play more than 35 minutes a game which is not bad. There are some games, especially in the playoffs, where the team would need him to play more minutes. I don't think he can handle it.

There is also the issue of him playing year round. When will he rest? When the season is over he is suppose go play for the Chinese National team and his club chinese team. In order for players to become great they need to work on their game during the offseason and rest some. 

And my biggest concern: his attitude. He seems to be soft most of the time. I see some flashes of him trying to be tough. But thats the problem, he is trying, its not part of his game. He needs to get nastier down in the paint. So many people have posterized him. He needs to stop that. I remember last year when Ratliff dunked on him, Yao came back and dunked on Ratliff and got on his face. Yao got a technical. I thought Yao had turned the corner and was going to start being tough. I was wrong.

As it is, I feel Yao is already a very good player that will continue to improve on his game. As rockets fans, how do you all feel about Yao? Do you really think he is the next most dominant player? I have my doubts but hopefully he'll come through.


----------



## knickstorm (Jun 22, 2003)

how can you outplay shaq without being tough? if them guards threw the ball up instead of throwin those yo-yo chest high lobs najera wouldnt have gotten to it. TIm Duncan's demeanor is just as lax as Yao. Stamina, well if they got him more touches maybe he could get in a roll and get some adrenaline pumping. I'd be tired too if i just ran back and fort without getting any touches


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Yao's only in his 2nd yr, and he's only going to get better
his conditioning and court awareness will improve, and he'll be putting up 20-10 games consistently real soon
if you're gonna worry about the Rockets, worry about the inconsistency of Francis and Mobley, and our need for a true point guard
Yao IS the next big thing


----------



## 777 (Dec 14, 2002)

Just think where were KG, Kobe, McGrady at in their 2nd year, and look at them now. 

Here, take a look at this picture (21):









And look at him now (23):










Okay, now imaging what Yao would be like in his 5th or 6th year.


----------



## peleincubus (Sep 27, 2002)

thats a huge diffrence there.


----------



## RocketFan85 (Jun 8, 2003)

I have no doubts about Yao at all. I think he is an unstoppable force just happening to happen. Francis needs to go this offseason in order for that to happen. I think Yao will be in the running for MVP next season and I think the Rockets will be in place to make a run at the title. What could the Rockets get in return for Francis? I have no idea, but I do know that I have complete faith in Coach Jeff Van Gundy. He will get his man. Yao has improve so much this second half of the seaon it is unblieveable. Yao does need to work on his stamina, rebounding, and shot blocking. He will only continue to get better.


----------



## Jaywalk (Feb 19, 2004)

my question is, if Yao plays year round, why does he have conditioning problems? Because hes 7'6?


----------



## peleincubus (Sep 27, 2002)

when your playing cometitive b ball you have to give it your all. and when you do that on a day to day basis with no breaks hardly ever. it will take its toll on your body. just think about it; it would be tough.


----------



## s a b a s 11 (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Jaywalk</b>!
> my question is, if Yao plays year round, why does he have conditioning problems? Because hes 7'6?


Obviously, i'm not Yao Ming, but I was playing for three bball leagues during the week for about 3 months last year. I was burnt out half-way through, both physically and mentally. I love basketball, but that much basketball takes its toll.

Stuart


----------



## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>fsaucedo</b>!
> 
> I was watching Yao play today against the Mavericks. He looked unstopable in the first half. Then in the second half Najera gave him a lot of trouble. Yao could not establish positioning down low. Against Najera??? I see that Yao does better against the big centers like Shaq then he does against quicker ones.


Najera?
The passer should avoid long distance passing and pass the ball higher than 7'8".

Najera is quicker than ball speed.


----------



## Kyakko (Aug 14, 2002)

I watch nearly every rockets game on national cable TV, and I notice alot of opponents aggressively push him around more then other players (borderline foul). He needs to elbow someone and send a message. Can you imagine najar or anyone else wrapping themselves like that around Shaq? Hell no, cuz they know they'll get hammered to the floor. Yao not only needs to gain stanima, but he needs to gain respect.

As for being dominate in the future, i'm going to say a 50/50 chance. When I discounted him on his first two weeks in the NBA, I ended up eating crow. When he was doing so-so before the ASG, critics thought he'd be a better version of Rik Smit, now he's adveraging over 21 points Feburary + March (more crow). And when critics kept saying Shaq is out for revenge and will destory him, now... you get the picture. He has a tendency to make critics stick their feet in their months.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

fsaucedo, those are good points. We'll find out over the next 2-3 seasons how far he will go. Certainly, Yao has areas of the game he needs to improve. Given his rapid progress so far, it's likely the best is yet to come. It's just as likely there will be some areas in which he'll always fall short. 

Yao's physical state is promising in that he doesn't seem to suffer from anything chronic and has a thick lower body frame, which hopefully will give him the longevity advantage over a Ralph Sampson. Yao's upper body type looks like he can easily pack on 20-30 more pounds of muscle, which will help him wrestle in the low blocks. Yao has already shown a big improvement this season in his ability to hold his ground and maneuver in the low blocks.

Yao averages below 35 MPG, but he's played some of his best games in the high-30s and 40s. He played 50 minutes in the Hawks game, arguably his best game of the season. An interesting pattern in his level of energy is that he usually plays hard in the 4th quarter and finishes games strong, even when he appears dog-tired in the 3rd quarter. The stamina issue will simply have to be an issue until he shows us he has solved the problem.

** Points of comparison, current 03-04 season MPG: YAO 32.6, Shaq 35.6, Ilgauskas 31.2, Magloire 33.4, Dampier 32.5, Curry 28.8, Rasho 28.6, Vlade 30.8, Jason Collins 28.0, Ostertag 30.3. There aren't many full-time starting 'true' Cs in the NBA right now - this is the best group I could come up with. (As two former full-time starting 'true' centers, Kandi averages 29.8 MPG and Deke averages 35.2 MPG for their careers.) Feel free to check on any other players you consider full-time starting 'true' Cs. It appears Yao's minutes actually compare favorably with his NBA peers, although the quality of those minutes probably differs from player to player.

Yao so far in his career has been willing and able to take the big shots in crunch-time. He's a skilled, finesse player who has shown more toughness than expected, but of course we want to see more of the talented 7'6 center going over and through defenses with his best Wilt imitation. Yao is a bright basketball player and the adjustment is in large part mental. I think as Yao's body becomes better suited for rugged play, we'll see a better mix of power and finesse. Don't underestimate the effect of quickness, agility and jumping drills, Ewing's coaching and just plain experience on how Yao approaches the game. I expect Yao will show us more as his body and game catch up to his goals.

The year-round play is a concern. I don't know what, if anything, can be done about it. I'm sure the Commish will have a word or two with Del Harris before the Olympics about protecting the NBA's investment in Yao.

Francis has the rest of this season and, more importantly, the post-season to prove himself worthy to be one-half of what may become an all-time center-guard combination. In the off-season, I'm sure JVG and Dawson will evaluate the progress Francis has made and make any prudent adjustments to the team's make-up.

It's possible Yao's thus far steep improvement curve will suddenly level off, but we haven't seen it happen yet. He's already exceeded even the optimistic expectations of the player he would be by his 2nd NBA season. Any center who can play Shaq to a stand-still 2 games in a row has serious superstar potential. We've seen the size and agility, the skills, the intelligence and the talent. Yao is still young, a very large bundle of yet-untapped potential. As his teammates, the coach and Yao develop and grow together, the Rockets will only become a more efficient unit around Yao, which will only help raise him to NBA superstardom.


----------



## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

No one can beat your post, NYC. I especially agreed on this one:



> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> ...Yao is a bright basketball player and the adjustment is in large part mental...


I remember just few weeks ago, I read somewhere Yao Ming said he didn't improve at all in terms of his offensive skills. He just felt a lot of acclimated to the NBA culture, thus he was able to bring out what he already possessed to full capacity. That was probably exagerating, but mental approach seems to be the biggest obstacle to Yao early in his NBA career.

I actually think Yao could make more impact then what he is having now as early as next season. In order to acheive that, he needs to be on top shape physically. He also needs to bring his A-game night-in and night-out. It would help if he can get better helps from current crop of supporting cast. I am not calling Yao a HOF next season but he should have the ability to seperate himself from the likes of Brad Miller, Big Z, or Ben Wallace.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

Thanks. 

I think JVG and Ewing will be very good for Yao in this area. JVG, of course, has the profound old-school belief in the C as the foundation of a championship team. Ewing won't be able to teach Yao much in terms of fancy moves and jumpshots, although that drop-step Yao showed off against the Mavs was vintage Ewing. Ewing should be able to teach Yao about defense, veteran know-how in improving fundamentals, generally understanding the game from a HoF Georgetown-bred C's perspective, and maybe a few tricks. 

Ewing was fierce as a player. He played hurt and he brought it every night. The biggest benefit Ewing will have for Yao is teaching him about the attitude, work ethic and toughness it takes to be an all-time NBA center. He'll help Yao set practical standards and goals to mold Yao's abundant talent into superstardom. Yao has a great burden of expectation, and the best Cs have always demanded the most attention. Ewing can help Yao, as a fellow C who carried the hopes of the world's unofficial basketball capital as THE Knick for so many years.

Ewing came along at the perfect time in Yao's career. He's lucky.


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

He's bacckk 

This is what Ewing has really helped Yao improve on, his mental toughness. Throw it down Yao, no need for any more layups.


----------



## RocketFan85 (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> He's bacckk
> 
> This is what Ewing has really helped Yao improve on, his mental toughness. Throw it down Yao, no need for any more layups.



That is just sick. 7 foot 6 guys are just not suppost to be able to run the floor like that and throw it down.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

Any files of Yao's flash into the paint and dunk OVER Kaman? 

I like that one better. It's what dominant 7'6 players are supposed to do. Turn around, realize how tiny the 7 footer is guarding the basket, and just reach up and dunk over him - Shaq-esque, Wilt-esque - with a demoralizing display of size, skill, aggression and power.


----------

