Jeez...Steve Francis wasn't even all that thrilled on draft-day when Yao was picked. Didn't love Yao until they actually spent some time together.
It's the Asian-American experience fool! We don't expect someone like you to ever comprehend this in your tiny mind.
Yao was never discriminated against because of the color of his skin. Lin faced that kind of discrimination for the majority of his youth basketball career. Different kinds of challenges.
Yes, the modernization and economic growth started after 1979. Yao was born in 1980 and would not have experience the poverty periods in China pre-1979.
Right, but I doubt the effects of economic growth would have been instant. That's besides the point anyway. Yao came from a family of Olympic athletes. Those guys even in pre 1979 China got everything they needed.
Ummm, this is not how it happened. The entire NBA world knew we were going to pick Yao as #1. CD, Les and Stern had just spent a month negotiating with China and the CBA about whether Yao would actually play in the US, if drafted. You make it sound like Francis was surprised on draft day. You are just flat out wrong. And even if you were right, you just made my point about Houston embracing Yao. Your bold comment above was way before Yao became an All-star. My point is people here are saying Houston fans (and you say Francis) didn't embrace Yao until he became an All-Star, as some type of logic to then say if Lin became an All-Star, we'd like him too. Your post proves that Houston and Francis liked Yao as soon as we got to actually see him play. It didn't takes years or even months.
And further, tinman, Zboy, CometsWin and my point about LOFs vs Rockets fans is the entire BBS viciously bashed by Francis and Mobley for not throwing the ball to Yao enough. That's the difference between real Rockets Fans and LOFs/YOFs. We are critical of all Rockets players, and LOFs can't even recognize that because they see the world through Lin-colored glasses.
Nope, never said or implied that Francis was surprised...but I do recall that he wasn't particularly happy about it. I distinctly remember Francis on TV that day, in his suit, trying unconvincingly to look excited about the pick. He only embraced Yao after they got to know each other. And I never said anything about Houston only embracing Yao after he became an All-Star. I just said that Houston fans didn't embrace Yao "from the start". I remember some not-so-kind words by Houston fans after Yao's first few games which included a big fat zero points in his rookie debut. I don't remember when the tide turned, but I remember when Marbury crossed him over and he fell on his butt that lots of Houston fans were still calling him a stiff.
Not sure how Houston fans bashing Francis and Mobley for not throwing the ball to Yao enough shows anything about Lin fans?
What vocal minority say on a message board during a moment of venting is not what us fans at Compaq Center were saying. I'm a season-ticketholder and in no way shape or form were the majority of Houston fans, certainly not us STHs, ever bashing our rookie for falling on the ground due to a Marbury cross-over. We all embraced Yao immediately, just like Francis and Mobley and Rudy T did. You are just mistaken.
You can't follow my point? The point is very simple. LOFs thought we only bashed Lin. That was their main premise. When in fact, we have never shown in the history of the bbs a tendency to let some bias get in the way of critiquing and bashing any Rocket for poor play. I was showing history. If you need examples in the present when Lin was here, look no further than TJones. No one got more **** than TJones during the Portland series.
Player only fans tend to never criticize their own player. Yao fans could never say he had a bad game. Even that harden2capela guy won't criticize harden. Personally they all suck. But based on clutchfans history, lin only fans were the worst of the bunch. There's a huge sense insecurity they have.
Of course. Dribbling the clock out. Not practicing cause he wanted to go to the superbowl with jay z and Beyonce
