DISQUS

I'm in China on a business trip, and word on the street is that Yao is probably on his way to play with LeBron in Cleveland within a couple of years. Many Chinese believe that the Chinese investors who recently gained 15% ownership of the Cavaliers will maneuver to pull Yao to Cleveland and make the Lebron and Yao show the biggest moneymaker in the NBA.

Interesting......

Hi John,

What a great win, and what a relief! I relished every photo and video clip of Yao smiling from ear to ear. Finally, a moment of true RELEASE for Yao and his fans. It's nice to exhale once in a while. Go Yao! Go Rockets!

John, don't waste your time with those who accuse you of not being "loyal" to Yao. That's bullcrap from simple-minded ideologues who need a hero figure like Yao in order to feel powerful and make their loser lives meaningful. For these people, it isn't enough to just appreciate Yao, they need to worship him and demand that everyone else do the same.

As a Chinese-American, I'm very proud of Yao and come to this site to celebrate and support him. I see him as an extraordinary human being, but not a hero who can do no wrong and demands blind loyalty from us. From what I know of Yao, he would wholeheartedly agree with this way of appreciating him. In fact, he'd probably be hugely turned off by rabid, simple-minded fans who worship him.

James

Regarding complaints that Yao needs to get the ball more often, Matt Bullard pointed out that it's a two-way street -- the Rockets do need to get Yao the ball more often, but Yao also has to be more willing to shoot it when he does get the ball. I completely agree. Many times Yao passes the ball back out TOO willingly, as if he's thinking too much or too hesitant to shoot the ball. I remember one time a journalist interviewed mainland Chinese fans about Yao, and some mentioned that Yao wasn't "jian jue" (determined, resolute in action) enough, and I often see what they mean.

But I've been really impressed with Yao's defense in the past stretch of games. His shot-blocking skills have really improved and his defensive presence seems to be creating more havoc than usual.

Thanks, Pryuen and John, your points are well-taken. Yao's inside threat does open up the offense for other guys to score, and that's easy to overlook. The rules, indeed, have changed in the past decade or so in favor of wings rather than big men.

We're all Yao fans here, but let's not ignore some disturbing (to me, anyway) aspects of Yao's game:

- Shaq is over the hill at 37 and Yao is in his prime. Shouldn't we expect more from Yao than a draw?
- Yao defended Nash's last shot well, but that was after Nash abused him (and Brooks) the entire second half. We've seen Carlos Boozer, Al Jefferson and even Andrea Bargnani dance through games against the Rockets because of Yao's defensive weaknesses. It's OK when Yao makes it up at the offensive end, but he hasn't always been reliable at this.
- Also, where is Yao at the end of games? The great big men always found a way to contribute during the final minutes despite being smothered, but Yao often disappears. And frankly, when he does get the ball during crunch time my palms get sweaty because I want so much for him to do well, yet half the time he'll miss a shot or make mistakes.

Charley Rosen thinks Yao hasn't fully recovered from his foot injury, and he may be right, as Yao hasn't performed as well as in 2006 when he was considered an MVP candidate. Let's hope he finally gets a restful summer this year and comes back stronger than ever.

Sorry for the rant, guys, but being a Yao fan can be very frustrating sometimes: there's so much anticipation and hope built up but very few moments of release.

It was great to see that Yao didn't fold after Jefferson's dominant play in the first quarter. He came back and battled methodically and with poise.

Yao is getting more competition than ever before, however. In recent years, people thought that traditional big men had gone the way of dinosaurs, but clearly that isn't the case at all. You see young, talented big men sprouting all around the league. Besides Jefferson and Dwight Howard, there is Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh, David Lee, Brooks Lopez, Greg Oden, and others. Let's just hope Yao continues to improve.

The opening ceremony was magnificent. Many people are calling it the best ever and I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

What I liked best was how they eschewed cliched images of China like dragons, pandas, kung-fu, the Great Wall, etc., and instead focused on other important facets of Chinese culture. Also, I liked how they refrained from showing off the "warrior" or aggressive face of Chinese culture, and instead sent forth an elegant message full of warmth and humanity.

Finally, it was great to see Yao at the head of the pack!

Hi John,

Great post -- very thought provoking. Regardless of whether one agrees with you or not, your willingness to take a bold, clear stand and ability to articulate the reasons behind your thinking are admirable qualities. As always, thanks for the consistently great work!

James

James, thanks for the compliment. - John

I actually thought Aaron Brooks didn't just pick up where he left off, he played much better than where he left off. I remember being disappointed by his play the last several games he played significant minutes in, which was a while back; he often seemed lost in the offense and would jack up shots out of the blue. That's why I wasn't surprised they went after Bobby Jackson.

But it's great to see Aaron back in form. They'll need that from him in the playoffs.

James

I can't agree with you about JVG. I think he did a great job given what he had. Despite long injuries to Yao and T-Mac over two seasons, and having someone like Chuck Hayes as the starting power forward, he led the Rockets to winning seasons and the playoffs. Imagine building on top of that with a healthy Yao (until two weeks ago) and T-Mac plus the additions of Scola and Landry. If JVG was still the coach, their offense probably wouldn't be as dynamic or entertaining, but it's reasonable to think that they'd achieve a similar level of success as they have under Adelman.

And don't forget, the incredible defense that the Rockets are playing can largely be credited to JVG. As the players themselves said, they still hear JVG's voice when they're playing defense on the court.

No dispute about JVG's influence on the defense. My statement was about his offense. The main problem JVG had was not trusting rookies or young players. He would have never given Landry or Brooks the playing time they received, and it would have taken him a long time to probably give Scola a shot. That's why he always brought in old washouts like Mark Jackson, Charles Oakley, Charlie Ward, etc., which never did anything exceptional in their old age. His walk-it-up, halfcourt style was also a huge problem. Rockets are scoring many more points this season compared to the JVG era. -- John

John,

I keep reading that Yao has been criticized for saying that missing the Olympics would be the biggest disappointment in his career, etc. Do you happen to know where this criticism is coming from? I've only heard about this criticism but haven't actually seen or heard the criticism itself. Is it from ordinary fans on bulletin boards and radio shows, or is it from the media, or whom?

IMHO It's from stupid, ignorant people on bulletin boards and radio talk shows who just think about only what happens in America and/or just trying to bring attention to themselves with nothing else to do. They no nothing about Yao. -- John

Well....I'm crushed. I'd just graduated from my EMBA program in Hong Kong and was going to reward myself with a trip to Houston and San Francisco to catch Yao and the Rockets play the Celtics, Lakers and Warriors in March (all tickets and hotel rooms booked and paid for). There goes my vacation.

Funny, I'd had nightmare visions of this happening; that right before my vacation, a headline would pop up saying that Yao's season is over due to injury. I woke up this morning to this very headline.

But I wish the Rockets well. They seem to be a great bunch of guys, and it shouldn't be seen as a bad reflection on Yao if they continue to be successful. Indeed, I would see their success as partly inspired by Yao and his injury. I only hope this injury isn't going to be a drag on Yao the rest of his career.

Here's wishing Yao and the Rockets the best!

John,

Wow, I loved this post. Your writing is good and I enjoyed your keen observations as well as the juicy "inside" stories. Thanks!

Thanks, James. I really appreciate that. -- John

Agreed with those who say (and have always said) that T-Mac is NOT expendable.

Yao is a huge force in the paint, but if he's the Rockets' only franchise player than the team is fatally flawed. As steady as Yao is, he hasn't proven to be a reliable go-to guy. I hope Yao proves me wrong, but it seems there will always be limits to what a 7'6" athlete can do. Yao has already surpassed all other similarly tall players from the past in terms of skills, so he certainly has his advantages as a player. But at the same time he'll always be slightly slower and less athletic than most NBA players. This makes him a bit risky as a go-to player at the end of tight games when defences will swarm him and the speed and pace picks up several notches.

That's why they need a player like T-Mac. He may not be LeBron, Kobe, or Dwyane, but he's still among the better ones.

John,

Take care of that shoulder and I hope you recover soon.

Loved your recorded commentary, but don't give up the written summaries! I personally prefer that format -- nothing to do with your voice at all, I just enjoy the written format.

James

John Teng,

Just curious, was it exclusively the Asians who cheered for Yao? How did the non-Asians react to so much love for an Asian player on the opposite team?

James

BobbyNYC,

You can watch extended clips of Rockets games at Youtube. Search for a contributor named "clutchfans". They usually put up the clips two days after a game.

James

John,

I finally saw the highlights of the Knicks game on Youtube. With 6:10 left in the 1st quarter, Yao made a spin move to his left and somehow got the ball to go in the basket even after getting a hard foul from Zach. I don't ever recall Yao making a spin move to his left and driving to the basket, it's always been to his right. Am I right about this? If so, this must be a new move for Yao.

Thanks,

James

He had made a spin move to his left before, but never finished that way where he throws it up with both hands while twisting. I don't think it was intentional that he twisted at the end; he had to improvise with the way Randolph was playing him, and it worked out beautifully. -- John

John,

I didn't see the game and only listened to it online. What happened with Scola? He was rolling offensively at one point, then suddenly was yanked from the game and didn't appear again. I noticed that he got pulled out after a good run by the Knicks. Was it Scola's poor defense that kept him from the floor?

Thanks,

James

I think when it was time for him to come in, Brooks was already in the game doing lots of damage to the Knicks defense, so I don't think Adelman wanted to mess with the chemistry he had on the floor at the time. What he had seemed to be working very well. -- John

Give a lot of credit to Chuck Hayes for the win tonight as well. His defense on Bosh was awesome and helped keep the Rockets in the game.

I disagree with those who say that T-Mac has become a liability. I believe he'll find a way to fit his considerable talents into Adelman's system and make the Rockets that much better for it. Every player is still trying to figure the system out and some progress has been made. T-Mac is no exception.

Best of all, Yao is really a changed man this season. He is leading and is playing with the grit, determination and toughness we've all been waiting to see.

Agreed with Allen. I come to this site because I want to know what John thinks. I don't always agree with him, but at least I know that whatever he says is going to be intelligent and articulate.

Wow, how incredibly disappointing this season is turning out to be.

Did you read Fran Blinebury's entry today? I'm beginning to wonder whether he's right in saying that the Rockets are fatally flawed because their franchise is built around two non-leaders, Yao and McGrady. I also thought he was rather bold in bringing out the cultural issues, but he may be right about them. It's also very interesting what he said about Van Gundy being the real leader in the past several seasons. Hmmm....

As big a fan as I am of Yao, I can't help but notice that he isn't an inspiring leader. He just doesn't have the kind of demeanor and personality that gets others to follow him. John, you see these games live and up close, what do you think?

James, I haven't read Fran's blog yet, but I will. I will say this, though. I think when the Rockets drafted Yao, they didn't expect him to be a leader coming from China and all. They just wanted a big man who could be a force and would be hard to defend. I think they have that. But it was imperative to have a leader, and I think they thought they had that with Francis. But he really wasn't, so they traded him for McGrady. But McGrady was never a leader at Orlando, just a scorer, but they hoped he turn into one. He obviously isn't.

I think the problem is that the Rockets never really tried to acquire a leader, and now they see how important it is to have one. They don't always need to be your best player (remember Mario Elie, and Avery Johnson with the Spurs)? I thought that maybe Shane Battier, Mike James, or even Dikembe Mutombo could have been those guys, but they aren't. So now it's time to go find one. -- John

John,

I just sent my donation as well. I also want to thank you for maintaining this excellent website and for your superb analysis, which gets better all the time. After every Rockets game, I read several sources to get information about the game (I live in Hong Kong and only limited number of Rockets' games are broadcast ), but I always leave the Yaomingmania site for last -- save the best for last, as they say.

Hi James, thanks for your donation! I really appreciate the kind words and the financial backing! -- Thanks, John

How to donate if I'm located in Hong Kong?

Hi James, you can still donate through the "Donate" button if you have a credit or debit card, or a Paypal account. If you don't have any of those, then I can email you my address where checks can be sent. You can email me at john [at] yaomingfanclub.com if you'd like to do that. Thanks! -- John

It's great to see Yao back in "MVP" form after a slow and passive start this season. What I'm most impressed by is his stamina this year. I thought I'd never see the day when Yao would average more than 36 minutes a game while playing in an up-tempo offense! Yao is always surprising me with what he can achieve.

I'm also really happy to see how relaxed at at-home he now seems to be in the NBA. You can see it in his body language during games and also at media interviews. He is now 100% settled in professionally and settled down personally!

So I guess this all means Yao has formally entered his prime years. Boy, am I going to enjoy the NBA in the next few years!