I would hate to go to war with some of you guys, lose a battle then toss in the white flag. I for one am cool with our squad, Ming being one of the elements that I am coolest with. When Hakeem came into the league he was no more than a bumbling big man with NO talent around hime except for a fragile Ralph Sampson and Alan "Jack it up from anywhere" Level. "The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to the one that endureth until the end" SO CHILL! Maybe Yao needs to add an "H" to his name
AB, I agree with you but your example is terrible. Hakeem didn't score less than 10 points in a game until the late 90's I believe. His team team consisted of Lucas, Sampson, McCray, Bobby Joe Reid, Wiggins, Leavell, and sweet shooting Lew LLoyd. If it wasn't for drugs and the injuries to Sampson, that would have been a dynasty team.
Not fair to compare Yao to Hakeem, who IMO is the best big man of all time. And if not considered the "best", the most skilled. Dream Rookie numbers: 20.6/11.9/1.4 Blocks: 2.68 Steals: 1.21 FG% : 53.8 Minutes: 35.5
I know a lot has happened the last few weeks and it does seem like it's been awhile because of all the excitement....but remember the guy has only been in the US for 10 freakin days.. He's had very few practices and has been in the spotlight everywhere he goes..must be pretty overwhelming for a young kid.
I agree, we should with hold judgement for at least a month on Yao Ming. The problem with the game last night is we didn't pass the ball. The ISO game came out again . . .
I agree with ya AB. Only thing more dissapointing than last nights game was the reaction of the "fans". Gimme a break. Indy is a talented team, the rox were missing a bunch of their frontcourt rotation, and what was left didn't play all that great. They WILL get better. I can't wait to see the Rocks + Mo and KT.
I think the difference is that Yao, at this point is a skill player that has not even close to acclimated to the "American" style of basketball. Hakeem, had years, including many trips to the final four under his belt and had much more experience in the type of game played. Hakeem was also taught not to defer to anyone, a trait that we saw as a positive when he was on top, and a negative as he began to age. The lack of firepower on that team also allowed Hakeem to throw up some gaudy numbers, albeit great, yet todays Rockets have incredible scoring which I think will limit Yao's tangible numbers. What I find remarkable is that Yao is not getting by on sheer athleticism, but skill and knowledge. He is a finesse player and has the TEAM concept ingrained into his psyche. I think the one of the best pick'n'pop's was with Yao and Nachbar, who both come from a closer type game than the US. That one Yao pick gave Nachbar ample amounts of room. I love the fact that Yao doesn't seem to have an ego, but just wants the team to win. He is constantly screening, and i'm sure he is waiting for the mismatch on the smaller guard and will laugh as the Point guard tries to stop a 7'6 shooter. Hakeem, with or without the H, was an athletic beast. Because he relied so much on his quickness and athletic ability, his decline was quite rapid and severe. That did carry him through much of his career until he took steps to become the full offensive player we love. Very different players, I would compare Griffin more to Hakeem than I would Yao, but even griffin pales in comparison to the early spring-step Hakeem, but Griffn is still younger than when dream came out and Griffin absolutely destroyed the college ranks in his one year at Seton Hall.
