Rox All Star Notes, CNNSI

[xiki]

Marty Burns on All Star choices (Stevie and Yao as reserves) (and EG for Soph Game)

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Burns on Yao:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...07/marty_west/

You said that Yao Ming has the potential to change the NBA game. What exactly did you mean by that? Those are some very strong words. I mean, there have been some pretty high impact big guys over the years, but your words are pretty pointed. -- Kevin R. Layne, Barbados
Yao isn't there yet, Kevin, but given the way he's progressed so far, it's not a reach to say he could change the game. At 7-feet-5, with his shooting touch, he is already unlike just about any other big man over 7-2 who's ever played NBA basketball. If he develops a potent low post game, he could someday join the likes of Mikan, Wilt, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq, and Hakeem in the pantheon of great pivots. Each of them changed the game in some way -- whether it was through rules changes or style or technique. Already Ming is making an impact in at least one way: by bringing tremendous exposure of the NBA game to China, he is helping create a huge potential new talent pool.

His conclusions on both are reasonable.