Maybe he thinks that the refs will take our side in 05 like they have been with the Lakers the past couple of years.
Ben Wallace just led the league in rebounding and blocks which was like the third time in the history of the NBA that one player has done that. He's pretty much earned the right to talk some trash. Yao is going to have to earn respect in this league and he can start by dunking on Wallace's head a few times. I'm pretty sure that will shut him up.
Why should he though? What's the point? He should just make his millions and shut up. Show some respect. The shoe could be on the other foot someday. Wallace could lose his millions and have to sweep the floor for an Asian employer.
Show some respect for what? Yao hasn't done anything. Trash talk has always been part of the NBA and with big mouths like Steve and Cat on this team it's shocking to see how some of you are reacting to this. I don't recall people being this upset last season when Wallace basically ragged on Kenny Thomas for getting popped by Abdur-Rahim.
Agreed. Trash-talking is natural and accepted in all sports. I don't believe that it's mean spirited, classless, or racist. It's goal is to gain more of an advantage, nothing more. It's not racial when Barkley almost killed an Angolan so how is it racial when Wallace threatens to do the same to an Asian. All of this Yao worshiping is gettin a little out of hand IMO. I wish him the best because I love the Rox but if he was drafted #1 overall by Memphis all of you blind Yao supporters probably would be questioning his game also.
Ben Wallace is an overrated loser. I can all but guarantee that Ming will be twice the player Wallace is. I really hope this gives Ming extra motivation to dominate the US team. I'm sick and tired of USA Basketball being filled with clowns who feel the need to trash talk to other countries. Only Team USA does that s#it. I wish they would bring back college players into the fold.
Foreign and non-black, double threats to the native black athletes' job security and superiority complex.
I m an American. Let face it, humility is just not emphasized in our culture. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. I dont see these kinds of trash talks from players in most other countries. I wont accuse or defend their words. Racist or not, only these arrogant assxxxxx know.
Re: racism-- here is your answer, right here. Wallace and probably most of the rest of the NBA aren't going to respect Yao until he holds his ground and plays well against them. It has nothing to do with Yao's race. Rather, it's his background. Yao is completely unproven to NBA players. All most of them know of Yao is what they've heard of him since he was drafted. There might be some resentment among black players who could theorize that NBA teams would not have taken a similar risk by drafting an unproven black American player No. 1. Not saying I agree with this, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out that's the case. I read a (paraphrased) quote from Bob Knight which stated that "black players respect ability". I don't like to make generalizations but it fits here, so I'll mention it. I doubt Knight formed that opinion in a vacuum-- he's had a lot more exposure to high-level black athletes than most if not all of us, so that remark is probably as true as a generalization can be, for what it's worth. That's the reason for Wallace's skepticism. Compared to most NBA players, who have established their reputations by playing at the highest levels of summer camps and college basketball, Yao is unproven. There would not be similar skepticism if Yao had emigrated to America at 4, played at DeMatha, and spent two years at North Carolina. It has little if anything to do with his race. I hate to break it to you, but those three would be the absolute last players to tell other players to "lay off" someone. Jordan made Toni Kukoc's life miserable because he felt that Kukoc was being shown unwarranted respect by the Chicago front office.
Excuse me but I have children so it is not accepted by me. I'm sick of all these overpaid punks setting bad examples to the kids that watch them. I think it should be banned from all sports. Yoa hasn’t proved anything on the court yet but he has already proved he is more of a man than Ben Wallace. Who would you rather your son emulate, a disrespectful trash talking loudmouth or someone with class that shows respect to their opponent and the game that has made them wealthy beyond most people’s dreams? Call it Yoa worshipping if you want but I call it character worshiping.
BrianKagy, you got that right. Jordan and Pippen resented Krause's fatherly affections for Kukoc. Not that they wanted the same treatment---they disliked Krause anyway for taking so much credit for building the team; they were the players winning the championships; watching Krause treat the no-defense Yugoslavian like a son especially rankled. Maybe Krause simply related to Kukoc better than he did to his black athletes, maybe he felt Kukoc needed a buddy when the players and coach came down on him; it set up a vicious circle, who knows? Barkley has already taken advantage of the first forum to completely disrespect Yao Ming. Kenny Smith went along for the ride. I like those guys as commentators but I harbor a bit of a grudge against them because I would have appreciated someone a little more open-minded at those microphones on draft night. Magic Johnson? He'd be diplomatic nowadays, but as a player, I don't remember how much trash he slung. He earned the right to talk some smack, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he did.
Reading about how the Canadian center tried to shove and "hit" Yao any time he got the ball reminded me of Melvin Ely's attempts to defend Yao as part of a college USA/China game. Melvin said he head-butted Yao whenever he got the ball and once the refs told him to stop doing that, Yao was unstoppable. This is the same Ely who was picked by the Clips in the first round (12th/13th I forget which) and is touted as a defensive specialist at F/C.
The only way that Yao stands a chance at doing well is if the rest of the Chinese team can uphold their positions fairly enough to give Yao a chance to do his thing against his opponent. Otherwise, if he has to constantly move out of position or gets double/triple teamed, he's dead meat for sure. In a way, it's good for Yao to get annointed with the NBA experience, because I believe he'll get more motivated than ever to work out and kick @$$ in the regular seson. It's not right that Ben Wallace is acting like such a thug but given the situation, Yao has already won because he has displayed the poise of a future champion, whereas hoodlums like Wallace, who's supposed to be representing the spirit of the US, has caused us to be shameful that we don't seem to understand good sportmanship.
Magic wasn't much of a talker per se, but he definitely would not have stepped in to tell teammates to "give" respect a player who hadn't earned it-- that was more what I was getting at. Elite players respect talent, first and foremost. If Yao kicks ass, he will not have to worry about respect-- he'll have earned it. If he doesn't play well-- if he goes over like Shawn Bradley-- there is no force in the universe that can compel another athlete to respect his game.
Elton Brand told a Chicago reporter the same thing the other day. EB is as far removed from thug as you can get. OTOH---he didn't say 'beat up'. He said "We have a special surprise in store for him."
Yes they would. Now, if it were a 7'5" center from Compton, Queens, or the west side of chicago...that would be a different matter. For one---white or black, he'd be a known quantity and the newness of playing him wouldn't be there. And secondly, he'd already have built up that upper body strength so as to be able to bang. It's silly on Mings part that he had the NBA as a goal and didn't tend to his body better...
