“He’s a good player, but at 7-7, he’s just doing what he’s supposed to do. So, it’s not that I’m going to say I’m not impressed, but at 7-7 you’re supposed to shoot over whoever’s sticking you. He’s a long, long drink of water. I probably won’t help out [on the defensive end] as much. I’ll probably lean on him a little more, get him tired. And hopefully in the fourth quarter I’ll have a little more than he will.”

“I’m just going to try to stay in front of him. If he scores, he scores. Hopefully, I can get the opportunity to go back at him. Whenever you’re playing somebody that’s a scorer, you have to make them work on both ends. So, if those guys are coming down shooting and not playing defense, then he’s probably going to have a big night.

“But I guarantee he won’t stick me one-on-one. I guarantee you that. They have to double- and triple- and do that. We play him straight up…. I think I can affect his shot most of the time.”

– Shaquille O’Neal before his matchup against Yao on April 1st, 3/31/04

“It’s not just bad for Yao; it’s bad for our organization. We do not deserve to be penalized because he is 7-6 and has a wonderful attitude and respect toward officials. Again, I’m not begging, but it’s impossible. As much as we go to him, it’s impossible.”

“It’s inequity; it really is. Yao Ming does not get officiated correctly. Plain and simple, Milwaukee (on Sunday), three flops, three offensive fouls. Last game, no free throws. That doesn’t spark outrage, but if that was another center or another player, he’d be kicking the ball into the stands. It’s a joke. It’s really a joke.”

“He’s hard to officiate, but I feel it’s like saying some team is hard to prepare for as a coach. We get paid for it. I don’t know what that means. If it’s so easy, all of us could do it. O’Neal deserves his free throws. Believe me, he deserves his free throws. Probably more. All I’m saying is it’s impossible what is happening (to Yao).

“I don’t know why it’s happening. All I know is I’m right. I don’t know the reasons. I don’t know know the psychology. I just know I’m watching, he’s getting fouled, he should be living on the line, and it’s not happening.”

“(Yao’s) very easy to officiate, because no matter what you do, he’s just going to walk to the other end. He’s not going to make a stand. He’s not going to get a technical foul. He’s not going to kick a ball in the stands. And I applaud him for that. But he’s also being taken advantage of for his kindness and his respect, and he’s not being given the respect back.”

– Rockets’ Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy on Yao not getting the calls he deserves, 3/31/04

“When you have a force in the middle second only to (the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal), you have to exploit it if you want to win in the West.”

“This young man has such immense offensive talent, and the thing I like about him is he’s always working. I have a great deal of respect for him.”

– Memphis Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown on the value he places on Yao, 3/26/04

“He’s the guy that’s going to take us home. He’s the guy that’s going to take control, get aggressive and bring us through these types of games. When he ducked in (to a deep position in the lane), I was going to throw it in every time. I didn’t care if he was tired or what; I was going to throw it in there. I believe the ball in his hands makes us that much better.”

“We were running the same play. We were just basically running the pick-and-roll. If they trapped Steve, or if they `downed’ (leaving a big man on Yao, rather than rotating to Taylor) and left me open, we knew what to do.”

– Rockets forward Maurice Taylor on his strategy of getting Yao the ball in a game in which he dominated in the clutch against the Portland Trailblazers, 3/22/04

“I don’t say it very often, but Yao gets refereed totally different than anybody else in this league. I have called (the NBA office). It is dislodging. It is impeding. He does not get the benefit of any foul calls in this league. I’ll say it after a win: That is a joke.

“We’re going to the basket. So are they. But 33-11 (in free throws attempted versus Portland) is not equitable. Bob Delaney is a heck of an official — I’ll say that. Home or road, you know what you’re getting.

“(Yao) is too easy to officiate because he does not complain and whine. He should not be punished for handling himself the right way with referees. He should be given equal treatment despite size differential. It’s not happening, and it hasn’t happened all year, and it’s fallen on deaf ears.”

– Coach Jeff Van Gundy on how Yao gets hammered but officials don’t call fouls, 3/22/04

“They’re doing a great job with him. Patrick’s got him down on the block. He’s getting the ball. He’s scoring. He’s playing strong. He’s throwing that 300 pounds around with that 7-6 frame. He’s doing what he should do.

“Patrick’s doing a great job. You get a young player like that, you make him physical, you make him strong, you make him do what you got to do. When you’re 7-6, nobody is going to stop you. And you’re a scorer, too? C’mon. And you’re a scorer, a rebounder and a good defender? C’mon. The Rockets have a great opportunity, and their coach is doing a great job.”

– Houston Rocket legend Moses Malone complimenting Rockets assistant coach Patrick Ewing on his work with Yao, 3/20/04

“Those are the plays that decide games. The block on the out-of-bounds play, just generally making an impact even when you don’t have the ball to shoot it. The great players play both ends. The great players play their best when their best is needed. That’s what separates, along with consistency. And those two plays were great plays.”

– Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy, describing two of Yao’s great plays at the end of the Memphis Grizzlies game, 3/13/04

“Look, they’ve got the second-best big man in the league. Yao Ming is a shade below Shaq (O’Neal) right now. They’ve got Steve Francis, who is one of the best guards. So right there, you’ve got two of the best players in the league. That’s a pretty good place to start. Because of the team defense they’re playing, their personality has changed.”

– Memphis Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown, 3/13/04

“You just don’t want him to get the ball inside. He is a great free-throw shooter. If you beat him up and foul him, he gets to the free-throw line, and then he makes them. The free throws were the killer.”

– L.A. Clipper center Chris Kaman, who fouled out guarding Yao. Yao made 11-of-12 free throws that helped defeat the Clippers, 3/9/04

“That’s the kind of move I like right there. That’s why I like how Yao Ming…he’s aggressive, he catches the ball, takes one bounce, throws his BODY into Shaq, trying to create the contact. And then has a nice soft jump hook.”

– ESPN analyst Sean Elliott impressed on one of Yao’s offensive moves and scores against Shaq, 3/3/04

“I’m shocked by what we’re seeing. I didn’t expect it. But I’m really starting to question many of the things I’ve come to believe over the years. Yao Ming started this game on his heels. Was not making his shots. 2-for-5 in the first quarter. Since then, he’s 9 for his last 10 shots and is basically doing what he did 3 weeks ago (in their last matchup). He’s coming down the court and calling for the ball.”

“I think the most stunning thing is how Yao Ming is not intimidated. He’s not afraid.”

“Yao Ming is one of two people on Earth that makes Shaq look like a normal-sized human being. The other (person) being Arvydas Sabonis.”

“What’s so mind-boggling is that somebody (like Yao) can just flash-in (and) call for the ball against Shaquille O’Neal.”

“If you can call for the ball and go head-to-head right at Shaquille O’Neal, that’s the kind of play that can change the course of history and get the Houston Rockets back into the playoffs for the first time in five years.”

“Yao Ming right now continues the offensive demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers.”

“He is just getting better by the minute, right in front of our eyes. He came in at 7’6″, it looks like he is about 7’11” at this point. Just calling for the ball and saying, “I don’t care how many guys are around me. I’m just throwin’ down that little flick, jump hook.”

“How about the versatility in Yao Ming’s game? Doing it from both sides of the court. All kinds of different shots all the time.”

– Various quotes from Bill Walton as he watched Yao start dominating against the Lakers, 3/3/04

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2004 at 11:28 pm and is filed under *What they said about Yao. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.