OK, I will be the jackass who starts a thread like this after a terrible lost. The poll says it all. Your take?
I don't think Yao fits the role of franchise player that can carry a team... He hasn't been able to do it this season.. He's just not that type of player.
That more or less will depend on the definition of franchise player. How many 'franchise players' are there in this league, may I ask?
the good thing is this year we're not trying to make him a franchise player. we're going to the more "balanced" approach.
Give him a true sidekick and he'll be fine. He's no Hakeem in terms of leadership, but he does need help to win.
I've always been a fan of Yao. But I understand what he is capable of. I love this guy, but that doesn't mean I believe he is the best. I am not crazy. Rockets should certaily have Yao as an essential part of the team, as a great team must have at least two great players, but they've got to acquire a superstar. The best I can think of right now is Wade. He knows how to play with big guys and he is really really good. If we got Wade, everyone's performance in the team will get boosted, and we will be a real title contender.
before the lakers game, i thought yao was looking like a real franchise superstar. then i realized the guy still makes too many fundamental mistakes, like not blocking out and not sealing off his man. he's also a very poor defender because of his slow speed. he just has too many liabilities to build a team around him.
Yao's a great player and a beast down low, but he has his limits. He just doens't have that 'killer' instinct, it's just not in him; you can't train in the gym for hours and gain that. He needs someone who can take over from the middle of the fourth quarter. I was thinking Artest, but I'm not too fond of his decision making at that stage of the game. Though I really don't like T-MAC, he was that guy who could just take over. I say we look to add Joe Johnson, or as stated before Wade.
No, Yao would never be able to lead a team by himself. He is too slow, a big liability on defense, and is not a go-to player down the stretch. He would do REAL good playing 2nd fiddle though.
Like Dawson did when he gave him a motivated TMac? When TMac arrived here, he was still a top 5 player and the Rockets still accomplished nothing. Yao has been in the league 7 years, He is what he is. We have a decent sample size to realize that he is no franchise player. He is just a good complimentary player.
Yao Ming won't be Lebron James. So, if you have that dream, you can wake up now. But at the end of the day, it doesn't make any difference. Past teams who (almost) win it all: Boston: Big 3, enough said, who's their "franchise"? Lakers: Kobe and Pau, and deepest team. Remember the days Kobe want out of LA because they struggle to make playoffs? Spurs: Duncun, Parker, Manu. I guess you can say Duncan is their "franchise", but without the other two, they wouldn't win it all. Heat: Wade and Shaq. Listen, his name is Dwade! But hey, they've struggled since without another good bigman. And check this out: Shaq and Nash, two past MVP is now out of the playoffs. What does Yao Ming have? A sometimes phsyco Ron Artest? You can throw in solid role play of Scola maybe. But that's it. With that said, I don't vote in that useless poll.
If you listen to folk around here, you would think Tmac was never good. But in reality, IMO, that team had many potentials, it was just unfortunate that at the time, the role players were very bad. Sura injury set the team back for a few years.
Tim Duncan Shaq Dwight Howard LeBron D.Wade Kobe Kevin Garnett Chris Paul all these guys are franchise players. i might include Deron Williams.
No, you cannot build a Championship team around Yao. He can be part of the puzzle, but he's not a franchise player. Then again, there are probably less than ten true franchise players in the entire NBA.
you cannot build a championship around any center in the nba now days. the game has changed. he is scottie pippen as far as his role
I think I agree with boby on this one. The question really comes down to: If you were starting a franchise right now, who is the one player, above all others, you would pick first? Although, all the players you named are superstars, or were superstars (sorry Shaq), the list is actually quite short. I really see it coming down to Kobe, Dwight, simply because of his youth, D. Wade, and Lebron.
Let's ask ourselves a couple questions. In the history of the league, how many great teams were built around a center? Ok, now how many of those centers were better than Yao?
