Preface: A good point guard is the team's court commander. If there is an excellent point guard to distribute the ball reasonably, the ball will move very smoothly. Especially if the team has an excellent center, if the ball can be passed to the inside in a timely and comfortable manner, the center will be able to exert its greatest strength and dominate the penalty area.
Speaking of NBA, Houston Rockets is always an unavoidable point. Because of the existence of Yao Ming , the Rockets in those years became the home team of all Chinese fans. Until now, there are still some old fans who like the Rockets and call themselves "remnants". It can be said that without Yao Ming, the Rockets would be There won't be so many fans at home.
In the summer of 2002, the Rockets selected Yao Ming with the No. 1 pick and regarded this big man from the East as the cornerstone of the team. Yao Ming lived up to the team's expectations. From the beginning of his career, he was questioned by the league, and gradually grew into the league's top player. The center was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame after retirement and was respected by the American media, fans and players.
Yao Ming has dedicated his career to the Rockets. During his peak period, he did not fall behind against O'Neal and Howard , and his personal strength cannot be said. However, Yao Ming's team performance was lagging behind. In his career, he has never been able to lead the Rockets to break through the Western Conference in the playoffs and win the O'Brien Cup for the Rockets.
But can you blame Yao Ming? No, because in those years, the Rockets boss was too stingy and was not willing to spend money. There has never been an excellent point guard around Yao Ming, let alone a top point guard. This has to be said to be the biggest regret in Yao Ming's career, and also the biggest regret for the Rockets, because they have not thought about the power of a super center + super point guard. How big is it, at least it won't let Deron bully or let jazz be arrogant.
To be honest, my teeth itch when I mention the Jazz. The Rockets are really a pity. Let's take a look at the Rockets in those years and who were the point guards who passed the ball to Yao Ming:
Steve Francis
Francis was the team boss when Yao Ming first joined the Rockets. Everyone respectfully called him " Fubo ", he can be said to be the leader of Yao Ming's career. Not only did he take care of Yao Ming in life, but when Yao Ming was plotted by his opponents during the game, Fubo also stood up for Yao Ming. Unfortunately, Francis left the team after only being teammates with Yao Ming for two years.
Francis has partnered with rookie Yao Ming for two seasons, and his individual performance has been impressive. In the 2002-03 season, Vladimir Putin played 81 games, averaging 41 minutes per game, scoring 21 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.7 steals, with a shooting percentage of 43.5%; in the 2003-04 season, Vladimir Putin played 79 games, averaging 21 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.7 steals. He averaged 40.4 minutes of playing time, scored 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals, and shot 40.3% from the field. During this period, Francis was selected into the All-Star lineup for two consecutive years. Francis' personal strength is still very strong.
The most popular performance of Brother Fu was undoubtedly standing up for Yao Ming. After Stoudemire dunked on Yao Ming's head, he roared at Yao Ming and provoked Yao Ming. When Francis saw it, he immediately rushed forward and wanted to hit Stoudemire. This scene moved me Many Chinese fans are loyal and loyal.
As a good big brother, Francis has nothing to say about Yao Ming, he is good from the bottom of his heart; but as a teammate, especially in the positional battle style of the year, Francis is much worse. As a team point guard, after getting the ball, he first I think they tend to score but not organize passes, which makes the team's center very uncomfortable. They can't get the ball at all on the court, just running back and forth to run training.
Francis' unruly character determines his arbitrary way of playing, and his excellent physical fitness also makes his playing extremely enjoyable to watch. With wonderful dunks and cool breakthroughs, he can contribute several wonderful performances that make the audience jump out of their chairs in every game, but he cannot bring victory to the team. His style of play hurts the team too much. He ignores his teammates and only sees himself.
After two years of getting along, the Rockets management found that the combination of Francis and Yao Ming did not produce a good chemical reaction, and there was no call between them on the court.Moreover, Freddie himself is unwilling to change his style of play. He acts independently without being managed, and his relationship with the coach is extremely tense.
After careful consideration, the management felt that Francis was not suitable to be the core of the team. They were more optimistic about the young and hard-working Yao Ming, hoping to reproduce the glory of Olajuwon. Therefore, in the summer of 2004, Francis, the starting player of the Western Conference All-Stars, was abandoned by the Rockets (the Rockets obtained super forward swingman McGrady through this transaction, which is a story later).
Bob Sura
Regarding Sura as a player, it is estimated that only old fans have a little impression. Sura's Rockets career was not long and he only worked with Yao Ming for one year.
After Francis left, the Rockets had no suitable candidate for point guard, and white defender Sura became the team's starting point guard.
To be fair, Sura still has some strength. As a white player, his physical fitness is extremely good, with a height of 1.96 meters, excellent jumping ability and moving speed. In games, Sura would perform dunks whenever he had the chance. He even participated in the 1997 Dunk Contest. His physical talent was truly amazing.
Sura plays with great passion. Whenever he hits a three-pointer, he will do a domineering celebration of cutting a three-pointer with his hand, igniting the passion on the court. Moreover, his personal breakthrough ability is very strong. Whenever Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were guarded and taken care of by their opponents during the game, he was the one who stood up and finished with the ball. He was the most reliable person besides Yao and McGrady of the Rockets at that time. Score points.
As the team's point guard, Sura has strong breakthrough ability, a stable three-point shot, and good defensive ability. He can be said to be a very powerful role player next to , Yao and Mai combination .
But Sura is the least popular among Chinese fans. As the team's point guard, he has a fatal problem and he doesn't like passing the ball to Yao Ming. I don’t know why Yao Ming offended him. During the game, it was clear that Chairman Yao was finally reaching a good position in the paint, but Sura, who was holding the ball, turned a blind eye and had to give the ball to McGrady. Not only were the fans speechless while watching the game, but even the game commentator Zhang Weiping couldn't stand it. They were so anxious that they wished they could replace Sura and pass the ball to Yao Ming.
Unfortunately, due to serious knee injuries, Sura retired sadly after playing only one season with the Rockets. Although he only played one season with the Rockets, Sura often performed wonderfully and often posted excellent data that was close to a triple-double, which is very valuable.
In this season with the Rockets, Sura averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His performance was still very good. Apart from not liking to pass the ball to Yao Ming, he had almost no shortcomings. Sura was one of the few right-hand men around Yao Mai in those years.
Rafe Alston
The most famous teammate around Yao Ming at that time was undoubtedly Alston , the team's starting point guard, who played for the Rockets for three and a half seasons.
Alston has the nickname "Jumping Soul". He was once the king of streetball in the United States. With his skillful dribbling and dazzling fake moves, Alston won the championship in Los Angeles Park (known as the holy place of streetball). ) played brilliantly, and his outstanding performance attracted the attention of basketball brands, and they signed a cooperation agreement, making Alstom the first player in the history of streetball to have his own brand of sneakers.
Alston's basketball talent is beyond doubt. Later, through hard work, Alston realized his dream, was selected by an NBA team, and successfully established himself in the league. In 2005, Alston was traded to the Rockets to play alongside Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.
html In the 205-06 season, Alston played 63 games, averaging 12.1 points, 4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 37.9% from the field and 32.7% from the three-point range.
html In the 206-07 season, Alston played 82 games, averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range.
html In the 207-08 season, Alston played 74 games, averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 39.4% from the field and 35.1% from three-point range.
html In the 208-09 season, Alston played 29 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 37% from the field and 34.8% from the three-point range.
In Alston's three and a half seasons with the Rockets, his performance was neither popular nor satisfactory. Although he can contribute 10+ points in every game, his game efficiency is too low, with a shooting percentage of less than 40%. And on the defensive end, his thin body made it impossible for him to contribute on the defensive end, almost becoming a colander. Especially in the playoffs, they were repeatedly ravaged by Jazz point guard Deron. The Rockets were eliminated by the Jazz in the playoffs for two consecutive years. This had a lot to do with Alston being beaten by Deron on both offense and defense.
But even so, Alston, who played 267 games for the Rockets, is the point guard who has worked with Yao Ming for the longest time in his career. His average of 6.7 assists per game in a single season is also the best among Yao Ming's previous point guards. Although his passing quality is not high, he is willing to pass the ball to Yao Ming, which is one of the reasons why Chinese fans like him.
Alston, who is extremely mediocre in all aspects, has accompanied Yao Ming through the best years of his Rockets career. Without credit but hard work, he is already the best point guard in Yao Ming's career.
Aaron Brooks
"Little Black Bean" Brooks was a player selected and trained by the Rockets in 2007. He partnered with Yao Ming for two seasons.
html In the 207-08 season, Brooks played in 51 games, averaging 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 41.3% from the field.
html In the 208-09 season, Brooks played in 80 games, averaging 11.2 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists per game, while shooting 40.4% from the field.
Brooks has outstanding advantages. He dribbles very fast and has strong breakthrough ability. His dazzling fake moves and flexible pace make it easy for him to get rid of defenders and he is very confident in his shooting. However, Brooks's weaknesses are also obvious. He is only 1.83 meters tall. He can easily be blocked by his opponents when he blindly breaks through. On the defensive end, his thin body is easily targeted by his opponents. In a strong one-on-one fight, there is no way to defend.
And sometimes Brooks' shot selection is problematic, taking too many strong shots. As a defender, Brooks seriously lacks the overall situation and cannot control the rhythm of the game. Sometimes Yao Ming is stuck in position and wants the ball, but Brooks chooses to make a pull-up jump shot. Of course, as the younger brother in the team, Brooks is still willing to pass the ball to Yao Ming, but his passing skills are unbearable. Either the pass is too big or too small. It is difficult for Yao Ming to comfortably receive his pass, otherwise he just passes it directly. Ball turnover.
There is no way. Brooks is not capable enough and does not have the skill to pass the ball at all. He entered the Rockets as a rookie. When he partnered with Yao Ming, he was still in the growth stage. His performance on the court was very immature. It can only be said that he was unable to pass the ball to Yao Ming.
In addition to the above four players, there are also some point guards who have played with Yao Ming, such as Mark Jackson, Mike James, Kyle Lowry and other players, but their playing time is too little, like Jackson , James ; Either he played too little time with Yao Ming, such as Lowry. After he came to the team, Yao Ming was seriously injured, and the two did not play together a few times. So no comparison will be made here.
By looking back at these four point guards during Yao Ming's era, we will find that Chairman Yao was really miserable in the Rockets. As the top center in the league at the time, the team simply did not have a serious point guard to pass the ball to him. He was either a lone wolf, unwilling to pass the ball to Yao Ming, or the rookie was not good at passing the ball.
As a result, looking back, the point guard who passed the ball the best turned out to be Alston, who was in the street ball circle. This is really dumbfounding.Alas, look at the Rockets later. They could trade Paul for James Harden. Yao Ming didn't get this kind of treatment back then. Even if they traded Fisher, Billups, and paired with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the Rockets would It’s possible to win the championship!
The stingy Rockets boss in those years really wasted Yao Ming's prime. It's a pity that the Rockets will never meet such a humble, hard-working and dominant center again.
Do you think the Yao-Mai combination back then was only one good point guard away from winning the championship? Leave a message to express your opinion.
