Moses by a mile. Moses Malone is a top 10 Center on anyone's list and just out of the top 5 on mine. Yao is a very good Center but he would need to put together a very dominant 5+ year stretch to to even have this discussion. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening simply because guys don't usually get much better at Yao's age. Yao is what he is and I appreciate him but he isn't comparable (and probably never will be) to the all time greats at the Center position.
It's good to see there are enough people here that remember how good Moses Malone was. From the skinny H.S. kid who went to the St. Louis Spirits of the ABA to one of the top players in NBA history. I have never seen a more relentless player in 35+ years of watching the NBA. I love Yao, but he just doesn't have the physical tools to be as good as Moses was.
Yao is in his prime. Let's make that clear. He's almost 28 years old. An athlete does not get much better after 28.
this is a stupid thread.....how can you compare...Yao has not even come close to his prime...ask this question again in 5-6 yrs and maybe you can get a real answer and not a guess.
That was more the exception than the rule. Most bigs are noticeably slower by 32-33. I think like most players, the big guys peak in their all-around game around 27-31. After that the loss in athleticism overshadows any additional skills or comfort level with the game. (This part isn't aimed at you) If you think Yao is going to make any substantial steps in his development please find any other NBA player who was increasingly injury prone who actually got better in their 7th season. Even Dream, who was not injury prone, didn't really add anything to his game that made him better later on. He simply calmed down, focused his emotions and became a better leader. He was arguably more effective in his first 5 -6 seasons than he was during the Championship years.
so far it's clearly moses. but 8-10 years from now the answer may change. or maybe not. just wait and see. i'm still hopeful of yao though.
No way, Dream became a much better passer and much more unselfish in his later years. No, he didn't become more athletic but he understood the game much better and was much more polished. Yao still has a ways to go to understand the game fully, as evidenced by his high number of turnovers. Yao is also different because he came from China and has had a much steeper learning curve. If not for his injuries, we'd be talking of him as an MVP candidate and then this poll would be very different.
If Yao peaks when he's 31 that's still three years away. I think he could have some very good seasons, especially if he can be convinced to take 20 shots a game. Remember, all his scoring now is on around 15 shots a game, which is extremely low for a superstar player. As for Hakeem, what I remember about him is that when he was young his signature quote was "I like to dunk and dunk and dunk". By the time he got to Shaq in the Finals he had developed a beautiful fadeaway jump shot--the most unblockable shot since Kareem's sky hook.
U and I disagree about a lot of things at times, but its what I've been saying for awhile. I posted in this thread eventhough it should even ever be considered. Yao is good, moses was great. He was great early because of his relentless nature and nasty attitude. 2 qualities yao will never have. The statement about yao peaked out, is the same thing I have said about scole. Once ur basketball skill level and physical talent evens out, a player will not get much better. If u were to use the scale of 1-10 maybe people could see it better. Let me take Dream and Yao. i'll use pt for physical talent and bt for basketball talent. I will consider 10 as the best. Coming out of college, dream had a 10 for pt and 6.5 for bt. After 2 yrs his bt had risen to 7.5. For the next 4 yrs or so, his bt went up to a 8.5. The next 4 yrs his pt was at a 9, but his bt was 9.5. Although later in his career he wasn't the same dominant physical guy, his skill level was as high as you can get. If I were to use yao, his bt started at 5.5 and pt 8. After the 1st couple of years his bt increased to a 7.5. 2yrs after that his bt is at 8.25 and pt is a 8. The next 2 yrs his bt is still at 8.25 but his pt is down to a 7. The key is how long will his bt and pt stay close together? He is who he is at 28. U don't wake up get beter after 6 seasons in the league.
Since I can't post new thread.I will just post it here.The latest news about Yao. Translated from hoopchina.link I know it is a not very good translation,just want to give you all an quick update on how Yao is doing. Yao left his home for practice at 9:30 every morning,from Monday to Friday.Yao felt he is in much better shape from two weeks ago. Under the doctor's permission,Falson changed the dumb bells from 70 pounds to 110 pounds,but only need to lift 3-5 times as a group.The lower limb strength training's proportion also starts to grow heavily,in Rocket's strength training room,there is one appliance, depend upon the force spring,to train lower limb strength.15 times as a group for each leg. Next is the shooting practice.Yao need to make at least 500 shots before leaving the practice.Shooting practice range begins from one step in from the 3 point line,5 different spots from this range.Yao need to make 20 shots at each spot then move on to the next spot.After finishing all 5 spots,Yao can then move closer to the basket,one step out from the free throw line,again 5 spots from this range. Then move on to the free throw line.Yao said:"I need to make more mid-rage shots to be more effective in the (coach A's) system.". But Yao did not only working on his mid-range jumpers.He worked on his low-post moves as well.Yao practiced his hook-shot at 5 different spots around the basket with each hand.Now Yao can make 80 percent of hook-shot with his left hand. The last part of the shooting practice is to shoot free throw.Yao need to shoot 100 free show in a row.Yao said:"Shoot 100 consecutive shot can help me keep the shooting touch,what more is that it can practice my patience.Especially when you feel tired, you must try to maintain the rhythm." Yao is always good at shooting free throw.For the most times,Yao could make 95 out of 100 free throw.And there was one time he made 81 in a row. After shooting practice,it is the running practice.Yao started the running practice one week ago,but only allowed jogging on the machine for 20 mins. The doctor told Yao he can start running practice outside in a few days.Yao is very excited by the news and he hope he can practice with little contact by the end of June.
Yao was slow before the injuries. Now after 3 serious injuries , which includes a season ending injury and playing in the olympics(instead of resting) yao will only plateau and then go downhill. PS this thread makes no sense! Moses would eat Yao alive. Moses= lion Yao= baby zebra
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god!!!! I see why Yao was so timid and soft in the paint before he got here!!! That pic is the Gayest pic in all of SanFranciso!!! HaHaHa!!! Don't eva....eva...eva,eva,eva,eva put a pic like that up of one of our players again!!!! Does he even have shorts on???? With a pic like that of course i would choose Malone! LOL!!!!!
