Why is Yao not shouldering ANY blame for the HOU loss in the 1st round?

[Reality]

Explain the NBA trying to push him down everyones throats in commercials and license deals...

More new NBA customers being formed in China every day.  NBA trying to push a league there.  2008 Olys in Bejing.
That being said a real coach has Yao advancing past the 1st round since 2003.

[westkoast]

Explain the NBA trying to push him down everyones throats in commercials and license deals...

More new NBA customers being formed in China every day.  NBA trying to push a league there.  2008 Olys in Bejing.
That being said a real coach has Yao advancing past the 1st round since 2003.

Oh so now you are justifying this practice?  When other players are pushed and 'marketed by sternfish' you seem to get upset....That's right you were the same poster trying to push Yao down everyone's throat as the heir apparent to Shaq's spot in the post!

You are even going as far to say that Van Gundy is the reason why Yao's slowness, stamina, and lack of all around effort is hurting this squad?!?!?!  I didn't realize Van Gundy's game plan was to let the biggest player on the squad not dominate the backboards.  Carlos Boozer and Howard have been posting up monster rebound numbers in the playoffs.  Why can't Yao?  I see him dunk every 3 commercials during a game! 

Reality, his points per game is not the problem...it's his transition defense, his weakness on the boards for his size, and his inability to put a team on his back. 

[Reality]

Did Jomal have hemeroid surgery or was that you?

As for the marketing of Yao, i simply stated what was going on. 

Yao i did think would become the 2nd best center in the league.  I also thought #1 was possible but how was i to know the Spurs would fail to ever find Duncan a center to play alongside?

Grunty has long been an offensive repressor.  Also run the stats on how many playoff teams have been up 2-0, on the road to boot and gone on to lose the series.  A good coach would get even more ppg and mileage out of Yaos unique ability to jumpshoot at 7'6".

[JoMal]

You are right about him being a functional NBA center.....the problem is everytime you see an NBA commercial you didn't see Manute Bol slamming it down.  You also didn't see him starting in all-star games.

Bol never had the voting support or marketing reach that 1 billion Chinese gives you.

He didn't have that support.  He also didn't have dominating numbers either.

Explain the NBA trying to push him down everyones throats in commercials and license deals...

........the voting support or marketing reach that 1 billion Chinese gives you.

[Reality]

........the voting support or marketing reach that 1 billion Chinese gives you.

I thought that was all debunked, that stats showed American voters also melted over the Yaowsers soft Asian features and foreigner nice guy personality.  Along with seeing his vast potential.
Had it been an American vote only Yaowser also won?

[Lurker]

Also run the stats on how many playoff teams have been up 2-0, on the road to boot and gone on to lose the series. 

Houston won the FIRST 2 games on their homecourt.  In that series the home team won every game until #7.  So before running those stats you should verify your facts first.

[westkoast]

Did Jomal have hemeroid surgery or was that you?

As for the marketing of Yao, i simply stated what was going on. 

Yao i did think would become the 2nd best center in the league.  I also thought #1 was possible but how was i to know the Spurs would fail to ever find Duncan a center to play alongside?

Grunty has long been an offensive repressor.  Also run the stats on how many playoff teams have been up 2-0, on the road to boot and gone on to lose the series.  A good coach would get even more ppg and mileage out of Yaos unique ability to jumpshoot at 7'6".

His offense isn't the problem Reality...the problem is his stamina, his lack of protecting the paint,  and his inability to lead his team.  You think it is Van Gundy's fault in the last 3 games of the series he avg around 9 rebounds and 6 turnovers?  Let's not get into the issue of Yao have 2 blocks total in the last 3 games.

So what your saying is you were wrong about Yao?  Sternfish is using his marketing ability to push a player who probably doesn't deserve it when that could be better spent on Dwight Howard?  And he will never ever be able to be compared to Shaq, ever.  EV-ER.

[Reality]

His offense isn't the problem Reality...the problem is his stamina,

  Ave's the same # of minutes as the other centers.  His stamina has improved greatly from his first few seasons.

You think it is Van Gundy's fault in the last 3 games of the series he avg around 9 rebounds and 6 turnovers?

  yes

Let's not get into the issue of Yao have 2 blocks total in the last 3 games.

  I agree.  Oftentimes a shot altered is just as good or better then a block.

Sternfish is using his marketing ability to push a player who probably doesn't deserve it when that could be better spent on Dwight Howard?

 
Dwight Howard has no where near the marketabilty as Yao.

And he will never ever be able to be compared to Shaq, ever.  EV-ER.

  After doggin Shaq in 2004 Van Gunty has repressed and stunted Yaos growth.  Tmac and Grunty do not = Riles and DWade thus i don't blame Yao for not titling ala Shaq in 2006.
And we know you can't be comparing TMac to Kobester, the greatest player ever.

[rickortreat]

Why is it Yao's fault that HE's NOT GOOD ENOUGH?

He didn't make himself a star, and he hasn't earned that through his play.  The NBA marketing machine isn't under his control either, that was their choice to market him that way, incentivized a a billion Chinese Fans.

The real story of that series was that Utah is becoming a very good team in front of everyone's eyes, and they're being overlooked because G.S. knocked off Dallas.

Utah deserves a lot of credit for coming back from 2-0.  Deron Williams is becoming a star, and so is Boozer.

After that series with Houston, people now realize that Boozer is a more effective inside player than Yao.

Houston just isn't that good a team yet, asides from McGrady, they don't have enough talent at any position to compete with the elite or near elite teams in the league.  Even if Van Gundy wasn't there, they still wouldn't be good enough.  You could put Larry Brown there, and he's still take several years to assemble a decent team in Houston.

[westkoast]

Reality can you please explain to the rest of us how it is Jeff Van Gundy's fault that Yao was avg 9 rebounds and 6 turnovers with 2 TOTAL blocks in the last 3 games in the series.  The board would like to know. 

Van Gundy did not stunt Yao's growth, he was never going to be better then Shaq.  That's the point Reality.   He is not the same kind of player.  He is not a leader and he gets tired faster then Shaq did in his prime.

For someone who talks down on sternfish and his marketing squad so much you are being pretty quite about Yao Reality.  Is it because you jumped on his bandwagon in hopes he would be better then Shaq?  Yao is more marketable, Howard is just down right going to be a better player.  If you cared about skills and who deserves the attention more like you claim to do in other cases then you would want to see Dwight more then Yao.

Rick, whether the NBA made him a star or not he is still the second best player on that squad.  Some of the blame should be put on his shoulders much like it does the #2 guy on every other squad.

[Lurker]

Utah deserves a lot of credit for coming back from 2-0. 

This is being WILDLY overplayed.  Houston won the first 2 games on THEIR homecourt.  Jazz won games 3 & 4 on THEIR homecourt.  Based on two teams that ended up with almost identical records THAT OUTCOME SHOULD BE EXPECTED.

IMO the only "credit" Utah sjould get for the first round is playing with more intensity in game 7 on the road.  Houston should have been fired up to claim victory at home but the Jazz were more determined.

[Reality]

Also run the stats on how many playoff teams have been up 2-0, on the road to boot and gone on to lose the series. 

Houston won the FIRST 2 games on their homecourt.  In that series the home team won every game until #7.  So before running those stats you should verify your facts first.

year before Houston was up 2-0 winning both games at Dallas.  I'm talking about the entire Grunty era, not just the Utah series.

[westkoast]

Also run the stats on how many playoff teams have been up 2-0, on the road to boot and gone on to lose the series.

Houston won the FIRST 2 games on their homecourt.  In that series the home team won every game until #7.  So before running those stats you should verify your facts first.

year before Houston was up 2-0 winning both games at Dallas.  I'm talking about the entire Grunty era, not just the Utah series.

Reality,

I hope you have a really long and complex formula to explain how JVG made Yao only avg 9 rebounds a game and have 6 turn overs while blocking 2 shots total in 3 games.

[westkoast]

[Reality]

2006-07 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points
Forward LeBron James, Cleveland (64) 494
Forward Chris Bosh, Toronto ( 234
Center Yao Ming, Houston (38) 333
Guard Gilbert Arenas, Washington 295
Guard Tracy McGrady, Houston (10) 278