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Yao vs. Timberwolves - 12/16/03
 Yao Ming and Jim Jackson sit dejected as the Rockets were blown out by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night 92-75. The Rockets have hit rock bottom in the past three games showing no signs of life on offense. Yao finished with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes of play. Stay tuned for the YaoMingMania.com game summary and Detailed Yao Analysis. (Photo courtesy AP) |
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TUESDAY, 12/16/03 - Disgraceful. I don't know what else to say. After their third-straight humiliating loss, the Rockets offense has gone into a deeper hole than Saddam Hussein ever did, with no plan in sight to get out of it. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat Houston handily 92-75 on Tuesday night at Target Center, a place where they had only won 4-of-9 games before Tuesday. And while the Rockets had 3 days off since playing last Saturday, the Timberwolves were playing the second game of a back-to-back, having played in Boston on Monday night and arriving in Minneapolis at 1:30AM early Tuesday morning. Minnesota had every reason in the world to have a poor performance, but the Rockets were the ones that were searching for reasons on why they have suddenly become so pitiful.
I won't get into the ugly specifics of this game. You can read the Houston Chronicle's 12/16 write-up in the Latest Articles section for the gory details. I would rather spend some time talking about what needs to be done to fix this problem. I have been biting my tongue long enough, but here goes: Personnel changes need to be made RIGHT NOW to create an attitude adjustment and to give the fourth worst offense in the league (86.6 points) a kick in the pants. Sure, we read about how the Rocket players care, how they're reading motivational books, having team meetings, yada yada yada. It's obvious something else needs to be done, or the Rockets will miss the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Here are some of my proposals, some of which I have already pointed out in previous summaries. 1) Let Yao not only shoot more (4-for-7 from the field Tuesday night), but also shoot from the outside more. Yao has been struggling in the paint area recently, not only with his shooting but also in getting the ball while in good position. It's becoming too predictable for defenses to guard Yao these days. All the defense has to do is pack it in deep in the paint. On the other hand, Yao shot a long field goal from near the three-point line on Tuesday night, and once again, he made it. When he does get the ball facing up to the basket 12 feet or more away from the hoop, he usually has no one in his face, and he usually hits that shot. Like I said a few games ago, if players like Brad Miller and Rasho Nesterovic are allowed to shoot from the outside and be very effective, why not Yao? This is not a permanent thing that I would like to see happen, but just something to show the defense so they will have to guess even more on how to guard him. 2) Put Kelvin Cato back on the bench. I'm sorry folks, but CATO IS DOING NOTHING ON OFFENSE. When your starting power forward averages less than 3 points over the last four games, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. He shot 1-for-6 on Tuesday, and is 2-for-13 over the past three games. Cato was much more effective last year just backing up Yao at the center spot. Why Jeff Van Gundy allows him to keep shooting jumpers astonishes me! In lieu of Cato playing so many minutes, he should give Alton Ford a chance. Or how about John Amaechi, the guy he got in the Glen Rice trade who hasn't played one minute yet! He should at least give him a shot. 3) Trade Steve Francis for another point guard and small forward/power forward while Francis' trade value is still high. I know, I know, it may be blasphemous for me to suggest the Rockets trade the "Franchise," but right now this franchise is not worth much. I was one of Francis' biggest fans in his first 2-3 years, but it's clear he has plateaued on the progression chart. His penchant to turn the ball over, shoot poorly from the field (39% for the year) and from the line, and make poor decisions is not an anomaly, it's the norm. I don't care how many highlight reel plays he may make, the Rockets are losing with him. The Rockets should cut bait and trade Francis while he still has high trade value. I wish the Rockets could get former Rocket and current Timberwolve Sam Cassell (who had 25 points and 6 assists Tuesday night), but Sam is playing so well for Minnesota, I can't see them giving him up and disrupting their chemistry. So Carroll Dawson, let's get on the phones and start shopping him. Almost all of the Western Conference teams are playing pretty well, so there probably aren't many teams who want him at this point. Perhaps the LA Clippers might take Francis and Cato in exchange for Elton Brand and point guard Marko Jaric, or something along those lines. Or perhaps a lower-echelon Eastern Conference team that needs to sell some tickets might be willing to trade. I won't go into all the scenarios, but Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Toronto, Orlando, Washington, Miami, New York, and Boston are all candidates. I'm all for trying to keep team chemistry, but the thing I will always remember from last year is when Cuttino Mobley said that if the Rockets didn't make the playoffs last season (which they didn't), the Rockets would have every justification in the world to break up this team (which we all know means trading Francis along with other players). Well, they didn't make the playoffs last year, and at this rate they won't make it this year. In essence, this Rocket roster is playing on borrowed time, and the clock is about to expire. I'm sorry if these suggestions might come across a bit harsh or rash. You probably would never read anything like this from a Houston Chronicle beat writer or read it on Rockets.com. But since I am not beholden to such entities for my livelihood, I thought I would "let if fly." I want to see the Rockets make changes now so that 2 ½ years from now when Yao's contract is up, he will want to stay in Houston rather than leave because they are in a rebuilding stage. In order for that to happen, the Rockets need to make changes now. Just look at all the deals that Dallas, a team that went deep into the playoffs last season, did over the past off-season (trading Nick Van Exel for Antawn Jamison and Danny Fortson) and getting Antoine Walker. Bold, gutsy moves. Now it's the Rockets' turn. Make something happen Carroll, Jeff and Leslie. So there. Although I'm still bitter about the Rockets blowing their third game in a row and going nowhere fast, I feel a little better thinking about these "what if" possibilities. So what do you think? Let everyone know your trade thoughts in this YaoMingMania.com discussion forum topic. |
| 1st quarter | ||
| 11:26 |  |
On the first possession of the game, Yao misses a fallaway jumper in the lane. |
| 10:49 |  |
Yao gets the ball deep in the lane, then lowers his shoulder against his man to create some separation, then elevates to try a jump hook in the lane, but it misses. It's good to see the Rockets going to him two straight times to start the game. When he gets deep position like that, it's too good of an opportunity to pass up! Yao is 0-for-2 from the field. |
| 8:49 | Intimidation | The Timberwolves' Oliver Miller gets the ball deep in the lane right underneath the basket, and Miller goes up for a layup attempt, but YAO BLOCKS IT. HOWEVER, HE IS NOT GIVEN CREDIT FOR THE BLOCK BY THE OFFICIAL SCORER! |
| 7:06 |  |
Once again, Yao gets the ball in deep position in the lane. Yao dribbles once and turns toward the baseline and simply lays it in off the glass over Oliver Miller. Yao is 1-for-3 from the field with 2 points. The Rockets lead 10-4. |
| 5:27 | Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. Minnesota leads 10-8. Yao is 1-for-3 from the field with 2 points. | |
| 2nd quarter - The Rockets trail 19-24. Yao is 1-for-3 from the field with 2 points. Yao does not start the second quarter. | ||
| 10:32 | Yao checks back into the game for Scott Padgett. The Rockets trail 21-26. | |
| 6:48 |  |
Yao misses a jumper from the baseline. He is now 1-for-4 from the field and the Rockets trail 26-32. |
| 3:58 |  |
From the top of the three-point line, Maurice Taylor gets the ball into Yao, who is in the middle of the lane being guarded one-on-one by center Ervin Johnson. Yao lowers his shoulder, then extends himself with his left hand and lays the ball in off the glass for the deuce!
Minnesota TV analyst and former Rocket Jim Petersen says, "I don't know why you don't do that every time down the floor. You come down in your early offense. Yao gets the position inside...I would do that more times than not." Then later during the replay, Peterson continues, "Watch the position he's got inside. What are you going to do if Yao Ming catches the basketball right there. That's how Yao Ming can be dominant. You gotta know where to get him the basketball, and when to get it to him. They just cleared the painted area. You got everybody out to the perimeter and made Yao Ming the center of attention. That's what should happen for Jeff Van Gundy." The Rockets trail 30-40, and Yao is now 2-for-5 from the field with 4 points. |
| Halftime - The Rockets trail 47-34. Their offensive woes continue with no hope in sight. | ||
| 3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter. | ||
| 8:22 | Free Throws |
Yao gets the ball deep in the lane against Ervin Johnson. Johnson tries to swipe at the ball in Yao's hands and loses his balance as he is nudged slightly by Yao, which then creates an enticing opportunity for Yao to try to dunk the basketball. However, as Yao is going up aggressively for a monster dunk, he senses that Johnson will recover and try to block Yao's shot attempt, but Yao is not intimidated and continues to go up strong knowing full well he will get hacked. But it doesn't matter to Yao. On this play, Yao is fouled by Johnson. We love that kind of attitude!
Yao goes to the line makes both free throws, and the Rockets trail 40-53. Yao has 6 points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field. |
| 5:44 | Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. This game is getting out of hand, with the Rockets trailing 44-58. | |
| 4th quarter - Houston trails 56-76. This game is officially out of reach. | ||
| 10:21 | Yao checks back into the game for Scott Padgett. | |
| 9:33 |  |
Yao is outside of the paint, just inside the three-point line. Jim Jackson gives him the ball. With plenty of time on the shot clock (13 seconds), Yao feels comfortable where he is located to launch a long-distance jumper. Yao squares up, and with perfect form, NAILS THE LONG-RANGE BOMB!! The Minnesota crowd gasps in amazement that this 7'6" guy could be so accurate! Yao is now 3-for-6 from the field with 8 points. However, the Rockets trail 62-78. |
| 6:34 |  |
Yao scores on a layup on this play. However, the telecast did not show how Yao scored because the network decided to cut away for a few minutes to another game since this Rocket-Timberwolve game is such a blowout. The Rockets trailed 62-82 before Yao made this bucket.
The Rockets go on to lose 92-75. Yao finishes with 10 points (4-of-7 shooting) and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes of play. It looks like a major overhaul of their roster is needed to get Houston back on track since this is their third pathetic performance in a row, and Coach Jeff Van Gundy has stated he doesn't know what else he can do. |
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