Hey, you think it is really the difference? A good shot blocker gets blocks, it doesn't matter. If you can't block 3bpg then you are not a 3bpg player! Don't get illusioned. 7'6" Yao is intimidating, but so is Rik Smits 7'4, George Mureasan 7'7"... Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley are tall, but thiner... They get a lot of blocks.. Why? they look for blocks. Weak side blocks... Bottomline, Yao is just not quick enough to block shots that are not coming directly to his way. and btw, Jerry Stackhouse averaged 30ppg one season!
I dont know why I never get an answer to this, hopefully I'll get one here. How can we expect Yao to be a top notch superstar when he cannot play at a high level for more than 30 mins a night? Has anyone EVER heard of a player without a serious weight problem increasing their wind as they got older? I'll admit that Yao is much better than what I expected, but he has to be able to do it for a whole season playing more than 3/4 of the game. Back to this discussion though. In terms of big men I would put Yao behind Shaq, Duncan, KG, and JO. Other than Shaq, all of those guys are within a few years of Yao and there are guys who are coming up behind him that are younger and potentially as good in Bosh, Stoudemire, Darko, and Curry. Throw in guys like Okafor, Howard, and Kwame Brown who have the raw materials to be very good and who knows. Basically what I am trying to say is that Yao is not going to be a top 5 player in the world by default. There are guys that have some talent out there. I get the feeling many here think that once Shaq is gone Yao will just step in. While I hope that is the case, don't look past some of these other guys.
sorry, I forgot to add, I still like the way Yao is right now, he doesn't need to get the surprise blocks, he just needs to rebound and intimdate. As we all know, it's better for Yao to stay on the ground more so he will be less injury prone!!!! I believe Yao can be a 2.5 bpg guy.
As far as an intimadating dominant CENTER, that is already the case. Every coach ABSOLUTELY FEAR Yao!! No matter whether it's warranted or for what reason, that is to our BIG BIG benefit. Perhaps people just get scared of physical beasts by default... Our job is just don't spoil that fear factor!
I’m guessing he’ll be in the 6-8 range for most of his career with maybe one or two great seasons where be a top five player and MVP candidate. Kinda like Dirk Nowitzki.
He has all the skills and physical tools to be a dominant force right now. It's all about conditioning and attitude, IMO.
I think Yao will eventually be grouped with Duncan and Garnett as the premier big men of the game. And he may get a couple of MVPs before he retires. I doubt he can dominate an era the way Shaq for a short while. But I'd expect seasons where he's considered the best player in the game. It probably will come down to team play. Posting 22/10 on a 60+ win team can easily get you an MVP, while posting 25/12 on a 40 win team gets you the "gaudy stats but can't win" label. The thing is, nobody in the NBA can play at a high level for a whole game. Hakeem once said that he learned to take plays off during games to save his energy. If you watch Duncan or Garnett, it's obvious that they sometimes just roam around the perimeter to take a little rest. Many people think Kobe's clutch in the 4th, but a lot of that has to do with saving energy by feeding the ball to Shaq for the first 3 quarteres. I'm not saying that Yao has the necessary stamina for a superstar right now. But he made major improvements from year 1 to year 2. Unless there's reason to think otherwise, he should improve on this in year 3.
I disagree here. Every player has those one or two people who just know how to alter their game, and Yao is no different than anybody else. Now, I don't expect this to happen in a playoff series - I expect that Yao would wipe the floor with Najera in a Rockets vs. Mavs playoff series. However, during the course of the season, these players just get to you sometimes, and that's normal for even the star players in the league. Look at T-Mac's numbers against James Posey and Bruce Bowen, they are extremely poor. I believe read somewhere that, against the teams in our conference, historiccally, he's struggled to shoot 40% and score 22ppg or something like that. I think Yao is improving steadily. If the last improvement was any indication, then next year he'll boost up to 20/10/2, which is a star player's numbers. As he learns to use T-Mac more and more and improve his stamina, he'll improve on that as well. However, I think he'll max out at around 23/11/3, which would probably be his best ever season.
Fair enough. But I think he would score more than 23 pt in the prime. He'll have at least 18 attempts and more importantly, respect from referees.
This might sound crazy,but I think he can go 28 and 14. Yes,TMAC will need to get his,but Yao will stick those free throws,and I think the power game will be a big part of his repetroire. I get the impression that Tracy is ready to do what it takes to win.
yes that does sound crazy. i love yao, but i dont think he's going to put up 28pts period, let alone 14 rpg. I think his best year would be around 24pts 11boards 2.5 blocks 3 assists and i'd be perfectly happy with that.
The same kind of pool has occurred, and will keep occurring numerous times, especially in the off season.
20 and 10 has to be the aim for this year, averages close to that will be a great step in the domination direction the key for the team is Yao's defense and rebounding, without Cato covering for him, he is going to have to step that up big time
Until we get a coach who is willing to let his offense score, 28 ppg for Yao is a pipe dream. If YM + TM combined can average 40 under Jeff Van Gundy's "80 points or bust" offense, they will be doing good.
you know, edc is a broken record, but at least one that's playing a song i like. i agree with the 6-8 most of the time with a possible breakthrough into the top 5 once or twice. he's gonna have to develop a different attitude and i'm not sure just how much a person can really change their true nature. in yao's case, hopefully a lot, b/c until then he'll be a decent rebounding, decent blocking, above average scoring big man instead of above average to dominant in all 3.
You know, there have been a lot of busts or marginal role-players in the league that could've been great players if: - they learned how to shoot - they learned court awareness - they trusted their teammates - they could shake nagging injuries - etc etc etc Yao is already around the top 15 players just based on his height and skill, even with his negatives. But forget the attitude, if he can just get his freaking conditioning good enough to where he can play at high intensity for the majority of the game, then he'll vault right to number one. But like those other NBA would-bes, Yao might never be able to rise above his shortcomings.
I see your points. 20 pt on JVG's team is as good as 25 pt on Kings or Mavs. Well, Rockets averaged 100+ in the 90s too.
Unless JVG is no longer coaching the Rockets, there is no way Yao can average more than 24pt a game, with TMac takes most of the shots. Yao's problem is his stamina & rebounding desire. While stamina can be improved through training, the desire/attitude for rebounding is not a sure thing. Yao should get 22/10 this season, and average 24/11 for a few years under JVG. How he ranks in the league will be determinded by how the Rockets will do in the next few years. If the Rockets can win a couple title, then he probably will be a MVP candidate.
He can become top 5, I believe. The best, probably not. That will be KG for years to come....he is changing the game.
If you are talking about Yao's upside, it got to be the best player in the league. Because he is certainly capable of it from potential point of view. Right now Duncan and KG are probably the league best 2 players, not counting Shaq since his window is closing fast. 1. Yao already poses very find skills for a big man. He has fine post moves, can shoot from 20 feet easily, shoot FT at very high percentage. Defensively he intimidate opponents and change lots of shots. 2. Yao has both height and weight advantage compared to Duncan and KG. Not even close. 7-6 vs 7-0. 310 pound vs 250 (Duncan) and 230 (KG). You can never teach height to a big man. When Yao matures, there is no way for KG/Duncan to stop him from inside. The law of physics just don't allow it. 3. Yao's weakness is his conditioning, positing, rebounding/blocking techniques, and his current lack of aggressiveness partly related to culture. All these things can be corrected through training. Yao's aggressiveness improved a lot last season, but still need more much improvement. I believe he will take over game more naturally with the departure of senior players in the Rockets team.
