Is Yao a top 25, top 15, top 10 player in the league right now?

Want to take a guess at who are teh 3 guys that voted the last category? Juugi and ?

 

Yao is a lock NBA third team this year and may have a shot at the second. so that puts him a top 15 at worst.

 

would have guessed silentfan but he's been banned.

 

I think there needs to be a distinction between...

Who are the best 20 players in the game right now?

and

Which players impact their team the greatest?

and

Which players are the most dominant?

These are separate questions but I think a lot of people are overlapping them.

In the case of Yao, he is clearly in the top 20 best players right now, but I still think he is just outside the top 10. As has been mentioned, he is still inconsistent and, IMO, has a ways to go defensively to really reach that top tier of players. He also must improve his overall conditioning and get better in transition.

In the case of who is most dominant, Yao still cannot overwhelm teams like many players in that top 10 or so can. He is close, but, again, it is about consistency not just from game to game, but quarter to quarter.

However, in the case of which players have the greatest impact on their respective teams, you could argue that along with Duncan, Garnett, Shaq and probably LaBron, Yao is right up there.

That is a tremendously significant achievement, but it is different from being amongst the best players in the game right now, this season.

 

You know, I personally just can't picture Lebron worthy of being in this discussion. The kid has potential, to be sure, but this year?

Imagine Yao on the Cavaliers instead of Lebron. And put in an above average guard in place of Illguskas(he'd definitely fetch such a player in a trade). I'd imagine that team in the Eastern conference to be at worst a 4th seed, and could easily be the 2nd best team behind Indy. But with Lebron they're 9 games under .500 barely in the playoff race.

To put the kid in the same class as the likes of KG, Shaq, Dirk, Kobe, Duncan, etc. is a slap on the face for these players. At least Yao can claim to have monster games against these players.

 

December 25, 2000
Huge Upside
by Bill Walton
ESPN The Magazine

As we approach the halfway point of the Age of Shaq, the search for a successor has extended to the least likely of places: China. Why? If you watched the Olympics, you know. I was there, and after watching Yao Ming compete against the best players in the world, I left Sydney dizzy with the possibilities. Simply put, the 20-year-old Yao has a chance to alter the way the game of basketball is played.

I've seen hundreds of talented prospects look promising in tryouts, only to disappoint once they got on the court against polished performers. I'm sure that won't be the case with the 7'6" Yao. This guy has skills, competitiveness and basketball intelligence that far exceed his limited background. As I watched his crisp and imaginative passes, felt the energy surge when he'd whip an outlet to launch a fast break and noted his decisionmaking and great court demeanor, I knew I was peering into the future.
The first thing that struck me about Yao in Sydney was the way he combines grace with size. He carried a beautifully sculpted physique
(he weighs 265 pounds) despite only recently committing to formal weight training and conditioning programs. His base is solid -- size 18 feet under a powerfully muscled lower body -- yet he's amazingly nimble. The mechanics of his jump and hook shots, while not classic, are most certainly sound. And consistent. His jumper is dangerous out to 20 feet, and he can hook you to death with either hand.

The two best young players I've ever seen were Lew Alcindor (before he was Kareem) and Arvydas Sabonis. At this stage, Yao is not the equal of either. But his upside is so unlimited that when he does enter the NBA draft, I can't conceive of any other player being chosen before him.

It usually takes a foreign player at least two years to adjust to American culture and perform at his best. The language barrier is always the initial hurdle, though that should be a lesser concern for Yao. Three years ago he spoke no English. Since then, he has been to the U.S. as a guest of Nike and been a participant in Michael Jordan's summer youth basketball camp, and he's learned enough English to communicate adequately with coaches and teammates. Yao will have more of a challenge adjusting to the NBA lifestyle: rich restaurant food instead of the Chinese staples of fish and rice, a different hotel room every other night, the constant trips in and out of airports. His life will be quite different from the one he leads now.

Yao was recruited to play for the Sharks' junior team seven years ago, but it's an enormous stretch to compare the Chinese developmental process to ours. The facilities in China do not measure up to our standards either. Nor does the equipment. It's ironic that much of the world's sporting equipment is now produced in China, but that equipment is available to its own athletes on only a limited basis.

The poor quality of coaching in China and the multiple levels of bureaucracy are also hurdles for Yao. Basketball innovation and creativity are absent in China, where longer, harder and faster practices are thought to be the true path to success. And while the Chinese are aware of the need to upgrade the level of coaching, the extreme nationalism in China and noncompetitive salaries prevent the much needed influx of U.S. coaches. There's only one American now coaching in China. Former NBA player Mike McGee coaches a team in the league Yao plays in, and his impact is severely limited since he isn't associated with the all-important national team.

I think the quality of international competition, especially in China, holds back Yao as well. The international game is slow-paced and almost contact-free, and you face a top opponent no more than a few times a year. The speed, intensity and physical nature of every possession in the NBA makes Chinese basketball look like it's in slow motion.

Despite these hurdles, the people who run basketball in this country continue to dream of a truly international NBA. Why not? If you can find a Larry Bird in French Lick, Ind., a Kevin McHale in Hibbing, Minn., or a John Stockton in Spokane, Wash., why can't you find a future star in Russia, Brazil or China? A year ago, the Mavericks used a second-round pick to draft 7'1" Wang Zhi-Zhi, the first Chinese national selected by an NBA team. Wang is a good player, more along the lines of a Toni Kukoc, and the Mavericks are still working to get him under contract. But it's Yao who has the NBA truly excited.

Granted, I can't predict Yao's continued good health. Or how hard and long he'll work to develop his game. Or how he'll stand up to playing 100 NBA games a year. Or whether he'll be able to overcome his relatively short arms, suspect explosiveness and less-than-great lateral mobility.

Yes, Yao is unquestionably a work-in-progress. But if I were an NBA coach, I'd like him to be my work-in-progress. He's 7'6" and incredibly graceful and coordinated. Over the past 15 years, the NBA has put a higher premium on physical talent than on skill. The international game favors the opposite, skill without the physical prowess. Yao Ming has the chance to be the bridge that spans both worlds.

This article appeared in the December 25, 2000, issue of ESPN The Magazine.

 

Juugie, WNBA and MemphisX.

 

Wait, I change my mind. Juugie, WNBA and amed.

 

Bill Walton as Rox coach would be interesting.

 

Damn. Walton's right after all. I guess that's why he's bragging now. He earned it (and is milking it).

 

I love 'em but he's not consistent enough yet to be top 10 or 15. He still needs work on rebounding, blocking (both not nearly enough for his size), setting up in the post, his strength, playing enough mins, etc. What I'm trying to say is, he's just not dominant enough yet. He still has a good deal to learn about being a big man, but he's improved RAPIDLY like Dirk said. Top 15 possibly, 25 without a doubt.

 

Top 10, of course.
He is now btw top 15 b/c the Rockets system is changing and he he has not performed his potential as he has.Once Steve orginizes the team well, Yao will denifinitelly bethe one amoung the top ten.

 

I think that yao is future top 10.He is heading for that now.His performances lately satisfied me very much and his teammates give him more confidence and support him a lot.It is a good beginning for rox,and for yaoming.The future is brighter and brighter and yaoming will play better and better.Best wishes to yaoming and his rockets.

 

It is now 5, So there mast be another 2 Yao-hater on this board

 

Players that are definitely superior at the moment:

Garnett, Duncan, Shaq (ugh)

Players who are almost certainly better:

Kobe, McGrady, Kidd

Players who a good argument can be made for being better:

Iverson, Pierce, Nowitski, Carter,

I wouldn't put anyone else definitively above him, and you can make serious arguments about some of those guys. There are a couple of other guys (James, Brand, Randolph, Marbury, Marion) whom I know some people would consider better or equal... but I think all those guys are a bit below.

 

I agree with haven's take.

I think Yao have proven that he can score at will against any straight up defense. What he has not proven is the ability to beat double team.

Actually, I think his offensive game is quite consistent. The inconsistency in his scoring is due to opponents defensive strategy. Look at the Mavs game. He was unstoppable in the first quarter. Then when Dallas adjusted their defense, they can't get him the ball any more. After the first Q, the Mavs were determined not to be beaten by Yao. They kept a double team on him off the ball to deny him touches. His teammates were open all night. We could have blown them out if not for all those damn turnovers.

Yao is one of only a handful of players that forces opponents to customize their defensive strategies. That says a lot.

Yao's inconsistency lies in his rebounding, not scoring.

 

yao is top 15 right now.

if he plays a little more consistent the final 20 games, he's in the top 10.

if he improves his defense, grab more boards, and be more aggressive and not let anybody pushes him around, he'll be top 5.

three years from now, he might be the best player in the league.

i'm tired of people who constantly say yao is another rik smits. at 23, yao is playing like smits played at his prime. but, yao will get better and better.

 

The kid has REALLY impressed me lately with his play.

I give him top 10.

 

I'll give Yao top 25 but he needs to be more consistant for more than 5 games straight.