Yao or Amare

I think in a JVG system, I'd keep Yao, but Amare may work better in an Adelman type system.

Still, it's really hard to say, I don't think Amare nor Yao have reached their fullest potential yet.

I think it's a toss-up still. I think Amare has a slight edge right now because of his speed and quickness...but Yao probably has more ability to create his own shot from the post position.

 

Amare is a great player but Im not sure if I am sold he can be that great without Steve Nash. Everyone raves about his athleticism and scoring, but look at stats. He averaged 20.4 pts, and 9.6 rebounds. Yao averaged 25.0 points and 9.4 rebounds. Big difference is Yao played on a slow down team where there were far fewer possessions to score or rebound then what Amare is use to.

Amare is a far greater athlete then Yao, but anyone who thinks he is clearly the better player is nuts. You can make that argument but no way is it a clear decision.

I would be very interested to see Amare or Marion get traded this year. My bet would be their stats take a hit without the flow created by Nash.

Point being, I would keep Yao.

 

I take Yao over Amare for sure. Now between Amare, Okafor, Oden, Dwight Howard, basically all the young bigs coming up, I think I would probably take Amare over the rest of them. But that could change quickly depending on what I see from Oden early on and if Dwight Howard seems to develop any skills.


As it is right now though I do feel Amare and Yao are the clear top class of this generations centers, but I still take Yao over Amare.

 

That's so tough to say. I wouldn't compare those 2 playes cause they're completly different. Yao is more a center and Amare is more a powerful PF (cause he plays C in Phoenix)

Yao is 7-6 and you can't forget about that. He has a great range on his shoots and especially freethrows. And when he shoots his jump hooks there are no person who can stop him. His weakness are rebounds and defense cause 7-6 guy can't be guick that's impossible.

On the other hand Amare is a fantastic athlete. He's so strong, he jumps so high and that makes him a great rebounder, dunker and blocker. He can also make a jumpers to 17 foot away but he has a lot of speed and he can beat his defenders of the dribble. He can finish alley-oops.

Yao can't stop Amare 1 on 1 and Amare can't beat Yao 1 on 1 without help. Amare would kill Yao with his quickness and Yao would kill Amare with his size.

So I can't actually say who is better but now for coach 'A' Amare would be better with up tempo game.

 

I think before Amare's knees went out he was clearly the better player. Now it's a lot closer. Amare has not fully regained his explosiveness he was an absolute monster before the knee surgery. I think Nash has made things easier for Amare. Hell he would made things easier for Yao is they played together too, but to say Amare is great because of Nash is just plain crazy.

Amare can get his own shot easily because he is so much faster than most big guys and he can hit the outside 15-18 footer with ease. He used to beable to just jump over guys when ever he felt like it. Even the great defenders like Duncan could not stop him from finishing. Yao to this point has better stats but he's counted on to do more for his team because we lack the scoring the Suns have. On the other hand, Amare looks great in his system because he's surrounded by some of the best players in the league.

Ask yourself how Yao would look playing with the Matrix, an MVP PG, and one of the deepest benches in the NBA.

 

it depends on the system. in our halfcourt system, u take yao easily. he can create his own shot better. he can demand double teams more.

but in a suns type of system, u take amare easily. he can finish better. he is more athletic. and he is quicker.

again, that's why ur in awe of guys like shaq/duncan/dream/malone/barkley. these guys are the gems who can play in ANY system and odminate that system.

it's stupid to say can he play halfcourt or fullcourt? but unfortunately, most of the big guys now are that.

halfcourt - yao
fullcourt - amare/howard

 

I would choose Yao for sure, why? Think about the business potential Yao bring with him since he signed with Rockets. From a business point, Yao is worth at least three times or more comparing to Stoudamire.. Ppl always say basketball is just basketball, we shouldn't concern about money, but the fact is, NBA is a bussiness and making money is their goal...

From a skill stand point though, I would say Stoudamire looks a little better at this moment. As much as I like JVG, I blame Yao's slow improvement on him. I honestly think Yao could be a much better center right now if JVG is willing to let Dawson/Dream teach Yao a thing or two during the last 3-4 years.. I am not saying Yao didn't improve under JVG, but I do believe Yao could improve at a much faster pace if JVG is more open minded..

 

again, if anything u can blame it on JVG, its not yao. yao is the ONLY player who i have seen improve the way he had under JVG. not just when he worked w/ houston, but also the knicks.

yao improved slowly b/c big men like yao takes time to develop. yao didn't play in america until he first cam ehere. the cultural adjustment itself will take a while. then u have the mental adjustment to the more "selfish" style here. so that's 3-4 yrs in total. so yao is on the right path.

so stop blaming JVG. i hate him more than anything, but he did help yao.

 

So you don't think Yao could improve any faster if JVG would let Dawson/Dream teach Yao during the last 3-4 years? Like I said, I am not saying Yao didn't improve under JVG, I just saying he could improve much faster if JVG wasn't so stubborn..

 

Yao is head and shoulders above Stoudemire in the skill department. He is equally adept at being dominant on both sides of the post. That takes incredibly skill. So much skill that Hakeem worked almost exclusively from ONE side of the low block. It takes much more skill to go through your man and the double teamer and still score 25 points a night than to run pick and roll after pick and roll and receive passes from the greatest assist man in the league since Magic.

 

Phil Jackson once said that Yao would improve in small increments until he was great and would not just explode into being a great player. Isn't that exactly what has happened? For all the crap that Phil Jackson is full of, I think his basketball opinion is worth just a tiny bit more than a message board crusader.

 

how was JVG stubborn? he force-fed yao at times, which helped improve his mentality (i have to dominate) and force him to play more mins at times.

and tell me, how can he improve faster. i just stated that the cultural and mental shock going to a completely different culture, esp. for a guy who's not a kid, takes a while to take.

how do u know dawson would have helped yao more?

again, fran said on the chron that dream was available to work w/ him every summer. it's just that this season yao is agreeing to stay here. before he had china obligations. so don't blame everything on JVG.

if yao wants to keep working w/ dream, he had the chance every offseason he has been in the L. JVG can't stop hakeem from working w/ yao.

yes, JVG did stop dawson from working w/ yao, but TT was good as well. u can't have 2 guys saying 2 different things to yaos ears (IF THEY ARE DIFFERENT).

 

I'll make this short and sweet...

Amare has played his entire career with All star point guards...

 

same thing w/ karl malone. same thing w/ kareem basically. what is your point?

nash won't fit w/ yao anyways since nash won't be as effective if we played completely in the halfcourt, which houston does to accomodate yao's strengths but also his stamina problems.

jkidd would fit w/ yao though. but then he can't shoot for a damn.

 

That's so NOT true. between Yao and Amare, who do you think is more like Vlade Divac --the center in a typical Adelman's system?

 

There is no chance of this happening so why even bring it up. We aren't trading Yao. Secondly, if we called the Suns with and asked for Amare and Nash they would probably send us back a naked picture of Marcus Banks for a response.

 

I never expect Yao to explode into someone great in a 1-2 years time frame, but I do expect Yao to be respect as the NO.1 center in the league without doubt, which isn't really the case now outside of Houston/China. As much as ppl credit Yao's abilities, ppl just admire Yao as "one of the best center in league" instead of "Yao is the most dominating center"..

Yao was dominating in China/Asia before he play in the US, so it's not like he was a totally newbie in Basketbal. I understand there would be a culture adjustment period, and I agree men with great skills already could only improve in increments, but I do have a reason a to believe those increments could be "3 cm" each year rather than just "2 cm"...

 

um are u kidding me? yao is considered the #1 center (not big man now). if he played enough games, he wuold have beaten amare for the 1st team all-nba.

but u have to want yao to be the best big man rather than center. the center position is horrible right now.

 

JVG's stubborn coming from that he is not willing let Yao choose.. If JVG let Dawson/TT both teach Yao, Yao could just choose the ones that's good for him, not just take what JVG choose for him..

I don't know if Dawson would be any better for Yao, that's why I want to find out and JVG should give Yao that opportunity as well. And about Dream, If JVG won't let the GM teach Yao, you think he will let a outsider teach Yao? I doubt it.. It's true that Yao wasn't really in the US during the summer, but Dream only spent 1-2 days with Yao, you think Yao can't make that arrangement if he really allows to do so?..