I missed wednesday's game, but in the other games, Yao's defense has been as good as ever. Have you seen Dwight's defense?
I've seen both guys play defense. I've NEVER heard anyone say Yao's defense is much better than Howard's. In fact, most non-Rockets fans don't think Yao's defense is that good. So when you say Yao's defense is "as good as ever", that isn't saying a whole lot. Yao is tall and takes up a lot of room, but his lack of hops, timing and foot speed is a major problem. Even at his age, Deke was a much better defender than Yao last season. (Unfortunately, this season, Deke has clearly lost another step or two).
Ya, the kid is amazing. MUCH better than Amare IMO. With that said, he is getting a lot of points on easy dunks right now and that's not going to last. He need to at least work on that Shaq baby hook. But if he can get that baby hook, and maybe add a little rang to his game. He could be better than Shaq, not to mention Yao.
What seperates Dwight & Yao is athleticism. Dwight has it in bunches...how good he wants to be just depends on how hard he wants to work on adding skill and moves. With Yao, the lack of athleticism will always be an issue. There is nothing that he can do about it. All of the top centers were big and athletic (Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Shaq). Yao will never be....
If Dwight can develop a consistent go-to move, then he'll be crazily good. Not to mention he's such a hard player to hate. He's not a prick like Shaq and Amare, but can also develop a mean streak when he feels like it.
I will take his take any of there production on BOTH ends of the court, than Yao"s free-throw shooting.
FT shooting really isn't that important for your center. Yes, it's great that Yao can shoot 90% but that's a bonus. Past title teams show you really don't need your center to be a league leader in that category.
Just watched the Magic game. Howard is a bigger physical presence in the paint than Yao...yes, already. He doesn't have Yao's skillset down there...but he is quick and athletic, and can hold his position better (stronger). It's a lot easier to get him the ball and that fronting garbage does not work. I say it again...if he learns some skillsets then it's over. Athletic beats + skillsets = serious trouble....
I just watched a highlight on SportsCenter and it consisted of the following .... Jameer Nelson lobs ball to basket for Howard dunk Hedo Turkoglu lobs ball to basket for Howard dunk Carlos Arroyo lobs ball to basket for Howard dunk Keith Bogans lobs ball to basket for Howard dunk Jameer Nelson lobs ball to basket for ... another Howard dunk Magic win. If that's all they're doing -- just throwing it up there and letting him catch and dunk ... and it's THIS effective, then wow. I know the dude has an insane vertical for a big man, but still, wow.
Being athletic allows you to make an impact even if your skillsets aren't up there. In Howard's case he is athletic and strong as hell. He seems to hold post position better than Yao (he can move faster) and passes don't have to be pinpoint because he can go get the ball.
maybe tmac should have waited a few more years for dwight to develop before asking to be traded to a team with a dominant big man.........
Wow, dud that was really harsh... I hate to hear criticism's like that but when it's true it hurts like hell. The way the rockets are playing right now, i don't think i can justify that answer you just gave....
All i can say is when your Asian in a predominately black league, it's tough to get credibility or any love even for sub par performance during the month of November... I agree, Dwight Howard is a monster right now but he's the only optional scorer for the magics besides RL...... How many good center are there in the league??? The coaching by RA is somewhat conflicting with yao's game right now... So wait until the season is over to make that assumption... All i can say is that The Super Bowl couldn't even outnumbered the ratings against a regular season game in the early stages of november, and the Chinese didn't even use an marketable skills like the United States... You can't hold us down baby, Asians are going to conquer this world like a viking on a burning ship....
unless tmac kept slacking off or a lot more injury, magic won't get the lottery pick every year until they got howard.
means nothing because yao always plays well against traditional big men cause hes even bigger and does not have to worry about cheating defenses
dwight howard is just so much fun to watch. i mean he is 22 and almost unstoppable. what about the next 3 to 5 years.
