Comments on: Yao discusses Hakeem, summer plans, what Rockets need http://www.yaomingmania.com/blog/2007/05/09/yao-discusses-hakeem-summer-plans-what-rockets-need Where fans of Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets can find out the latest on Yao Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:55:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: SweageFeams http://www.yaomingmania.com/blog/2007/05/09/yao-discusses-hakeem-summer-plans-what-rockets-need#comment-18472 SweageFeams Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:27:33 +0000 http://www.yaomingmania.com/blog/2007/05/09/yao-discusses-hakeem-summer-plans-what-rockets-need#comment-18472 Is this gonna end someday?? Is this gonna end someday??

]]> By: Jeffrey http://www.yaomingmania.com/blog/2007/05/09/yao-discusses-hakeem-summer-plans-what-rockets-need#comment-1007 Jeffrey Wed, 09 May 2007 23:14:43 +0000 http://www.yaomingmania.com/blog/2007/05/09/yao-discusses-hakeem-summer-plans-what-rockets-need#comment-1007 Yes, god forbid he should try to soothe a player's ego during the tightest playoff series of the season. (If Yao couldn't stop Boozer, what chance does Mutombo have?) The Detroit front office had been frustrated with Larry Brown's unwillingness to play Darko Milicic. Guess what? When Flip Saunders came in and said he'd try to give Darko his opportunities, Darko still didn't play, because he just wasn't good enough. It's no guarantee that a new coach will give the youngsters big minutes. No one "deserves" playing time. You've either earned them or you haven't. However you feel about Van Gundy, though, there's a pretty good article on the situation over at Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/kelly_dwyer/05/09/observation.deck/index.html <em>Mutombo provided a lift with blocked shots and rebounding this season. He would have been great to clean up some of the bricks coming off the Houston rim for easy garbage buckets, like what he did in the few minutes he played in Game 7. Deke should have played more. He also deserved that time since he helped save the team during Yao's 32-game absence. Giving Yao more minutes to rest, especially in the high altitude of Salt Lake, wouldn't have been a bad thing to keep Yao fresh. And how about JVG doing something creative to throw a monkey wrench into the Jazz game plan? I wouldn't have minded at least TRYING a Twin Tower line of Yao and Mutombo because Chuck Hayes was terrible on defense and offered nothing offensively, just like Dikembe. Try something different. But "JVG" and "creative" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. I agree about Darko: during Larry's time at Detroit, Darko was a rookie who was drafted because of "potential" and wasn't good enough. Never played college ball, had raw skills, unlike Mutombo who is one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history and played very well this season. The Pistons also didn't need Darko that year because they were a better team than Houston was this year, and they also won a championship...something the Rockets were very far from doing this season.</em> Yes, god forbid he should try to soothe a player’s ego during the tightest playoff series of the season. (If Yao couldn’t stop Boozer, what chance does Mutombo have?)

The Detroit front office had been frustrated with Larry Brown’s unwillingness to play Darko Milicic. Guess what? When Flip Saunders came in and said he’d try to give Darko his opportunities, Darko still didn’t play, because he just wasn’t good enough.

It’s no guarantee that a new coach will give the youngsters big minutes. No one “deserves” playing time. You’ve either earned them or you haven’t.

However you feel about Van Gundy, though, there’s a pretty good article on the situation over at Sports Illustrated.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/kelly_dwyer/05/09/observation.deck/index.html

Mutombo provided a lift with blocked shots and rebounding this season. He would have been great to clean up some of the bricks coming off the Houston rim for easy garbage buckets, like what he did in the few minutes he played in Game 7. Deke should have played more. He also deserved that time since he helped save the team during Yao’s 32-game absence. Giving Yao more minutes to rest, especially in the high altitude of Salt Lake, wouldn’t have been a bad thing to keep Yao fresh.

And how about JVG doing something creative to throw a monkey wrench into the Jazz game plan? I wouldn’t have minded at least TRYING a Twin Tower line of Yao and Mutombo because Chuck Hayes was terrible on defense and offered nothing offensively, just like Dikembe. Try something different. But “JVG” and “creative” in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

I agree about Darko: during Larry’s time at Detroit, Darko was a rookie who was drafted because of “potential” and wasn’t good enough. Never played college ball, had raw skills, unlike Mutombo who is one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history and played very well this season. The Pistons also didn’t need Darko that year because they were a better team than Houston was this year, and they also won a championship…something the Rockets were very far from doing this season.

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