How good was Yao when he actually played on the court?

In the Kelly Dweyer column, he writes that "Yao couldn't be stopped." That is a gross exageration. He couldn't be stopped if you guarded him with one player, but he could easily be stopped with two, one fronting him (Portland playoff series is one of many examples). No doubt, at his peak, when totally healthy and "finally" adjusted to the NBA game, Yao was one of the elite centers of all time. But in fairness to the Wilt's, Russell's, Kareem's, Shaq's, and Hakeem's of the world, Yao's peak seemed like it only lasted for a moment, at least by comparison. I remember watching Yao play and being so frustrated about his passivity and his lack of conditioning. I think it was his rookie season when he lit up the Mavs that "a star was born." Unfortunately, soon thereafter teams begin to figure out how to defend him. Then, with the help of the NBA refs who simply let him get beat up, he started to get beat down. Finally injuries took their toll.

 

This is somewhat of a misconception that China ruined Yao. Yao only played around 6-10 actual games for China each year in the course of the entire offseason, which is around 4-5 months. That's really not a lot of games if you think about it. He still would've had more than enough time to rest his body. If anything, he was a victim of his own work ethic. I had once read somewhere that he used to spend as much as 5 hours daily, working out and training to improve his strength and stamina. These grueling daily sessions probably wore his bones out more than anything.

 

I have zero doubt in my mind that he was on a way to a MVP award before his first major leg injury during Christmas time.

Oh what could have been..

This was after his first knee injury. He was shooting on top of the double team easily or making a quick move before the double came. He was leading the league in 30, 15 games that season.

 

without Adelman, Yao would retire as a virgin like TMAC.

JVG did not help Yao getting anything done.

 

As if Scola and Ron were same players as Bowen and Padgett.

The biggest difference between Adelman's tenure and JVG's, is not their coaching ability, but rather 2 or 3 NBA qualified starting players outside of TMac and Yao.

 

Yao's player efficiency rating is off the chart good, it always has been, he just couldn't stay on the court. Probably because he is retiring earlier.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/per_career.html

His PER rating is 22nd all time and 9th among active players. That's something.

 

Best center in the game at the time. A few years Shaq was on top then it was Yao clearly.

 

Before his last injury in the Lakers series Morey repeatedly said that Yao was the best offensive player in the league when the opponents were in the penalty, and he was the anchor of a top 5 defense in the league. He was definitely a top 10 player when he was fully healthy. If only his bones were made out of titanium...

 

Neither of those guys were 7'6". Neither one of those guys were 7 feet. How many regular season games did Dream play 51 minutes in? Adelman unlike popovich is not good at getting his players to the playoffs in one piece.

 

That is one of my main beefs with RA; he never seemed to know when to play or not play someone. That being said, Yao's foot injuries were inevitable. People that big were not meant to move that much, fast, or long. The body WILL break down under the weight of itself. You have to also remember, even before he was in the NBA, he was already playing pro games in the Chinese and Asian leagues. Also, while he may not have played that many actual games for China (mainly because the team is full of scrubs and will never hope to get anywhere), but from we have heard, they run some pretty intense practices. Yao was not your typical rookie who barely has any mileage out of 1-3 years of college. He already had a fair amount of mileage. Like T-Mac, Yao could have been great provided his body held. At least he is going out before he becomes permanently crippled. He may not be able to play in the NBA anymore, but at least he can still teach his kid how to ball. I wish him luck. Unlike T-Mac, he always held himself in dignity and class. I wish him the best!

 

Yao's peak was among the elite all-time. Period.

 

Come on, CaseyH. Hakeem's stat line from the '94 Finals: 43.1 minutes per game for the series, 26.9 points, 9.1 boards, 3.9 blocks and 3.6 assists. That's his average for the series. During the '95 playoffs, Hakeem played 51 minutes in game 2 against the Suns. I would delve further into Dream's games where he played the highest number of minutes, but I think I've done enough. Go b**** at Rudy T. People keep searching for something to blame, a way to offer an explanation other than the obvious one... Yao's body simply couldn't handle it. Not Yao's fault, but not an NBA coach's fault, either.

edit: Hakeem played 50, 51, and 52 minutes in three games during the '92-'93 regular season and the playoffs. That's all the research I'm doing.

 

He's the Ralph Sampson of this era; a top talent tragically cut down early by injuries.

 

If only he could stay healthy...*crying*

 

Playoffs is fine. Playing a 7'6" center 51 minutes in the reg season is not.

 

Who would have known that 3 minutes less a game for Yao in Rick's first year and Yao would still be dominating today! Rick really killed Yao's career.

 

His statistics almost shockingly mirror Ralph Sampson's. That's all you need to know about him getting into the HOF.

Look, he was a great guy and had flashes of brilliance. Sadly, longevity is definitely required if you want to be mentioned with the all-time greats.

And that said, I never felt comfortable with him being "the man" like I did with Hakeem. The fact that we kept up with the Lakers after we lost him proved that point in my mind. He had flashes of brilliance throughout his career, no doubt. But to me, he was simply a solid center.

In 10 years his career will be looked back on in similar fashion to Sampson. Another "what could have been?"

 

The bolded part isn't even true. Didn't see KD's article, but I hope he wasn't serious if he said that.

 

No.


http://www.basketball-reference.com...um=1&p1=mingya01&y1=2011&p2=sampsra01&y2=1992

 

I'm disappointed that we didn't get to see Yao plateau at all, for better or for worse. I don't think we'll ever know the real Yao.

I have never been as ambivalent about a player, even aside from all the injuries. One night he carried the team on his shoulders and I was proud to be a fan. The next night he had two left hands, two left feet, and was intimidated by the opponents.

When he was at the top of his game there's no doubt he was a game-changing force.