Yao and Steve vs Dream and Cassell. Who wins? I think it would be close. Steve is a better 1 on 1 player than Cassell, howerver, Cassell possesses a better jumper. Yao is taller and is almost unstoppable 1 on 1. Dream was unstoppable, howerver, Yao's size might give him some trouble.
actually, i would say yao and steve would win. however if you were playing 5 on 5 to win an nba championship i would chose dream and cassell as my center and PG over steve and yao.
Offense: Dream > Yao, but Yao is not far off. In fact, he's pretty unstoppable 1-on-1. Steve >> young cassell Advantage Yao + Steve Defense: Dream > Yao, but Yao's size alone makes him effective, i.e. Mark Eaton Cassell = Steve Advantage Dream + Cassell I would say the matchup is 50-50
yao and steve would win by default. hakeem strangled sam half way through the game because he wasnt passing dream the ball.
Yao has weak hands. Dream had quick hands on D. He'd knock that ball out of Yao's hands every single possession. Maybe not get the steal, but make him fumble the ball and thus be able to push him out of position. People seem to forget that Hakeem was a good all-around defensive player, not just a blocking machine. Advantage Dream. Honestly, I don't know how the game would turn out, but Yao wouldn't fare too well.
Eaton did make Hakeem struggle, but it wasn’t just because he was big. He was a great defensive player (NBA defensive player of the year a couple times, and All-Defense team throughout his career). He didn’t fall for all the fakes that Hakeem made. Yao would.
Yao needs a little experience. He already has all the tools, big, tall and heavy. Just acting like a stiff, he would be as effective as Eaton. There's a reason Rox is now the 2nd best defensive team. Opponents always shoot like crap against Rox.
Yao could never cover Dream. He has problems with no names currently playing in the NBA. Dream would shake him out of his shoes. Yao would also get the ball stripped every time if he ever brought the ball low like he does with dream around. Cassell would be smart enough to keep passing it to Dream. Anyone who thinks Yao is even close to Dream never saw Dream play. If Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, and Deke couldn't cover him with help during the prime of their careers, why would you think Yao would do any better.
This is a joke right. Dream and Cassell would destroy Yao and Steve....even today at Dream and 41 years of age, I would still put my money on Dream and Sam. DD
well lets see... dreams offense is much better than yao's dream is a much better rebounder than yao dream is a much better defender than yao dream is much quicker than yao yao is not unstopable 1 on 1 because he doesn't protect the ball well enough and he can't even get off all his shots against good defensive centers or players. i think we all know how kirilenko likes to block yao and how shaq blocks yao on his fade-aways. some of you guys here are confusing what yao CAN be with what yao IS. cassell and francis i think would be even though. both are scrappy players and probably close to the same level on offense and defense. francis is a bit quicker though. btw hikanoo...what kind of offense do you think the rockets ran with dream? not a half court offense? dream was best in the half court offense. snowmt...mark eaton was a shot blocker. yao is not a good shot blocker. also dream had trouble with eaton but that doesnt mean he didnt dominate him.
I see. Dream is by far the best center of all time and Yao is at most Rick Smits. Since Dream hadn't won his first championship until his 10th season, I doubt Yao would ever have a single final appearance if he's the go-to player of a team.
Let's remeber that this is 2-0n-2 and that Steve thrives in this kind of game and like someone mentioned before, Hakeems speed advantage would be diminished because of the half court game. I would still put my money on Sam and Dream but I don't think it would be as easy as you think.
Dream would absolutely, totally destroy yao. on defense. on offense. theres no comparison. as much as i love yao, hes no where near dream's level.
i never said any of those things...don't put words into my mouth and act like i am someone who is completely discounting yao and calling him rik smits. i'm just saying yao's offensive game is nowhere near fully developed and he would get stripped by dream a lot playing the way he plays. he exposes the ball way too much and doesn't always utilize his size as much as he can. btw did you ever see dream lead the team to the finals in 86? or play in college? honestly, how can you say yao is not too far off from dream's offense? yao has trouble keeping the ball from getting stripped when he goes into his moves. you do notice how guys with quick hands have a tendency to rip the ball from yao before he gets the shot off. you have seen how yao has his fadaways blocked. when did dream ever have the dream shake blocked? are you telling me yao has the ability to front dream like dream could do to yao? yes, yao has more range than dream but thats all he has. yao would have to be draining everything from the outside because i seriously believe yao would have hell getting shots off against dream in the post, at least at the level yao is at now.
Hakeem = one of the greatest defensive players of ALL TIME. Hakeem = one of the most offensively gifted centers to ever play the game. Yao = ??????? potential ????????? Sorry, there's no comparison. In only his 2nd year in the NBA, Dream had already become the best center in the league and led his team to the NBA finals (after defeating Magic Johnson's "showtime" Lakers no less!). He was already a force. Yao, however, is still searching for "the will to dominate." Until Yao develops the mentality to be "THE MAN", it's ridiculous to even try to compare him with Dream.
Dream is the best player on the court, so I would take him and Sam. In the championship runs, he would iso on the baseline, crossover, spin, and take Ewing and Robinson to the hoop. These guys were quicker than Yao, especially Robinson, so I don't think Yao would be able to contend with Dream's iso. As far as posting up, Dream could get the Dreamshake fadeaway off on anybody, so I don't think Dream offense should be questioned. Yao has size and strength, but it would be harder for him to get the ball in 2 on 2. Dream hands were so quick, so if yao brings the ball down, Dream could swipe it. Bottom line, if its winners outs, and Dream/Sam score first...game over.
Man, that's tough. I remember the big tall oafs of the NBA would cause Dream fits. Imagine what an athletic 7'6 monster would do. Still, on D Sam could double Yao in the post & strip the ball. He wouldn't have to worry so much about Steve knocking down a 2 (they count for 2 instead of 3 in 2-on-2, right?). On the other hand, Dream's really good at passing out of the double team, so Yao would have to play him straight up. I think my nod goes to the veteran trickery of Dream + Cassell.
