That's a good question. I would pick Yao because he's the type of player that attracts the McGradys, the Derek Andersons, the Mt Mutombos, the Jon Barrys and the Swifts of the NBA. Who wouldn't want to play with a guy that draws so much interest from the public and defenders away from their man?
Look at the date that all these posters became members. All of them are post-drafting-Yao members except for Jardinero. I'd be interested in the thoughts from more fans that were on here when the team was in a tailspin.
Yao Tmac came to play with Yao That brought Swift/DA and future championships I still think its harder to find a quality big man so I would have to go with Yao.. kind of like the whole Hakeem / Jordan debate. J
I say Yao. As good as Tmac was he didnt and couldnt lead the Orlando Magics. Yao makes the game so much easier for everyone on the court, and I think that is one of his strength that is unnoticed and unappreciated here.
Yao leading that team wouldn't make the playoffs either. He would have to make those player alot better to win.
McGrady coming out of high school and Yao Ming coming out of China...I take McGrady. I was very familiar with him and some called him the best player in North Carolina when he was a junior (when Glen Rice was an all-star for the Hornets). He had a higher potential, and the risk was actually smaller than with Yao. He wasn't Lebron safe, but there was no way he wouldn't be good. Also remember that McGrady was drafted in the period when high schoolers were still rare for the first round, much less the lottery. It was KG (5th pick in 95), then Kobe (13th pick in 96), then T-Mac (9th pick in 97 ). In today's draft he would be a top 3 pick.
A lot of good things happened after we landed Yao. So I have t go with Yao. TMac is awesome, the reason he chose Houston is that he can play with Yao. Now with Yao and TMac, it's whole lot easier to convince other good guys to come play for Houston. Not to mention the huge fan base for Houston because of Yao.
1st off...if i had the 1st pick and i could choose anyone, i wouldn't take McGrady NOR Yao and it just ends right there
If Rudy were still calling the shots, we'd draft both of them *and* Amare, then trade them all for the rights to Eddie Griffin. I love Rudy, but MAN, that was a bad call.
I would pick T-Mac because you have a very good player from high school, and Yao is from another country and in the draft was a doubt to his talent, but right now is a lot more closer.