Just wondering what you guys thought about Yao's potential in becoming a dominant center in this league. I mean from what I have read Yao posseses most of the skills that eventually made Hakeem one of the best (if not the best) center in NBA history. A center with small forward capabilities. I am not trying to compare both players as there will never be another Hakeem. But with the skills he currently has and those he will acquire do you think in time we will all be come to hail Ming as we did Hakeem.
I am hopeful that Yao becomes as good as Hakeem, but that is asking a lot. There is potential there, but he would have to work real hard, and play for a long time, but most importantly lead us to a championship...or 2. DaDakota
I think the Ming and Dream comparisons are a little off base. Their games are pretty different in my opinion. They both are very athletic big men, but the way they use that athleticism is what defines these guys as players. Olajuwon, used his athleticism and size to it's full advantage when he was young. It seemed like he played like Shaq does now, basically getting the ball down low and dunking on who ever got in the way. As he got older and more experienced, he developed skills like the Dream Shake. Ming, on the other hand, uses his talents more like a SF, on offense, by sticking to a perimter game. Basically, the difference is that Dream used his SF skills to become a better post player, while Ming has used his to become a GIANT perimeter player. If Ming learns how to play in the post, I think he could be an Olajuwon type player.
if ming becomes as good as hakeem then i will just sit back and watch the championships roll in. even bill russell will be jealous of how many we have. of course i don't think that's gonna happen but if we're just talking potential here, then ming has the potential to be the best center in the league for a long time after shaq leaves. i think he'll fall in the top 5 center range myself which doesn't necessarily mean greatness since the C position is so weak but still means good. just please oh please don't bust on us ming.
it's also funny to rule out something that you have no idea about. personally i don't see him or anyone else being as good as dream. if he can give us half of hakeem's heart and he keeps improving, we atleast have an all-star.
Or as good as Patrick. To name him in the same sentence with Top 50 all-time players is a complete and utter joke. And no, I don't have "no idea" about it. He simply won't be as good as Dream or Patrick. He'll be decent. Decent isn't #1 material.
This is bull****. The fact that Yao Ming is in the same sentence as Hakeem Olajuwon is a travesty. Yao will never be half the player that Hakeem was, at his worst. All of you Ming gravy trainers need to get your heads out of his ass and take him for what he really is: a goofy, freakish, slightly better than average basketball player.
Here comes all those ming-haters again.......I respect the efforts of you guys even if you are being out-numbered badly...
Ming haters? Because no one thinks he's as good as Hakeem, except for delusional dreamers? The guy's a bum compared to Hakeem and Patrick.
NYKRULE I WISH YOU WOULD POST SOMEWHERE ELSE!! You are so biased, your opinion can be seen right through, even with a modicum of intellegence.
All the guys who are saying how much Yao Ming sucks compared to Hakeem, think back to his final year at U of H. Imagine that there had been some sort of clutchcity.net bbs (dial up now! new 9600 baud modems installed, with fresh new COLOR ASCII ART game highlights!), and Ray Patterson was talking about that Hakeem kid. Imagine, then that someone posted a thread on said BBS comparing Hakeem to the greatest Rocket ever, Moses Malone, who'd taken the Rockets to the finals against the Celtics. How many of you think there'd have been a overwhelming groundswell of support (apart from the U of H alumni) for the guy who choked against NC State? How about after he airballed his first freethrow? My point is that it's unfair to compare Hakeem, at the end of his career, to Yao Ming, who is at the beginning of his. Of course Hakeem will come out ahead. If, however, you compare post-UofH Hakeem, compared to Yao Ming, it's a bit closer.
While it is my personal opinion that Yao will not be as good as the Dream, some of you are going too far by ruling it out completely. You never know...
How can anybody even comment? Nobody here has seen Ming play two games (unless there are new Chinese posters here). Hakeem is a top 5 center in my opinion. Expectations for Ming should not be that high. If he can play in four or five all-star games, then he is worth picking.
Yao doesn't have to be as good as Hakeem. He will have a better supporting cast-- in general-- if they can just learn to play some defense. Yao will help that! As will EG...
Hakeem is better today than Ming- Ming in 2-3 years make that 4-5 years and we'll compare- he needs alot of development- he won't just walk in like Wang and take over the league. No i'm not a hater he is a good player- the Rockets will make the right choice with the #1. Be it Ming or Butler.
NYK and Queso, You may *think* that Ming will only turn out to be decent, and not be in Hakeem's class, but you don't *know* anything until you see the guy play for more than a minute and a half worth of clips. This is a supremely talented young kid that is 7'5. This isn't a basketball player like Bradley or Bol that makes a living because they are that tall... Ming could play with his skills if he were 6'8 or so. On top of those skills, he's 7'5, and he loves the game and constantly seeks improvement. My problem with the Ming-haters is their arrogance in proclaiming him to be a bust. The majority of those supporting Yao realize the risk, but think he *could* turn out to be a great player. In other words, they acknowledge both sides. You guys may have opinions on him, but you've only seen a minute and a half worth of footage and a few negative spin articles by the NY press disappointed that he won't be a Knick. You don't *know* anything. Whether or not you admit it, the possibility of Ming being an All-Star center does exist...
As does the possibility that he's Shawn Bradley all over again, or that he tries to put on too much weight, and ends up with no mobility in 2 years, and unable to sustain 25+ MPG. Anything and everything is possible. People proclaiming him to be a superstar, based on limited footage of highlights and/or one workout, is equally bad as people calling him Shawn Bradley or Manute Bol bust. Bradley had some of the same hype going around him-didn't he win the HS 3 point shooting contest? Personally, I think he'll end up around a Rik Smits type player-not bad, a couple of deserving all-star appearances, etc. I expect him to average around 14-8-3, but I worry about the fact we're not getting a medical workout; it's just common sense that the bigger you are, the more injury prone, especially in the lower body-he still has a lot of developing in the upper body to do, and say what you want about him being sturdy but 296 is not a thick weight for a guy 7'6''-it's all about distribution. His lower body seems to be holding up now (and those alleged stress fractures in his ankles are huge red flags), but how much upper body weight does he need to put on? I'd say at least 20-30 pounds based on what I've seen/heard. Can his legs sustain that? To quickly deviate, I see it the other way around-for example, people are refusing to see the talent in Odom because of some drug issues in his early 20s, while he has shown on the NBA level he can be a great player. There's risk no matter where you turn, but the talent return of Odom plus lotto picks is gigantic. Just like there's a possibility of Yao being a superstar, there's a possibility Odom gets his head straight, and improves his jumper like Tracy McGrady-if he does that, he's a better handler than McGrady, more unselfish, a better passer, and probably a top 8 player in the league, all at age 23. Back to topic, the majority right now want Ming- I'm not denying it. I wouldn't be dissapointed if we drafted Ming, I just don't think it's the very best way for this team to get better. Some people don't want Ming, and are more blatant about it-weren't people crucified for being against the Glen Rice deal? Wouldn't we agree now that they were probably right? Does anyone think he'll drop 20-12-2.5 his rookie year like Dream did?
