I doubt anyone would really say yao is the best big man in the west unless they're referrign specifically to the center position. Anyone who says Yao is better than TD or KG or others would get tar and feathered
Speaking of broken records. All I hear is about how Yao has to develop a different attitude. The guy is a cursing, hollering, arrogant mofo when he plays with the CNT probably because he is familiar with the surroundings. Unlike most Americans, who are famous worldwide for our arrogance in foreign lands, most people dont goto a different country and start acting like they the man immediately. They normally like to do little things like learn the language because, you know, they don't assume that people have to adjust to their needs.
POTENTIALLY.... Yao can be a 7"5 310 Tim Duncan with better shooting which makes him the best in the league
I think the Bill Walton comparisons are probably the best for describing what I see as Yao's future legacy. He will be the centerpiece of a very fluid offense, much as Vlade/Brad Daugherty/Walton were, but with slightly better scoring numbers b/c of his outside touch. This will primarily benefit Tmac, which is just fine with me, because it will allow Yao, like Walton before him, to become a championship big man. Unfortunately, he will also follow Walton to the trainer's room, and injuries will prematurely, and sadly, bring his career to a premature end.
i understand your concern for Yaos health. Being a man that size puts serious strain on the body, and that is only magnified in the lower body area that has to carry all that weight. I think they have taken certain precautions. From what I have read about Yao's history is that years ago, he had some foot trouble. Breaking 2 ankles i believe. At that time he had a decent leaping ability. But to protect him from further injury, they started to increase the muscle in his leg area. I dont think he has had any problems since. We can only pray.
Yao doesn't exactly play "above the rim". He barely jumps when he shoots, and never goes high in the air for rebounds. So he doesn't put much strain on his feet as much as Walton or most other 7 footers man did.
I doubt Rockets would play a fluid offense like Kings or maybe Walton's Blazers. Yao's passing is not as good as Walton or even Vlade. Moreover, JVG expects Yao to be 50% power + 50% finess and Yao seems to be on the right track. If you analyze Yao's shots closely, he gets most of his pts in the paint. I think 95 Rockets and 3-peat Lakers would be better comparisons.
Yao is a big tall normal human being. The guy is pretty proportionate for his size. I wouldn;t even worry about his health and his injuries are going to be normal sport injuries. THe only thing Yao should worry about are some of the NBA dirty players. I mean TMac who's more a high flying guy will probably end up with more injuries then Yao since Yao's playing is more grounded.
By the injury thing, I simply mean that at his size, Yao is going to take the kind of pounding that is already wearing down Shaq at the age of 32...guys who play that way are always going to take more abuse than most, and for a guy who already shows signs of wearing down at the age of 23, I find these kind of problems inevitable. That is about how long I expect Yao to remain anywhere near a dominant player...32 or 33, then a sharp decline. It has already been mentioned many times that, other than Hakeem and a piggy-backing DRobinson, none of the aforementioned premier centers won a title after 33, and correspondingly many had a significant decline in production around this age. I expect Yao will be no different. But, I still think in his prime, probably around 26 or 27, he will be a worthy successor to the Russell-Wilt-Kareem-Hakeem-Shaq lineage as the game's premier Center. His reign just won't last for a decade as it did with some of the others.
I don't know about Yao ever being "The Top" player in the league - but I do believe he can be a top 5 in the next several seasons. If he added a shot similar to the "Sky Hook", he could be on the same level "franchise" wise as a KG.
