<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Yao Ming makes the biggest mistakes in the league. Of course, we're not talking in terms of numbers or significance, but sheer mass. That's what 7-6 does. On those occasions when he is slipping into little ? OK, big ? habits that still need refining and improvement, it becomes easy to understand why Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy believes Yao once was the most overrated player in the NBA. "Seriously, he was when he came here," Van Gundy said. "Everybody wanted him to be a megastar from day one, no chance to grow, no chance to learn. ... Now if he hits an occasional bump in the road everybody wants to be on full-attack mode."</div> Link
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"There are very few selfless guys that you run into in the NBA," Van Gundy said. "He's got a combination. He's selfless, but he's a man of great pride. He knows he can deliver, and he wants the ball. But if other guys are playing well and making shots, he's as happy for them as he would be for himself."</div> I liked this statement by Van Gundy, it's a great compliment to Yao. I've also seen an improved Yao during this Rockets run. I noticed a change in him in the TWolves game. There was a play where the ball was loose, and Yao dived for it and fought for control. After that play he got a bounce in his step and really started going after the rebounds and demanded the ball in the paint.
I think thats the point where he got aggressive on the boards. The most defining point of Yao's career was that 40 point game against Shaq, where he kept calling for the ball on every possesion.
A great read. Its pretty obvious Yao has been dominant over the past few games, and I really hope that trend continues. Its easy, after him making a couple of turnovers and missed shots, to forget how a great player he is. Yao's a great jump shooter, low post player, and is developing into a much better rebounder. The thing is, when he came into the league, no one really gave him that many chances. They just expected him to be great right from the start. This is a great article that describes all the hype around him- and how he is beginning to live up to it. The only thing I'm really worrying about right now is his passing game. He came into the league as a great passer for a center, but Van Gundy still doesn't run any plays really that lets Yao use those skills. He's only averaging .8 assists per game, where last year he was at 1.5 and the year before that- 1.7. I just hope his passing game isn't regressing cause he doesn't seem to be utilizing it that much.
