I think Ming in his first year won't have the kind of impact Rockets fans hope for. He still needs time to develop. Who knows even how much minutes he'll play. When he does play though, he's gonna get banged around and overpowered which could hurt his confidence and have everyone doubting him and hating the Rockets. I think he will no doubt, make the team better, it's just gonna take a long time, about 3 years i think. The Rox would be better this next year if they traded the pick or drafted a good SF, but i'm a be happy with Ming as our #1! THOUGHTS?
Well, I think he will have more impact in his 1st year with the Rockets than Cato will in his 3rd Rocket River
i agree, cato's as good as he's ever gonna be, i just hope Ming has some kind of impact and shows some pluses his first season like great shooting or shot blocking, something so people dont start doubting him and people boo the rox
IMHO Ming will have a much larger impact than many here are giving him credit for. Cato could not shoot 72% even with -nobody- guarding him. Ming can hit a free throw which will have a good impact as well, whereas most centers hover around 55% - 60%. Cato could not get 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game in a 1 on 1 vs. spud webb. All players in the draft are gambles, always have been - even the greats were gambles. Shaq or Duncan could have had career ending injuries etc... Nothing is a sure thing but it looks really good so far for Ming. I look forward him being a Rocket.
A few things to consider: 1. Bradley - at 7-6 and 230 pounds - put up 10, 6, and 3 as a rookie (I think he was 21) after having been out of the game for two years. 2. Yao put up 10, 6, (I think 1.5-2) as a 19 year old olympian. Bradley is there because everyone compares them, despite Yao being more skilled, having a larger basketball background, and being heavier (and a little shorter). So Bradley with his lack of effort and getting pushed around put up those numbers. Is it a sign that Yao put up similar numbers as a 19 year old olympian? No. Just like the coincidence. If I had to guess for his first year I would say about 8-9 points, 6-7 rebounds and 1-2 blocks. As RR said - probably more than Cato would ever put up for us. Is that an impact? Sure, just not a huge one. Regardless, though, Yao should help next year, as he is nothing but an addition. He and Griffin should come to decent fruition at about the same time. We should be allright if Mo returns in decent form, Griffin improves upon last year, Cato gives at least what he gave this past year, and Yao is added to the team. Our frontcourt, if healthy, should be just enough to compliment the backcourt well enough to lead to the team sneaking into the first round...or somewhere close. As our young players improve, so will our playoff hopes and success.
I got news for you. Ming's gonna surprise a lot of people - even in the Western Conf - his rookie year. My prediction: Rookie: 16, 12, 3.5 2nd year: 18, 14, 3.5 3rd year: 22, 16, 4 Sound like strong numbers? Just wait and see. Also, I'll bet that opposing team FG% drops by 5% to 8% in his rookie year. Don't think for a minute that Rudy'll let Ming hang around the 3 point line. The big boy will be post'in low and his naysayers will be eat'in crow.
i think ming will have a mingpact. he's already minging the minged in the ming. and you ming ming ming. ming ming
8-9 points is an underestimate for the big guy. He's capable of scoring 4-10 points alone just from offensive rebound put-backs. In the CBA and international games, I believe Ming is not the one that takes the most shots in his team. The guards take the most shots. I have read somewhere about this. Could anyone confirm this? Ming has a high 72% FG percentage, and can attain close to that in the NBA. Depending on how many shots he will take and how long he can stay in the game, he can score as many as 30 points his rookie year. My prediction for his rookie year: 20-35 minutes 12-20 points 10-15 rebounds 2.5-4 blocks 3-4 assists Numbers don't tell the whole picture. Ming can have impact in the game in ways that his stats won't show. He can make the whole team play better by just playing his role (rebounding--start fast breaks and defense, blocking--defense).
Lets see: Let me find all the players that are going to bang Ming around. Vin Baker,Rasho,Big Dave,Big Jake,Lorenzen Wright, Dale Davis,Dampier,Lafrentz, and Kandi . I guess all these centers are just so much stronger and overpowering that yao won't stand a chance. With the exception of chain smoking Vlade and Shaq , these are the players that he will face 4 times a yr. Wait , there's more over powering players in the big man dominating eastern conference. Curry,Mihm,K.Clark,Miller,Ratliff,Pryzbilla,McCulloch,Camby,Battie, Campbell,H. Grant,B.Haywood or C.Robinson. I guess all these player will over power a 7'6 300lbs man in the middle. This is the weakest position yet people are expecting everyone to just walk over this guy. I'm putting my money on Ming side as being an impact player on this team this yr. We'll get a good gauge in the wc games when he plays against ben wallace and J. Oneal. If he plays well against them, then maybe people will keep the shawn bradley comments to themselves.
I agree. The NBA is all about matchups and in era of weak centers, Ming will at least hold his own most nights in his rookie year. Give him a year or two and he will present a matchup advantage. Everyone needs to quit talking like picking Ming is only justifiable if he can stop Shaq. Hakeem in his prime had a difficult time containing Shaq (but he schooled Shaq's butt in the finals.) I'm not sure Ming is worthy of the No. 1 pick, but I'm going to have tempered optimism. We should not expect the guy to average many points b/c not only is the strength in the NBA a big factor, so is the sheer speed. I'm pretty sure that Ming has never seen anything like Gary Payton descending to help in the middle. But the guy should help with the Beltway 8 that is our defense in the lane, and grab defensive 'bounds. I think Cato will be a good backup 5, where he won't have to match up against opposing starting centers as much.
All the positive things I've heard from NBA scouts relate to Ming's SF skills: creative passing, shooting range and relative speed/quickness. However, it's doubtful that at 7'5" he's as mobile a Nowitzki, so I really don't know if he'll be an effective perimeter player who draws isolations. Even so, I guess I'd have to take their word for it. On the other hand, his biggest role as center is team defense. His athleticism and frame mean that he is a far greater prospect than Bradley was, but read this scouting report that was posted on Usenet (look at Bradley's erroneous height). It underscores frighteningly similar strengths: quickness, range, ballhandling, etc. It goes on to say that his height (which he "uses well") inherently allows him to patrol lanes and block shots. Ming has a similar advantage. But what if he gets into foul trouble, not being quick enough to guard centers like David Robinson? Relative is the key word here; at 7'5" there is only so much you can do. I would want to make sure that Ming can do more than just help out on defense before drafting him. If that isn't the case, I'd rather just trade down for a defensive specialist like Caron Butler or a post-presence like Drew Gooden. I think that there is no question that, unless he is freakishly quick, Ming will take time to adjust to the NBA. He probably won't help to improve Houston's record very much until his rookie contract expires. Preferably, the team brass would see the importance of winning now and acquire Olowakandi and Lewis, which would reinforce the team's weakest positions with proven players. If good health prevails, the Rockets would have a shot at a high playoff seed in a strong conference. Very, very few rookies (most of whom are impact centers) improve team records significantly.
Here's someone who shows the sparks of intelligence, foresight, keen observation, and the ability to do the math on player personnel. It's not written in stone, it's determined on the floor, in the paint. If we add a compitent SF with the # 15, unload one PF, additionally waive an older player or two, we should be ship shape and ready to hold our own.
Finally, someone who appreciates me. You are my favorite new poster. And, yes, I didn't even go into SF, where the #15 and a healthy(?) Rice (even if he is a shell of his former self, 6-8 ppg would be a nice boost off the bench or as a starter who makes an early exit) will basically be added as well.
Yao averaged 32 points 19 rebounds and 5 blocks a game in the CBA. If he does half that good in the NBA that will have a HUGE impact on the Rockets. That would be 16 pts 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blks per game. Those are rookie of the year stats.
JamesC is right on. People PLEASE stop telling me that we need a good "PF" or "SF". There were a helluva lot of teams with all star PF's and SF's and they got their butts whupped early in the playoffs. Think there's a Garnett in this draft? NO! Step back from the emotional pulpit and look at the 3 best teams in the NBA and what they have in common: 1. LA. Shaq 2. Sac. Divac/Webber/Pollard 3. SanAnton Duncan Do you see any commonalities? All have incredible big men. Please don't tell me that we need an Odem (all 220 pounds of pot puffing man) or a Butler/Gooden. All three of those guys are magnificent players, but none of them will lead a team to the finals. Only a big man can do that. Sans Jordan, look at history. So let's take a chance. If you're gonna shoot, aim for the stars. Draft Ming and build the future around he and Stevie. By the way, the good college players attain at least their stat level when they reach the NBA (Pierce, Jordan, O'Niel, Duncan, Francis, Mobley, etc.), so JamesC is being conservative when allusion to Ming's potential based on his CBA stats. By the way, there are some pretty serviceable former NBA players and potential NBA talent in the CBA. That league is at least as good as mid-to-upper level Division One College ball.
Last year, one of the Rockets' biggest weaknesses was defense. Yao is 7'5". All he has to do is stand in the lane with his hands up, and our defense will improve dramatically. And something tells me he'll be a little but more active than that.
Exactly. Hey, it is not always about how many blocks one gets. Just "being there" he will probably change shots, create more rebounds and more fast breaks. Just having a "threat" in there means something! With Ming and Griffin in there, people will think twice about driving the lane for weak layups! Chris
