Yao’s moves were very quick for someone 7” and over. He just wasn’t quick running down the court but in the half court he was a menace, his footwork was a sight to see as he could maneuver around almost any other center at that time. On defense he had his issues once teams started playing small ball as he had bulked up to play against Shaq and the other traditional centers. The younger rookie Yao would have been fine in today’s NBA, his speed would be similar to any other regular 7” foot center in terms of speed. Edey looks like the older bulked up Yao but without the footwork. He doesn’t have the speed or quickness to keep up with the slowest players in the NBA today but his size and touch is intriguing. He could have a Boban type role where he comes in to slow the game down or to play spot mins to provide some size when needed.
The gulf between Edey and Yao Ming is like the difference between Cousins and Shaq. They may look similar but the reality is it ain't close. Yao Ming just like Shaq was extremely nimble and coordinated for his size. His various injuries turned him to a stiff but prior that his mobility was more than good enough for his height, he'd be like a 7'6 Kessler Walker in today's NBA. I believe a reborn Yao Ming is still good enough to go no 1 in today's NBA, esp since Yao Ming was an 83% ft shooter and could probably learn 3s and mid range in today's NBA.
But Yao was definitely as good as Wemby. He was stronger. He could hit all the shots He was back to the basket and face up. His all around game was monsterous Heck of a passer . . .. . they different but Yao was still great Honestly. I would not be mad is the Rockets took a Flyer on this guy This moves Alp to his natural 4 Edey needs to be Steven Adams 2.0 (better offense) Set strong screens. . . .Dive to the basket or pop REBOUND REBOUND REBOUND Maybe a hinderance on the switch everything defense though Edey - ALP - BARI - Green - Amen could be a nice core Rocket River
I'm not going to argue who is better. Wemby is a rookie. The point is they aren't comparable players at all. They are both tall and not born in America. Das it.
True. Wemby is more like Ralph Sampson than Yao. Edey IMO will be better than Gobert (at least offensively) Rocket River
I love when people propagate this myth because I put on my beret and glasses and tell your ass he was ~ 300 lbs when drafted - this is an established fact, myth thereby busted.
296-300 lbs when drafted. Had massive tree-trunk lower body that was obvious then; people would post threads on the BBS that were like "WOW look at the size of his calf! it's huge!" - if anything people were surprised seeing him in person how heavy he was because htey were used to grainy footage of him as a teenager when he looked skinnier. Definitely replaced some of his bulk w/muscle and got up to a top listed weight of 312, but i wouldn't be surprised if he played above that as he got older and frankly just, moved less. Then he retired & ballooned up past 400 lbs and eventually became an anti-obesity campaign spokesman in China. The guy's body was made to put on weight. It's huge! The weird alternate reality narrative that the Rockets took the gazelle-like young Yao Ming and turned him into a hulking behemoth has been persistent though, and I'm not suprised by it, it's got all the makings of a classic conspiracy theory - a lost, never-existing golden age, an identifiable villain, a boorish american method of overconsumption, etc.
The big question is on defense does the team he goes to limit how much they switch on defense so he doesn't get matched up with smaller quicker players.
