How do you see Ming being treated by the officials? 1. Kenny Thomas Rookie Treatment - Every Call Against Him [including the ridiculous] 2. Regular Rookie Treatment - bailout for every Star f*ck up call 3. Regular Treatment - will get his calls against lower teir opponents 4. Special Treatment - 50/50 against stars 5. Star Treatment - More calls than warrented. I guess for me is. . .will he be pushed grabbed and slugged around without getting any calls. Will he get called for ticky tack fouls to get him out of the game quickly. Will Shaq be able to run over him on one end and hand check him into traction on the other. Rocket River
#5. Stern will make sure Ming succeeds, and that's not to say he's not good enough. He just has that extra edge now.
I think that he's going to get wrestled and wrangled and get no calls. On the other end he'll get nailed every time, I just think that there will be an elemant of racism there. That's why I have so much respect for Vinsanity, he propped Ming up at their little get together.
I would bet on # 5. It could go the other way - them tagging him a "quick foul" player, but if Ming plays his cards right, he could get something like the easy ride D.Rob was allowed. You may remember, after his 50-in first season, D.Rob was regularly second in the league in foul attempts behind Karl Malone. That was not a result of any hack-a-mermaid defense, but a tip of the hat to the navy and his good, clean, all-american image. Robinson was a good face-up jump shooter with a post game, but never a brute force. He enjoyed the benefit of touch fouls out to 18 feet. Ming may not have the same inside game, but he should merit the same mid-range respect, if he can learn to take a step or two toward the basket, draw the foul, and then put up the unstoppable j. He may not get a call for position contact away from the ball unless he can draw the contact when he gets the ball a few times, to get the refs looking his way. They don't really need to look at Cuttino or Nachbar, anyway. So the refs can watch Ming, Griffin and Francis, hopefully, with each able to lure an overmatched defense into a foul trap for easy buckets at the line.
I think Yao will get #4... much better than usual rookie treatment, but not as good as Stern might wish. Those refs won't always follow "hints from on high" by a long shot. I'm just as curious about his treatment during the playoffs. Don't have a clue how the calls will tend to go there. (and we WILL get there! )
If Ming can get some fouls called . . maybe get 5~7 trips to the line per game THe averaging 14~17 would not be out of the question. Rocket River
Yeah, that was pretty funny! I've got Yao winning ROY with 12/10/2.5/3 in the Draft Forum. If Ming gets the calls, I may have been too conservative.
Id go with # 3 . Yao is a rookie but he'll get the treatment just above it. I think it also depends on how Yao does during the season, if he shows star talents naturally the refs will give him more room.
It really depends on how well he adjusts to the game. I expect regular rookie treatment. He will have to play smart and keep out of foul trouble as best as he can.
I think it depends on how Ming acts towords the refs. If he acts like Eddie Griffin then I think he will be treated fair by the refs as long as he is not playing against Kobe or Shaq. If he acts like Shawn Bradley does to the refs then he will not spend much time on the floor.
i dont tihnk the refs will let him get bullied by defenders, but at the same time they wont let him get away with anything since he is a rookie. so i guess im going with my own #6-an actual fair game.
Once Ming establishes offensive and defensive moves, he will be the beneficiary of calls. Until then, all bets are off. When Hakeem came in, he was in constant foul trouble; but then again, he came in swinging. After Hakeem established his moves, he began to get the calls, to a certain extent. I believe that officials' respect for individual players goes further in establishing that player than Stern's wishes.
Kenny wasn't a high draft pick so he didn't come in with a reputation w/ the refs. and you're right, he not only didn't get calls, he was abused by the refs. Ming comes in as the number one pick but still has no reputation w/ the refs. He does have the appeal of opening up an Asian market to the NBA and that should make up for the reputation he doesn't have now. It would help him if he was stronger up top, so I project #3 in callas this year.
