yao ming and tracy mcgrady hv a good chance of makin the playoffs this yr with RON ARTEST + luis scola was amazing in olympics and they hv battie alrdy, they got 3 big stars and a good supporting cast
in case you missed out on the cleveland houston game yesterday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v1qpGKFaQc&feature=related
^ ^ to aoes reply sounds like you and others have been stuck watching the rookie from china yao ming, hes adapted over the years to run longer and regularly does 12-15 shooting , please dont compare him to shaq, hes a different breed and his game plan is different. Yao Ming is currently the best center in the nba, he just doesn't dunk as much for haters to like but he only needs about 15 shots a game to score 20.
I'm not hating on Yao... Yao's a great player and great ambassador to China... but can u really disagree to anything i've said? He hasn't needed to play as much as years past now with a competent front court running with him, Scolandry + Mutumbo has been a great asset to Yao not having to run 40mins a night like say 2yrs ago... so he's been able to play w/o feeling too tired... I've pointed out he's a good shooter, has a nasty hook shot... I'm not comparing him to Shaq... I'm merely pointing out that he will never be Shaq like... but at the same time... if Yao was 6'10 do you think he would have made it to the NBA? no... hell no... he'd be worse than Yi... is he the best center in the game? no he's not... he is a Top3 center... but he's not the best... he's gotta stop giving away turnovers... especially the ones under the basket where little Nate or CP3 just spanks the ball out of his hands as he comes up for a shot... I hate watching that, he gets the ball swatted away and flops around like OMFG A NUKE JUST HIT MY HANDS!!
you can't compare yao's 7'6 as he is and being 6'10, it would be like lebron being 7'6 and still be agile at that height. The taller the player the slower and prone to injury the usually are. Now if you would watch every game like i do you would know yao doesn't get his ball stolen that easily, except maybe a bad game once in awhile, most teams would usually need 2 different players to guard him if not at the same time because of risk of fouling out. His presence in the middle makes it a nightmare for people to score and even though mutumbo is on the roster he doesn't play at all. Yao plays his own game which is shooting and he doesn't need fancy dunks to excite real fans, his presense and ability to score alone is most efficent you won't see him dunking on the high lights much and he wont gain many new fans because he doesn't need to.
Why can't I compare him at 7'6 to 6'10? just because if Yao was 6'10 you think he would automatically have better agility and a higher vertical? he has virtually NO athleticism whatsoever, that's why they mainly utilize Yao for pick and rolls... he's also terribly ineffective in the 4th... notice how in most games this year, the Rockets fade during the 4th quarter... they build up large leads only to win by a much smaller margin... why? the 2nd team? no, it's cuz they try to dish it to Yao, he's either tired or he's too stubborn to move the ball... in which case he gets stripped or his shooting percentage drops... He has the highest turnover rate among all centers, and he plays LESS minutes than Superman or Jefferson... I won't deny that Yao's 7'6 stature doesn't create a large presence in the middle, but he's not gonna scare away the likes of Shaq, Amare, Howard, Jefferson, or even Biedrins atm... sure, Yao can tangle up with each and everyone of them... When you have to defend him, yes you're most likely gonna need to double team him, but you're gonna have to double team any great center in the league like Dwight... Doesn't matter if Mutumbo plays or not, with him on the roster, Scolandry and eventually Hayes when he comes back, Yao doesn' thave to play 40minutes like the last two years... that's my point, not whether or not Mutumbo is playing... I never asked for Yao to become a dunking monster... just because I don't think he's the best center in the league, doesn't mean I'm not a fan, or it makes me less of a fan... His hook shot just absolutely kills and is beautiful to see IRL... but look at it this way... a dunk is more efficient and draws more fouls... so you decide...
do i really need to tell you comparing things like that is totally invalid.. so you're telling me the rockets weaken in the 4th solely on yao? i think you forget its a team game because he doesnt take that many more shots then his other team mates, i've seen him finish quite a few strong ones this season but since hes so underrated no one ever mentions these things, he doesn't need to play as much and the key difference is that he is just as efficient as howard with 6 mins less played a game. As for dunking as i mentioned earlier its not his game and he doesn't need to and for hayes i think you mean laundry.
I don't see why it's invalid, honest... my comparison is just emphasizing the fact that his height is making up for his inadequate athleticism... and w/o that height, he would be no where near NBA level, let alone all-star caliber... by telling me that I can't make that comparison, is like telling me Yao should be immune to criticism about his athleticism or lack of... and when it comes to the Rockets weakening in the 4th due to Yao, Yes... absolutely... I put it all on Yao... why? cuz Adelman is telling his players to play the 4th through Yao, because Yao is, as you seem to believe, "the best center" in the NBA... He's the franchise player, he's the guy that's supposed to lead the team... He's supposed to close out the game... no one mentions his 4th quarter explosions because he drops off more often in the 4th than he does closing it out... Just look at tonights game against the Bulls... he comes in and gives 2 fouls, and was non existent in the 4th... Yao is playing 3 less minutes than dwight, not 6... and Dwight out rebounds him by 5, gets about 4 more FTs a game, a block more per game, and has around 1 less TO per game... just by that comparison alone, Dwight's giving his team at least 7 more possesions a night, and a possible 4 more points a night... don't tell me Yao's as efficient than Superman cuz he isn't... Yes, dunking isn't his game, but that shouldn't be an excuse nor overlooked either... as good as Yao is with his hook and jump shots... he'll have bad nights and those shots just won't drop... dunks more often than not, will drop... yes, he probably doesn't need to develop powerful dunks, and yes, his style works... but power dunks are more efficient that's all I'm saying... I never knocked Yao for not being a power house... All I'm saying is taking it hard to the inside has more upside... Yao isn't underrated... Most everyone believes he's a top 3 center in the league of 32 teams... how does that make him underrated? If neone on that Rocket's team is underrated, it's Scola... and yeah my bad... i got Landry and Hayes mixed up i remembered it was one of them that was out...
the taller a building is the more it sways , bball is a team game go ask anyone that or kobe when he didnt have his back court or boston when didn't have their big three , yao was never a franchise player he's supposed to be a strong support franchise player for tmac but since hes out they are shifting it towards him. Only reason they lost to the bulls was because they had a 17 point lead with around 4 mins left slacked off and let them come back, not because of yao alone. Yao dipped in stats this year because he doesnt need to play as hard last year he averaged 25 because they needed him like they are going to now, he is injury prone but they figured the problem was due to rigorous off game practices so he's cut out on that and is more efficent. howard may have a few more posessions but also a few more shots misssed. Yao is underrated ever since howard won the slam dunk competition and if you would watch tonights game you would see how much he is going to own the twolves =P but don't expect him to take a 3 point buzzer beater at the end of the game because he's simply not that kinda franchise player.
you can't be the best center in the game and NOT be the franchise player on the team... it doesn't work that way... all you're doing is making excuses for a player who's supposed to be the best at his position... you're telling me they lost the game against the bulls cuz they slacked... who slacked? and when your team is slacking, and you're the best center in the league, the best player on the team, who should be carrying them? Artest? Brooks? bball is a team game, but the team also needs someone to look for during troubled times... Kobe, Garnett, LBJ, Howard, CP3... these guys are best at their positions, franchise players... when their team is down, they're looked for inspiration, for a lift... if Yao can't close out games, if Yao isn't that franchise player... he's not the best center in the league... it should be even more apparent with TMac out now... Howard is better than Yao, simple as... he's 20/15 and he's the best defensive player in the league atm... and the leader of a playoff team... he's quicker, faster, stronger... he can neutralize Yao's height advantage with his vertical...
yao was not supposed to be the franchise player because mcgrady is supposed to be it which turned out to be a dud so now its shifted towards him , he is a pure center so dont except him to take the game winning 3 point. *shaq kobe wayde* I can say the same for yao and with the most brutal schedule in the west for the first half of the season they have done remarkably well with an all injured bench and no tmac. more skillfull > more swift > better shooter >always a must double team , yao has dominated howard every game they've played.
wait... Yao is a "pure center", so he can't be compared to Shaq taking over games? what's Shaq then? a point guard? k... /gg i give up =/
never said he couldnt take over games just dont give him the 3 pointer when the games on the line, dont compare yao to shaq because their games are different, shaq couldn't have won without a good teammate , wayde,kobe but why am i even on it as he is clearly better then yao/howard in his prime.
wait... ok... so i can't compare Yao to other centers because their play style is different... and therefore, since Yao is the only "pure center" he's the best center? so I can't compare him to other centers, and I can't criticize his lack of athleticism because he's tall so he gets a free gimme... -out2
again i never said you couldn't compare... comparing yao to shaq is like comparing 2 different players as shaq is hands down was the better player but we all know they both play different games so dont expect yao to be playing his game nor shaq to be putting on a shooting show.
Yao's soft like a muffin...but probably one of the best shooting centers the game has ever seen....but boy is he boring to watch -lol Shaq's having a great season and still doing it at his age...Legendary!
how do you declare who's best w/o a comparison? u say i can compare players, but turn around and say i can't compare him to Shaq cuz they play differently... isn't that the point in comparing? what exactly are u basing your assumption of Yao being the best center in the game on? Yao has a good jump shot, but hey u can't use that to compare to other centers like Howard or Shaq, cuz that's not their game... zWTF!? by saying I can't compare Yao to Shaq because they're two different players(well duh!?)... are you saying Shaq's not a center? just because there's two styles of play by centers, I can't compare centers if they don't play the same style?!@ it becomes an invalid point?!
