I hear a lot of Clutchfans get upset when opposing players or coaches talk about Yao's height. Many people feel this is only brought up as a disrespect for Yao's skills. I think there is something too that but then again there's no denying Yao is among the tallest players to ever play and that gives him some advantage. The difference between Yao and players like Bradley and Muresan is that Yao also has the athletic ability and shooting touch to exploit that height Given that Yao is the most skilled player that the NBA has ever seen at over 7'-4" do you think Yao would be as good if he was shorter, say at 7'-0"?
you mean ceteris paribus? Anyway, this kind of hypothetical, couterfactual poll may ONLY be interesting in modal logic.
It is kind of silly bc they're ignoring the fact that any physical attribute exists by no credit or fault of the player (besides strength training). We could ask if Iverson would be as good if he weren't as quick or if Shaq would be as dominant if he weren't thick. Passive aggresive jealousy. So I guess it just comes down to people are hardwired to dislike people who are larger? David vs Goliath kind of thing?
if shaq wasn't as strong... if iverson wasn't as fast... if dr.j souldn't jump as high... doesn't matter. sports have as much to do with physical ability as they do weith skill and IQ. i'm 5'9, slow, and can't jump. if i were 6'9, fast, and can jump would i be any better? yes. i'd give away every bit of basketball skill to gain that physical ability.
This question is a bit ridiculous. He's so valuable because of his skillset at 7 6'. Obviously, if he was shorter, with the same skillset, he would not be as valuable because height in itself is a valuable attribute.
As the coaches always say: there is only one thing you can't teach in basketball, which is the height.
As opposed to threads saying the Rox would be better if we had traded Ralph Sampson for Michael Jordan or the Texans had drafted VY instead of Mario Williams? This is purely hypothetical but its not like hypotheticals are never discussed here.
Sure, it's hypothetical but the question in a sense answers itself. If he was shorter (thus taking away from his physical ability), would he be AS good? Of course not.
its not about how tall a guy is...if it were, shawn bradley would still be around and would have been a "star"...
If he is shorter, he would be more athletic and faster, hence he would move more like DHoward or Amare, and can jump 2 feet instead of 2 inches. With his shooting touch, and his high BBall IQ, he would be just as good or even better. That said, how would anyone every know?
Yao's a freak of nature. Being that big and that athletic. But I think if he were shorter, he would be more mobile, quicker, and use less energy to keep that body in good shape and prolonging his career. Everything is hypothetical, It's like asking would AI be as fast as Shaq if he were 7'1 and would Shaq be as fast as AI, if he were 6'0.
Not exactly. A lot of the criticism on Yao when he first got in the league was that he would be another Shawn Bradley, that super tall players lacked the physical mobility and shooting touch to be effective. Yao has proven that he isn't that. Now we are seeing people getting upset when opposing players mention Yao's height as the reason he is so good such as Dwight Howard's comment. The question is then if Yao is good not just because he is freakishly tall then would those athletic skills, mobility and soft shooting touch still mean that he would be as good a player if he was shorter? Take out considering his height and judge him on his skills.
Too hard to answer. I'll assume it's implied that he'll gain some more attributes (Dungeons & Dragons style?) typical of shorter players: faster speed and better footwork. In that case, it depends how much faster would he be? How much better footwork would he have? He would probably also have better enduarnce. Otherwise, if Yao was shorter and had the exact same ability the answer is obviously no. His only given benefit is lower center of gravity, but that won't be compensation enough.
Also consider that if Yao was shorter, he might be quicker and more agile. All else being equal, of course he wouldn't be as good if he was shorter. But if he gained other physical attributes as a result, then he might be even better.
I think it would help him get more foul calls/less turnovers on the offensive end, and would also help him avoid some silly fouls on the defensive end... but other than that, his height is a huge advantage: Helps him take any jump shot at any time, helps him get rebounds, helps him get blocks (where he's slow to jump), and helps him see the court to make passes. Sure, he probably would be just as good at 7'3 or 7'4, but if you're talking about making him 6'10, forget about it.
People also underrate an individual's ability to maximize the usage of their body. That should also be an attribute one should consider. When you throw work ethic into the mix, I have every reason to believe Yao will be still as good.
Assuming that Yao's athletic ability would increase greatly with a reduction in height is a bit presumptuous. There are plent of seven footers, Europeans especially, who are not the most athletically gifted of players.
