After reading Will's post, I think I have come over to the Ming bandwagon. I have been complaining all season that the Rox lack any physical inside presence, rebounding, ball movement, running, and post game - the traditional path to the NBA promised land. Now, though, after some thought, I think there's an opportunity to use this unique player to really turn the traditional game inside out with a new, 2000s era game, and create havoc for the opponent. If Ming pans out, all our non-traditional problem players have a role they can fill. The Donut offense is Hakeem-inside out. Our guards run to the middle and kick out to an undefendable Big Man Shooter. The big men crash the boards, going over the back of the little guys (no foul on your own teamates). One problem we have to face with Yao is helping him avoid inside contact. He doens't need it if he has a blocking dummy to clear out or a screen to shoot behind. I now have a role for Mo T. After watching him over the past few years (fantasy team with the Clips), I noted Mo wasn't afraid to go inside, and push around for position ok, he just had no nose for the ball. Bag timing, wrong jump, arms in the wrong place, whatever. Now, of course, to go with all that, he has this huge, fat ass, and untradeable contract. He CAN pass, though. Why not use his huge, fat, ass as a battering ram to get Yao position inside for rebounds? He doesn't even need to face the basket, better, if Yao holds his hands and backs his "little buddy" up like a forklift with the horn sounding beep beep beep. Mo just swings his big behind around like said 300+ lb forklift, clearing out, and Yao puts his hands up in the air where the ball is. I call this the "ass-ram". There is also the "Great Wall of China" where Mo sets 300 lbs of screen 12 ft out, just turning sideways and putting his hands on his knees like Bettie Boop, while Yao calmly shoots away, unmolested by big bodies, with only little gnats able to contest from the other side of the Great Wall. Eddie can also use the Mo T screen for a switch. So, more seriously, we have running guards, physical screens, kick out to big men for uncontested shots. If the opposing big man trys to go under the pick, Yao or Eddie roll in to the hoop. If the opposing big men come out to prevent the screen, our guards cut straight to the hoop for the easy bucket. If we could pick up Tskishvilli, that would be 7'5, 6'10, and 7'0 shooters with a screen getting the dish from slashing guards. I'm ok with that, for the new era. KT can also work the blocking dummy role, just fine, his height is unimportant. Cato can use his fouls and renew his aggression as a blocker/shot blocker. If Yao and Eddie run with the guards as trailers, that's a pretty imposing fast break.
Defense - Mo T, KT, or Cato clog the middle, with Yao and Eddie coming over from the right or left to swat away without having to fight so much contact. Unfortunately, Francis and Mobley wave as guards dribble past on their way to uncontested jumpers outside. If Francis will insist on still trying to rebound, maybe they should just release Mobes for the breakaway, anyway.
Many things points to plays using the "UCLA Cut" around Ming, with or without the ball. We've run this stuff every preseason. Well, we've run a contrived version of it with telegraphed criss-crossing slants by Mobley and Francis, or previously, Francis and Shandon. Carlos Rogers or Kenny, and I believe MoT did it as well, would stand at the elbow and receive a pass from a guard, and to guards we then run passed him for handoffs in a criss cross. The taller centers like Jabbar and Walton would also hold the ball high and dump it to the passing guards as they use the center as a screen. Malone does this quite a lot with Stockton running around him. It often results in those 17' jumpers by Malone where you go, damn why is he so wide open. The cut move is a staple throughout basketball and the NBA. More complicated offenses will use a entry pass from the point guard to a wing player with a center in the high post. The guard will then do a UCLA Cut around the center often resulting in easy layups from the wing passer...can we say Francis Alley-Oop!! When you have a stud passer and shooter like Malone, Walton, Sabonis...you can also run the cut around them while they have the ball. This, imo, this is the basis of bread-n-butter, easily reproduceable half-court sets. You don't see it much because there are not that many passing centers who can shoot from the high post out there. Yet, it is common enough that Carlisemo ran Yao through the drill at Chicago. The play is simple, and merely relies on the abilities of the center to execute it. A guard or swingman passes to the center at the elbow and moves directly at the center, then cuts left or right depending on what the defender decides to do. In this way, they use the center as a screen and often get layups off of dump passes from the center. This is so simple and so effective that the defensive center usually has to drop off Walton/Sabonis/Jabbar/Malone...then they just turn a fire in a 15'er. Very simple play, and meshing very well with Francis's abilities. THAT SAID: I've watched two 20 minutes halfs of two Yao games in their finals, and never once saw his team run plays based on the UCLA cut.
YAO - Needs to learn 2 things Turn around J on the baseling Skyy Hook If he does this. . . he could be nigh unstoppable I like the Idea Defensively C- Ming - 7-5 PF - Griffen/Cato Rocket River
