thanks for the homework assignment, Professor Will. I didn't have to look far, actually. I found a chump thread with the title "who was the 2nd best player from Nigeria?". in it, the author basically implied that, since the 2nd best player from Nigeria didn't have much bearing on the 1st best player, then like the 1st best player from Nigeria, the 1st best player from China will probably be great no matter how the 2nd best player from China does. of course, I still haven't figured out how the 1st best player from Nigeria can have a bearing on the 1st best player from China if the 2nd best player from China doesn't, but the author is really smart, so instead of point out the illogical contradiction in his argument, I'll just hail him instead. Will, you can't have it both ways. you can't say, on the one hand, "Wang has no bearing on Ming", but then turn around and use Hakeem Olajuwon as your reason why Wang has no bearing. that's just foolish. or is there another way to interpret "who was the 2nd best player from Nigeria?"? face it. you used the same method of arguing to pooh-pooh the argument you don't like because it rains on your Ming parade. you can't only use the analogies that work in your favor.
chievous, you of course see the analogy and point though, right.... People continue to harp on Ming by reference to Wang. I have my own issues with those comparisons (really, they're honestly naive, right, because the guy rarely plays and hasn't been in the league very long) but the simple point is that when I interview for a job, I don't give them joeblow's resume. And, of course, Will isn't stating (god do you really not get this or are you this caught up into these lie threads about the #1 for the city of Manhattan) that you hand them Dream's resume. The analogy demands that you would never judge Dream (emotive response everyone concedes) based on Tommy Basket... so it reaches for your intuition to suggest that you not judge Ming on Wang's record (again, it's dishonest to suggest that Wang has even failed so everybody should shut their cake holes). Anyway, this is a common analogy. Feel free to explain your dislike about Wang if you think it will be of assistance. Oh yeah, I'll remind you, that of course, "potential" is what most of the draft is about... remember, as far as performance goes, few people would have ever said that McGrady would be better than Carter, that is except for all of the (real) experts. They knew, but few people could tell by real game situations in which McGrady shot airballs or dunked if given the chance. McGrady is certainly Carter's superior now.
Cuttino Mobley was just on the Last Word with Jim Rome, when he was questioned about who he wanted in the draft, he said "Oh, Yommy Basket, no doubt . . .with Yommy running the break and me and Steve on the wings-- it's over."
Ming is not worthy to be in comparison with hakeem, there no comparison, Ming dominates China, whereas Hakeem dominated the NBA. Ming will never do what Hakeem did, he even admits that Wang is a better defensive player and thats a crying shame.
Chievous, you really need to get a hot breakfast in the morning. The whole point of analogy is that A is to B as C is to D. A and C don't have to have anything to do with each other. The two things that have to be similar are A:B and C. You say that I "basically implied that, since the 2nd best player from Nigeria didn't have much bearing on the 1st best player, then like the 1st best player from Nigeria, the 1st best player from China will probably be great no matter how the 2nd best player from China does." Wrong. Either you're still not reading the thread, or you're not understanding it. Nowhere in it have I equated Yao with Olajuwon or inferred that Yao will be great. I even wrote this out explicitly in a subsequent post for the blind, deaf, and mentally impaired. You can verify this with one of your friends who reads English. I'm not using the analogy to prove that Yao is as good as Olajuwon, or even that Yao is as good as a bar of cream cheese. I'm using it to show that you can't deduce anything about how good Yao is from how good Wang is. The burden of proof is on those who make affirmative claims about how good Yao will be based on how good Wang is. Try to explain why Wang's performance in the NBA implies any limits on Yao's. That's the point of this thread.
Will, you are denying yourself an avenue of knowledge. It is true that Wang's performance in the NBA is what we can expect from Yao. However, it is a barometer of the Chinese league that bore him and how well great players from that league generally fair in the NBA. That is all that people who appeal to Wang's performance are trying to say. By saying that Wang is no indicator at all denies that Yao's environment could have had any effect on his performance now and in the future. Just as Duke has a reputation for developing good fundamentals, and high schools and junior colleges produce very raw players, we can also tell something about the development of players that occurs in the Chinese league from the players who come out of it. As Achebe has pointed out, we haven't gotten much of an indication from Wang (and I'd add Bateer) because he (Wang) is a new player on a championship contender and doesn't get a lot of minutes. But, we do know this about Wang: (1) He didn't come to the league NBA-ready (some rookies, like Battier or Duncan, do. Is Wang more raw than Yao? Probably not since he's 4 years older, as has been noted.); (2) He is used to a much more finesse game and must adjust to the physicality of the NBA (some rookies, like Brand, have less trouble with that. Is Wang softer than Yao? I really don't know.). These things are not about the players' natural abilities but about the training they've had and the environment they've played in. I think the things we've learned from Wang and Bateer reflect on the nature of the Chinese league which, in turn, reflects on Yao. Finally, in the long run, these things will matter less as Yao and Wang and Bateer get NBA experience and training. They'll become seasoned and more physical and will probably all do moderately to very well. But, I think we can expect Yao's first seasons to show the same rawness and softness that Wang's has -- but with a faster learning curve considering the minutes he'll get on the Rockets.
Christian the Lion was the 2nd best after Olajuwon, they played like each other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U CHECK IT OUT, YOU LIVE ME AFTERWARDZ.
