I agree with everything the writer said. In fact, it's basically what many of us have been harping on for months. The Rockets don't fit. It's not that SF is a bad player or a bad guy, but he's not a good fit for YM. A power forward is a must have. Either through trade (probably SF) or using the exception. I also agree with the writer's opinion that we don't need a stud over valued point guard. He doesn't have to be an all star player, nor a big name, nor have great athleticism, just be mentally tough with a decent outside shot. Yes I think Brent Barry would be a great fit, but his age is a major concern. He's 32 and wants a 4 year contract. Changes are a comin folks. Hold on to your hats. Raven
There is no doubt that Yao Ming is a top 10 player in the NBA as it is today. To put him the the top five in just his second year is a bit of a stretch and a bit unrealistic, but his impact on the court alone, numbers aside, is potent enough to be deemed a top 10 player. I feel that a number of fans here have some unrealistic expectations in terms of Yao and his consistancy. Is his consistancy at level to meet the high expectations of the impatient fans? No, but his consistancy has improved by leaps and bounds from last year. Has he shown any reason to believe that he will not improve? 1-Kobe 2-KG 3-Tim Duncan 4-Shaq 5-Jason Kidd 6-Dirk Nowitzki 7- Tracy McGrady 8-Vince Carter 9-Iverson 10-Francis 11-Elton Brand 12-Yao Ming.... Where Yao falls in the top 10 I don't know, but as for this list I do know to have Francis, Carter, Nowitzki and McGrady ahead of Yao is in my opinion absurd. Dirk and Tracy are nice offensive players but they are just that, one-dimensional. I could make a case for Vince more than I could for Steve but neither have the impact on a game such as Yao.
Brand has been averaging 20 pt 10rb on a really bad team, he's just another SAR. good, but not great, and certainly NOT a franchise player.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2541511 This is a Q&A that Justice had. Does this guy even watch basketball? It sucks to open a paper and have to read this guys crap that is constitantly published. Its so obvious that he is a YOF and wants SF shipped out ASAP. But just reading his reasoning and his other opinions (Yao>Garnett), its clear to see that this guy doesn't follow basketball at all. How is finishing plays blamed on the PG? Sure, they have to set the team up, but YM missing hook shots and MoT getting blocked have nothing to do w/ the PG. Is there anyway of getting a sportswriter fired? The guy obviously doesn't know anything about basketball and is just using his column to blabber his dumb opinions. Why do I keep reading his columns? I'm just too damn addicted to the Rockets.
There is no way Yao is a top 20 player, let alone top 5 player right NOW. I am not talking about potentials, just the performance. I do not even want to bring the NBA veterans, how about the rookie and sophomore classes? Amare, Lebron, Melo all had a better year than Yao did. I really think the article was written long before the playoff starts and was put on press as soon as Rockets lost.
If you're only looking at PPG(and all got a LOT more shots than Yao), then yeah, they did have better years than Yao...
i saw that too, but chose not to defend those mindless remarks. yao not even top 20. sigh. we have a crappy ass team.
I know this thread is going to get ugly, especially when the season is offically over for the Rockets.
Forget about Sheed. He is not going here at all. He will sign with Pistons with more than 10 mil in this offseason. The only one on Rockets who pistons will do a sign-and-trade with Sheed is Ming. Period.
for those of you who want brand for francis to happen, what has brand shown you that makes you think he is any better than steve? many people point ot the fact that we didnt make the playoffs before ming got here, which is a flawed argument in and of itself when you look at the teams we put on the floor those years. however, using that same argument brand looks twice as bad as steve. brand is a power player, the kind of player that has a much easier time of carrying a team than a guard, however he has yet to reach the playoffs including playing three years in the EAST. if the clips are going after kobe this summer, which i trhink they will try, brand is a major reason kobe would consider them.
I would never attach "great" to any player who shoot below .450, or below .500 for inside players. That's why it never stops amazing me when people put Bryant in the same sentence with MJ. Bryant barely average .450 for his career when he has O'Neal drawing most of the defensive attention, MJ was opponents constant focus every night, but he still shoot better than .500!
Obviously, the author is talking about basketball business here, comparing the $$$ a player can bring comparing to cost of their salary.
it's not about who is the better player.... it's about who is the better FIT. ask the Mavs about just going out and getting lots of really good players and putting them together on one team. it's about fitting players into roles within a given system.
