I have no idea what you are getting at. Yao is not near the top in terms of talent and skill, nor did I ever say he was. I'm pointing out the fact that Yao is one of the biggest contributor to the Rockets, and contributing to the team is more than just being good at basketball player for that team.
Rockets had a history before there was Yao Ming and I am very confident they would have been fine had there been no Yao Ming. If you think Yao Ming, no matter what his off-court contributions were, was more important than a number of Rockets player's and their on-court contributions, you are, as I said, DELUSIONAL. Delusions of grandeur. Learn the team's history before even thinking of spouting such crap.
First of all, do you even know what delusion of grandeur means? If you are going to try and use fancy terms for insults, unless know what it means. That insult makes as much sense in this context as me calling you a tennis ball. Second of all, I never implied anywhere that the Rockets would not have been fine without Yao Ming. Arguing a strawman is probably what you could call as "delusional". Third of all, I see Yao's contribution to the Rockets as extremely significant, and yes arguably more significant than a number of other Rockets. I do not consider him as the top Rocket in history, nor the most skilled Rockets. However, I do think that the sheer amount of impact he had in bringing both basketball and Rockets to the East is one of the biggest contributions a basketball player has ever had. Rockets became the face of the East, gained almost millions of followers immediately, and had tremendous impact on the brand. Yao did not build the Rockets, not even close. However, he did expand the Rockets, making it one of the most known teams around the world. Yes, I am not talking about basketball in this case. And last of all, get your head out of your ass, or is it so far up that it's stuck? That would explain your behavior.
Top 10 players should have more than one playoff victory IMO. Therefore Yao doesn't belong in top 10. Tmac does because he was better player and it wasn't his fault Yao couldn't held his own against Carlos Boozer.
Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer took a collective dump on Yao and the Rockets, and the brand that Yao built in front of Rockets fans and their "East fans" all series and particularly in game 7 on his own home court. Things got so bad for Yao that Clutch had to mention Yao's fetal position on his front page game and series coverage section. An often-injured player that has gone onto second round of the playoffs just once. A player that has never dominated a single playoff series or carried his team in playoffs. Plenty of hopes and dreams but no post season success to show for it. The resume above would maybe be sufficient to be the second best player of all time on some other teams in the NBA, but definitely not on the Houston Rockets that has a history of finals runs and championships. Myself and plenty of Rockets fans could care less that we gained a number of Rockets fans in the far east. I dont follow the Rockets and keep a tally on the fanbase. Most of use care about post season success and championships. And what exactly did that extra fan base get you? Rockets might have made extra $$ but Yao Ming era is among the top ones when it comes to post season failures in the Rockets history. This isn't the National Marketing Association. this is the NBA. You are not going to convince many Rockets fans (besides the fan base that Yao created) that he was the 2nd on the list of the top 50 players and you are going to be laughed at by the non-Rockets fan if you mention this. You are simply being delusional. You are also insulting the Houston Rockets franchise and some of the great players it has had when you put Yao #2 on that list because he "brought in an extra fan base". Shame on you!
Please point out to me where I said Yao Ming is the second best player of all time on the Rockets. Or are you just going to blatantly make up something I never said and argue that? I don't know what your problem is, I specified that Yao Ming is nowhere near the most skilled Rocket, nor even a top Rocket. I pointed out his contributions to the Rockets were arguably more important than any other Rocket, and I specified that it was not because of basketball. If we are to talk about on-court contributions, then Yao is absolutely nowhere near the top. If we are talking about the greatest Rockets, then no Yao is not near the top. But I am talking about contributions in general, and unlike you I actually pay attention to international events and I think Yao has had massive international impact on the NBA, and Rockets were the biggest beneficiary. Seeing as you didn't read my previous post, I highly doubt you would read this one as well. However, shame on you for making up an argument I never made and questioning my loyalty to this team based on something that you conjured up on your on. I respect all Rockets fans, so you are no different, but you have some serious issues.
