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Around SBN: Which Players Will Join The 3,000-Hit Club?

Fronting Yao: how to respond?

Let me open by stating that I am most certainly an armchair basketball expert.  Even my amateur attempts at playing have been occasional and limited at best.  What I understand of the game has been limited to watching and studying (and, of course, cheering for the Rockets).  So I post this expecting to hear plenty of flack from those with greater understanding of the game. 

That said, it seems to me that something has got to be done to answer the fronting defense against Yao.  Here are what I believe to be the top three options against the fronting defense:

1.    Draw fouls.  If the opposing team wants to pull a double-team fronting defense, make ‘em pay by sending Yao to the line, where he’s something approaching 90% (just one of many reasons he’ll end up being better than Shaq).  And before I start getting all sorts of blowback: no, this won’t work.  The referees, who have clearly demonstrated they won’t step in until our big man is being pummeled, won’t give Yao calls regardless of how well he learns to draw fouls.  So #1 is out of the question. 


2.    Execute quick passes to sharpshooters in the perimeter.  This might work, assuming a) Yao is surrounded by the right guys, and b) they’re on their game.  Based on Morey’s efforts building this roster, it seems the former is accomplished—the question is whether the latter is in place as well, which of course can vary on any given night.  But if Battier keeps up his offensive efforts, Artest settles down, and guys like Von Wafer and Scola keep working their magic, it seems to me this can be an effective answer, especially if a fronting defense (and resulting double-team) leaves one man open.  The single biggest problem I have with this is that it keeps the ball out of Yao’s hands, and last I checked, the offense is at its best when he’s taking plenty of shots. 


3.    The pick and roll.  On one hand, this seems a bit elementary, at least to me—isn’t this one of the oldest offensive schemes in the book?  OTOH, it takes the fronting defense and throws it right back at the opposing team by forcing a mismatch on the floor, which the Rockets can easily exploit. 

Those are my thoughts, for what they’re worth.  Again, maybe some of you with greater experience will respond.

No cursing in title. No pirated material, such as links to online game streams. Do not cut/paste entire sections of content from other websites. Thanks.

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the pick and roll could open things up for Yao, if the shots not there for the roller pitch to Yao on the way to the goal….The only thing about Yao at the top of the key is that it would be obvious what we were trying to do

Great players dont win championships.....Great TEAMS win chapionships

by DT58forever on Apr 27, 2009 12:21 PM CDT reply actions  

Pick and Roll

Despite being one of the oldest sets in basketball, pick and roll when properly executed is still the most effective set in basketball, bar none. When the pick and roll is executed correctly the defenders have to make a decision. Switch and be on a size mismatch, or fight through a pick, possibly picking up a foul, or at least leaving the guard temporarily open for a j. Just feigning pick and roll by good pick and roll offenses can cause opposing defenses to break down leaving the big man open for a close in shot or a dunk.

I don’t know how good Houston is at pick and roll but if they have any good combos with Yao they should exploit them.

Blazers best pick and roll combos are Blake/Pryz, Blake/Oden, and Blake or Roy/Aldridge. Although none of them are bread and butter.

by jtkerr79 on Apr 27, 2009 8:08 PM CDT reply actions  

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