# yao ming this season!



## FOXYboy (Aug 26, 2002)

hi i'm foxyboy from the miami board! i just wanna know if yao will be a sure strarter this season?? and will he be given right minutes?? by the way do you think he will do great in fantasy basketball?!? thanks!


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

I doubt he will start the first half of the season.....But he will get decent minutes...I expect 21-28 mpg probably.....and I don't think he will do that good in fantasy this year, as he won't play starter minutes....


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## SLiM9287 (Jul 2, 2002)

i THINK HELL DO GOOD AND GET 10-15PTS AND 6-8PTS.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>mduke</b>!
> I doubt he will start the first half of the season.....But he will get decent minutes...I expect 21-28 mpg probably.....and I don't think he will do that good in fantasy this year, as he won't play starter minutes....


Why not? Once hes done with CBA season hes gonna get the time. 1st round 1st picks cant afford to ride pine.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

Seeing as how Rudy only played future star Eddie Griffin 21 mpg, Yao will definitely not play the majority of minutes.....his transition is even harder than Griff's.


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## FOXYboy (Aug 26, 2002)

but rudy was talking things how he was proud of his rookie!1 wouldn't he give him the right minutes?


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>mduke</b>!
> Seeing as how Rudy only played future star Eddie Griffin 21 mpg, Yao will definitely not play the majority of minutes.....his transition is even harder than Griff's.


i don't really see what this means for ming's minutes. i haven't checked out that stat yet but 21 mpg isn't too bad for a rookie power forward. griffin played pretty well with the time he was given; however, kenny thomas was playing solid, consistent basketball at that position for a good deal of the season. in contrast to that, yao might be the best prospect in the world. he is the number one draft pick to a solid team, he is talented in the post and perimeter, good blocker, 7'5" and 296 lbs. the back-up (yes yao ming will start most of the season) center on houston is kelvin kato, not a bad player (has improved) and will get some minutes but i don't think rudy will favour him that favourably. yao will play probably 35+ mpg over the course of the season. i don't know how amazing his stats will be on a team with established scorers but he'll hold his own.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

by the way, griffin actually averaged 26 mpg. those are solid minutes! too bad he'll have to compete with mo taylor for pf minutes now. griffin will become great...man i love this team!


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

If Ming starts in the first month of the season that will shock me. Griffin was the 7th pick, and most people felt he was the #1 prospect in that draft, so what's the difference? Yao also has a much harder transition, with a new language, style of play, etc....


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

sorry mduke, i don't really think that many saw eddie griffin as the #1 prospect. i do know what you mean though, he was viewed very highly. however, i doubt he was as nba ready as ming at this point. you may be right about ming's first month in the league though; learning a foreign system in a foreign language is no easy task.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

Ming wont play until nov-dec because he has to finish out his obligations to his chinese team first.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

If Griffin was not the #1 prospect, then why in the world did so many people have him going #1, huh? And don't even say that Ming is NBA-ready, he is so far off it's not even funny. It'll be at least 2-3 years before he starts contributing like a #1 pick should.


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## peleincubus (Sep 27, 2002)

a lot of people projected eddie griffen to be the first pick in the draft until about 2 weeks or month before the draft.

I think Yao has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. But it helps to have the players that they have there now to help


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## FOXYboy (Aug 26, 2002)

so what's going on with the yao signing ?? what does this mean ! ?! ?will he be able to play at the start of the season ?


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Dragnsmke1</b>!
> Ming wont play until nov-dec because he has to finish out his obligations to his chinese team first.


The only obligation he has with Chinese National Team right now is the Asian Games, which ended at mid-October. Words are he'll come right after, which is around Oct 15. I don't see Yao averaging more than 30 minutes-per-game next season. Three reasons:

1. He'll have to ajust to the NBA style of basketballs. It'll take time. That means he'll get into foul trouble very often in his first season.

2. He doesn't have great stamina. The pace in NBA might wear him out if he plays more than 30 minutes a game.

3. He'll have to learn the offense, which is no easy task because there's a language barrier.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

> a lot of people projected eddie griffen to be the first pick in the draft until about 2 weeks or month before the draft.


actually some "experts" picked him to go #1 the night before the draft.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

hate to split hairs here but most of the mock drafts i was checking before the draft had griffen around the #4 spot, with the highschoolers ahead of him for some time. you're probably right about ming though; they probably will use kato a fair bit and ease yao into things. i'm estimating 26-32 for most of the season.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

NO ONE predicted him #7, Andy Katz had him #1. I'm not sure where everyone else had him, but I'm sure that Andy Katz had him going #1 HOURS BEFORE THE DRAFT. Anyway, that's beside the point....Yao will have a very hard transition, harder than Griffin, so why give him 38 mpg while Griffin got only 20-25?


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## DAMAGED KINGDOM (Oct 2, 2002)

IMO, the only thing that could keep Ming from being great would be a major injury.


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## Ryoga (Aug 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>MightyReds2020</b>!
> 3. He'll have to learn the offense, which is no easy task because there's a language barrier.


Houston's offence?
I mean, what offence?
He'll learn all he could need in ten minutes...
:wbanana:


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Ryoga</b>!
> 
> Houston's offence?
> I mean, what offence?
> ...


Are you seriously think that way? Or just fooling around with me?


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

Haha.....give the ball to Steve or Cuttino, let them penetrate and create. How hard is that?


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## DAMAGED KINGDOM (Oct 2, 2002)

*THE DIFFERENCE*



> Originally posted by <b>mduke</b>!
> If Ming starts in the first month of the season that will shock me. Griffin was the 7th pick, and most people felt he was the #1 prospect in that draft, so what's the difference? Yao also has a much harder transition, with a new language, style of play, etc....


There's a big difference between Yao & Eddie going into their rookie seasons. Yes Griffin was a #1 prospect in '01 & a steal at #7, BUT he was not nearly ready to do the things required of him when he began the 01-02 season. There were questions as to whether he had the handles & the lateral movement necessary to play SF (questions haven't completely gone away). He was also only 1 year out of high school. The Rockets had enough guys on the roster who could play the 3 or 4 that Eddie was not needed as much as I think Yao will be needed. Anyway, once Eddie got into a groove he played about 30 minutes a game over the final 60 or so. So those minutes aren't exactly "chopped liver".

Without Yao the Rockets have CRAP at the C position. Cato has MORE than proven inadequate as a starting C over the years & will probably prove equally lame this season. The Rockets out of desperation are going to have to play Ming like it or not. I say go for it. He needs the PT & Cato doesn't. IMO they won't go very far without Yao producing nicely. I'm not saying Ming will get 35-40 minutes a game, but I think he'll get around 28-30 MPG . Sure if he gets that many minutes, he could lead the L in fouls, but he's gotta learn sometime.


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## peleincubus (Sep 27, 2002)

I agree i bet he leads NBA in fouls per minute almost sure about it


Got a new question. I think its a given that Steve Francis will probably be a all star for a while.

But how about potential in about 4 years do you think that Eddie Griffen and Yao Ming will make it also

That would be pretty neat to have three in one year. Even though it doesnt seem likely.

But what do u think their chances are? 



:rbanana:


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## DAMAGED KINGDOM (Oct 2, 2002)

Stevie
Yao
Eddie
Cat
Boki

I think all 5 have the potential to be all-stars. Whether 3-4 of them make it to the all-star team in the same year or not is difficult to put odds on right now. It's definitely possible, but it would have to be a scenario where 1 or 2 of them were selected by the coaches. If Yao lives up to his potential, he'll be an annual recurrence at the all-star game.:yes: 

JMHO
DK


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>mduke</b>!
> Haha.....give the ball to Steve or Cuttino, let them penetrate and create. How hard is that?


OK, when Stevie or Cuttino has the ball, Yao have to get into positions. Which position varies time from time. When Stevie or Cuttino put up some hand-signals, where's Yao going to be and how to do that? Does he need to do a screen and cut or just stay away from to clear the lane? When Stevie or Cuttino penetrates, from right or left, is he going to stand outside the 3-point arc? Or move to free-throw line? Or make another screen for Stevie or Cuttino, or vice versa so one of them can freed up from opponents?

And when Yao has to ball, he has to know that where his teammates will be at, what's their tendencies moving without the ball. He has to operate by himself or pass, etc...

What about terms like 'Basket Cut', 'High Screen-&-Roll', 'Low-post positioned swap'.....And there are tons of different executions for each of the above terms. Houston should have their designed tactics already in Rudy's mind. But with the offensive talents Yao possess, they'll probably have 50 more attacking tactics featuring Yao, whether score himself or pass through him. Pro basketball is all about tactical, and with the limited English (I supposed) he possesses. It's hard to learn all of these in a short period of time.

I probably didn't explain too well. My point is an offense is not just dribble, run, penetrate, shoot. It goes way complicated than that.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

No need to tell me that......I was being sarcastic.


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## DAMAGED KINGDOM (Oct 2, 2002)

It looks like the Rockets will be using the "motion offense " this season. Yao will be given the same type of duties as Vlade in Sacramento. He'll be a sort of point-center.

COOOL


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