from today's draft update... The big question is whether Yao Ming or Jason Williams will nab the No. 1 pick. It all depends on who you ask. If the Warriors, Nuggets, Cavs, Hawks, Heat, Wizards, Clippers or Bucks win the lottery -- put your money on Jason Williams. If the Grizzlies, Rockets, Knicks or Suns win it, they'll likely go with Yao. The Bulls are the big wild card. You can make an argument for both players. While Williams is the safe pick, the early word out of the Chicago says Krause is in love with Yao. --------- This could be good news if it is indeed true (you never know with chad ford)...If one of those teams who would lean towards drafting Williams end up with the #1, then we may still be able to get Yao at the 2
Don't know much about Yao, however, at 7'6" and Benoit Benjamin saying he is all world, scares me to death. I see a Shawn Bradley in my dreams. He hasn't played against NBA competition his entire life and will take 3 or more years to get adjusted. Also we cannot use him like Dallas uses the other Asian guy, who by the way is softer than plush toys. We need a 3 if Kenny or Griffin cannot play the 3. Rice, TMorris and whoever else is not the answer. Caron Butler has skills and heart.
We need defense, regardless of position. Ming improves our defense two fold, helping somewhat with interior players, and more often covering up for some of our guards' matador defensive skills. If the Rockets win the number 1 pick, they will pick Ming... ...or trade it to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett
How many times has the worst team, i.e. the team with the 'best chance', actually ended up with the #1 overall? Just off the top of my head, I would guess that it rarely happens, that the teams at #3-#6 usually 'win' the draft lottery. So keep hope alive all you Ming fans! (Of which, I am not. Need to see him in action against quality players.)
More on Ming http://www.bskball.com/Rumors.shtml 04/30- ARRIVAL OF THE YAO- Imagine if you will the scene.. your waiting for your flight out, and you see a 7'6 towering Asian walking towards you... a local cameraman in Chicago's O'Hare airport actually tripped over a planter while walking backwards shooting shots of the Chinese big man, who's set to workout today at Loyola University. A workout which will be run by former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, in front of a crowd of NBA exec drooling over the prospect of a 7'5 center that can run the floor and shoot from 3. A number of things will be put to rest today, namely is he hype or is he the real deal?... How tall is he really? he'll be weighed and measured in more ways than a fat man at a tailor. And lastly, are all those things we're hearing true? Will Yao be a full time NBA player or a part time observer? Will China try and force a team to pay them a percentage of Yao's deal directly? How many special conditions will have to be met? For the teams with a shot at the lottery, Yao could be the answer, but from my seat it still seems like there are more questions about him than answers and by mid-day we should all have a better understanding of who Yao Ming will be in the NBA.
How is Yao diffrent from Manute Bol? Manute said he killed a lion with a spear weeks before arriving in the USA. Yao swats B-balls away in the Midget Asian League. Manute gets my vote for toughness there. Would we choose a young Manute over Yao? The chance of Yao being a Shawn Bradley death stick type of player is too high IMO.
