The real issue here is PT and potential. Back in China, Wang was THE BETTER PLAYER. He was aggresive and got an amazing shooting touch. He was the better player. Then he came to the NBA. Aside from lack of PT and sitting on the bench, the fact that he played on the Mavs didn't help either. I mean seriously, the Mavs gotta be the only team that have their 5 behind the arc shooting 3's (Don Nelson and his brain farts). As a result Wang never adjusted and may never adjust. His lack of PT and confidence is a result of that. Yao on the other hand, had to be the guy almost since day one. On our previously frontcourt deficient team, although Cato started, it was expected that Yao will one day carry this team. He had to adjust, add his simply off the chart learning curve, he was successful. Btw, one other reason Wang doesn't get to play is cuz he can't play D. Yao said himself that Wang is the better offensive player while he likes to play defence more. As for media attention, being a 7'5 22 year old 1st pick overall basketball prodigy that everyone likes didn't hurt.
I'm a Wang supporter from the very moment he joined the NBA. He wasn't as popular as Yao becoz he's 7'1", not 7'5", and he doesn't have that sense of humor and charisma that Yao has. But the biggest difference is that he's a second round pick, whereas yao is the #1 pick in the draft. As a second round pick, you don't expect to start, and play around 10 minutes a game, that's not enough to showcase your skills, especially on teams with many talents such as Dallas and LA. Wang has disappointed me, meanwhile Yao meets my expectations so far.
WZZ is a sharp shooter. Check out his 3-pt. IMHO, being drafted by Mavs was a big mistake. He's wasted in terms confidence and skill. The following animosity between him & CBA is more of propaganda. What's the so brilliant for playing a team like Chinese national? Losing 7 of 8 games, the guards are best described, eeer.... liability?
Err, why would Wang make Lakers scary? Wang does not get very good review from the media here in LA. I've seen him play a few times and frankly I am surprised that he was ever considered a better player than Yao.
In the last year they competed in China, Yao was already a little better than Wang. But Chinese people just didn't say that in public, either they couldn't tell or they didn't want hurt Wang's feelings. Olympic games 2000 should be the turning point of Yao's career. More people began to say "he can play", and among them Bill Walton saw most out of Yao's performance. Wang's learning curve is almost flat compared to Yao's. You have to admit Yao is much more talented.
