Man I am so disappointed so far this preseason. Yao Ming for some reason just cant get a single rebound over anybody. The guy is 7'6, yet people keep on jumping over him and snatching the rebound. He also turns the ball over a lot, i thought he would have improved, as aof right now it is a joke to even say Shaq and Yao in the same breath. Yao is not better than Shaq in any aspect besides shooting and maybe passing. Yao needs to toughen up and start getting rebounds and blocking shots. Tracy McGrady has shown that he is willing to dump the ball into Yao everytime , but Yao keeps on letting him down, turning the ball over. I just hope T-Mac doesnt lose hope in Yao, because if he does it will become like Orlando all over again. He will feel incumbent upon himself to drop 40 points a game.
I can't really give an opinion on this, since I've seen only one game so far. But in that Beijing game which I saw, Yao seemed to be afraid to shoot, rather choosing to dish it back out to McGrady or Jackson. It's good that he's showing unselfishness, but not at a time where we need him to take 18 shots a game. If Yao doesn't step up offensively, I really do think as well that T-mac might try to take it onto his shoulders, but hopefully that won't happen.
Yao hasn't had a stellar preseason, but keep in mind its ONLY the preseason. Also, a lot of those turnovers came in the China games, and it's clear that Yao was pretty nervous over there. I don't think the turnovers will be a big problem. Rebounding, on the other hand, is an issue. Our frontline is simply not very good at rebounding, and we're going to have to improve greatly in this area if we want to become an elite team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting YaoMing03-04:</div><div class="quote_post">Man I am so disappointed so far this preseason. Yao Ming for some reason just cant get a single rebound over anybody. The guy is 7'6, yet people keep on jumping over him and snatching the rebound. He also turns the ball over a lot, i thought he would have improved, as aof right now it is a joke to even say Shaq and Yao in the same breath. Yao is not better than Shaq in any aspect besides shooting and maybe passing. Yao needs to toughen up and start getting rebounds and blocking shots. Tracy McGrady has shown that he is willing to dump the ball into Yao everytime , but Yao keeps on letting him down, turning the ball over. I just hope T-Mac doesnt lose hope in Yao, because if he does it will become like Orlando all over again. He will feel incumbent upon himself to drop 40 points a game.</div> A guy can be born with all the potentail in the world(7'6). and just simply not have the work ethic and determination to improve himself. But thats tmacs team and partly his problem to get Yao in the position where they can win a ring. this team will test tmacs leadership ability. Although Yao has all the hype in all actuality the team belongs to Tmac.
This team IS Yao's team. Although T-Mac might be better overall than Yao, it's evident that Yao will be the center of our offense. It's a guarantee that if T-Mac doesn't pass to Yao, he'll get booted out of the franchise. It will happen. Just ask Steve Francis.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting michiganave17:</div><div class="quote_post">A guy can be born with all the potentail in the world(7'6). and just simply not have the work ethic and determination to improve himself. But thats tmacs team and partly his problem to get Yao in the position where they can win a ring. this team will test tmacs leadership ability. Although Yao has all the hype in all actuality the team belongs to Tmac.</div> It's not a problem with Yao's work ethic. No one in the organization has questioned how hard he works to improve his game. Yao simply isn't quick and agile enough to be a dominant rebounder. Also, when you are as big as he is, it can be tough to block out smaller players (they'll squirm around him, sort of like Rodman used to do against bigger forwards and centers).
I agree with durvasa. Yao has tried his hardest to improve, and he has to a certain point. However, he is not fast, athletic, and not a fast reactor. IMO, Yao has already done his best with what he could do, and I don't think that you should blame one for what natural abilites he doesn't possess.
I think Yao will eventually learn to get into better position and will get more rebounds. Also, i noticed in most of the games that when yao can get the rebound, he often tries to box the opponent out and let his teamate pick it up instead. Those are easy rebounds for yao to get, but he chooses instead to use his size to block the opponent and let somebody else get the rebound. That's why the ultimate test wont' be his stats, but whether or not he can win.
I dont think T-Mac will be getting booted anywhere. Leslie Alexander has openly said that "T-Mac is the best player in the league" and he is the owner, so Tracy is there to stay as is Yao. They will finish their careers togetther. But they need a point guard and a defensive minded PF. That would be the perfect compliment to T-Mac and Yao. I just hope some team trades a PG to Houston . Like Jeff McGinnis.
Anybody noticed if his stamina has increased. I seen the game in Beijing and he did admit he was nervous with his post game comments. But yeah, I didn't notice him huffing and puffing like he always does his first 2 seasons. If he actually is well conditioned then that's definately a +. He may get around 10 to 10.8 rpg max this season which is a would be a pretty decent improvement. Maybe close to 2 and half blocks hopefully.
Anyone notice that yao go cut(buff) over the summer? He mean now, just look out. When the season starts, there will be no stoping in yao. You cant judge by the preseason. Cause..its only the preseason
Yeah, Yao does look like he's added more definition to his muscles, just like what Shaq has done over the offseason. Now let's see if Yao will be able to use his added strength to improve his post play.
Yao is the most talented big man in the game today, but he is not the best...not even close. Shaq is a mile above Yao when it comes to absolute dominance. Maybe with a Talented SG, to draw more defenders, and open up the middle, Yao will become more of a potent offensive threat. Don't compare him to Shaq, they are two very different players. I would compare Yao more to Hakeem then to shaq.
Maybe it's culture? Since I'm chinese, I know a thing or two about it. Chinese always emphasize "politeness" and "deference"... that's why they smile so often in social meetings. In western culture, smiling without any reason or jokes might be seen as flirting or mocking but not the case with Chinese. And they definitely aren't used to bumping or knocking people down, because that's impolite and a sign of disrespect. While in the West, if you don't bump or play physical they think you don't give your all and that's a sign of underestimating and disrespect too that's why they always give it all and play physical more comfortable than the Chinese will ever be. Maybe that's what makes Yao weak. Hopefully, he can just get rid of his home culture and learn to pick up the west culture in order to play it right in this League. Do you think this makes sense?
Its only the preseason so I would not be worried. First off I am not mad that Yao is having turnovers in the preseason. Its actually a joy to see Yao in a position to make turnovers(meaning he has the ball) as compared to last season when he never had the ball. I think part of the problem is he is having to transition to playing with all new players. Over the summer he played with all his Chinese teammates and got use to their tendancies, etc. After the Olympics he comes right back to the Rockets to find a completely different team he has never played with before. All of our PGs are new, T-MAC is in town, Howard is here. The only same player in our starting lineup besides Yao is Jim Jackson. I really think the turnovers are a new players "getting use to situation", rather than a Yao situation. I will hold off on the rebounding comments till I can see him play more, since I havent seen that many games so far so I won't judge him early. As for Yao's strength and stamina, I think its amazing how much he has grown and conditioned over the summer. He looks in phenominal shape for not really having a break from basketball in a few years. For those of you who don't know, the Rockets sent Anthony Falstone, the strength and conditioning coach, over to China for a month to be with Yao while he played for the Chinese National Team. Here is an interesting article on it I found at Rockets.com a few months ago: http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/yao_dream_040824.html
Im definitely starting to lose my trust in Yao's abilities. I know its just the preseason, but shouldn't he be able to at least get some more rebounds considering hes 7' 6? Everyone keep saying he hasn't reached his full potential yet, but when will they stop saying that, when hes in his 6th year and hasn't averaged 20 pts? What is good though, is that in his second year he DID improve so I'm hoping he does the same this year. His stamina did increase, which is a great sign since Mutumbo's is pretty bad. Bottomline, Yao is way too hyped up. Just think about the King's game in China. In one of them, Brad Miller averaged about 17 pts while Yao only 10 or something and the entire arena had people cheering his name. Just think about that. For Tmac, he will always be a threat, but most of it's up to Yao. More will be put on Tmac's shoulders if Yao doesn't live up to the potential, which will become a disaster entering back in the Orlando era. And, I just heard about the lost to the Magic without Tmac and Howard, which shows if Yao can carry the team. Even though it's Yaos team, Tmac will score more and probably be a more valuable player in the statistics area. Still, I will give Yao the benefit of the doubt and let his "potential" be the star.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">Im definitely starting to lose my trust in Yao's abilities. I know its just the preseason, but shouldn't he be able to at least get some more rebounds considering hes 7' 6? Everyone keep saying he hasn't reached his full potential yet, but when will they stop saying that, when hes in his 6th year and hasn't averaged 20 pts?</div> I expect Yao to improve, statistically, this season. I guess people will stop saying he hasn't reached his full potential when he stops improving. But he is improving. It may not be evident on a game by game basis, but over a large stretch of games I think it will be very noticeable. I wouldn't make too big a deal about his performance in these preseason games. He looks like he's really pacing himself, and maybe that's what the coach wants him to do. Yeah, he's not averaging double-figure rebounds, but he's also only getting about 24 minutes a game. If you extend it out to around 35-38 minutes per game, which is what Van Gundy wants to play him at this year, he'd be averaging around 10 rebounds a game. Not great, but not terrible either. Yao isn't a quick leaper so I don't think he'll ever be a dominant rebounder or shot-blocker. I expect his conditioning to steadily improve, though, and his rebounding totals should go up accordingly. At his prime, he'll probably get 11 rpg and 2 bpg, and probably not much more. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Bottomline, Yao is way too hyped up. Just think about the King's game in China. In one of them, Brad Miller averaged about 17 pts while Yao only 10 or something and the entire arena had people cheering his name. Just think about that.</div> I agree, he is overhyped. I think he has the potential to eventually be the best center in the league, but right now he is a marginal allstar. The media likes to hype him up because he's unique -- no one as big as him has ever been anywhere near as good a player, he's the first great player to come out of Asia, and his personality is so different from most NBA players.
Yes it's a a bit dissapointing how the pre-season has played out, but the pre-season is a time for coaches and players to get a feel for their teams. Alot of experimentation goes on, for example, not playing Tmac in the game against Stevie and the Magic. Alot of bench players get more minutes in the preseason games to see how they are going.
Well, regarding Yao's rebounding, I don't think that it's a big matter if the rebounds that Yao aren't getting as long as another Rocket gets it. Rebounding is a team's job and we shouldn't depend on Yao to be the only player that rebounds. As long as the rebound that Yao doesn't get doesn't turn back into the opponent's hands as an offensive rebound, it's not a problem.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, regarding Yao's rebounding, I don't think that it's a big matter if the rebounds that Yao aren't getting as long as another Rocket gets it. Rebounding is a team's job and we shouldn't depend on Yao to be the only player that rebounds. As long as the rebound that Yao doesn't get doesn't turn back into the opponent's hands as an offensive rebound, it's not a problem.</div> good point. That being said, do you think that Juwon can crash the boards this season? He's getting old, but he seems to do an alright job looking at his career stats.
