I think one of the main reasons that Amare has done well is because of his NBA body. Everyone else has been too thin to make an impact. Lebron is reportedly 225-240, which for a guard is insane. I wouldn't be surprised if he did better than Amare. Ming has put up big games before and he's bound to do it again. Amare will put up big games but he'll struggle other times. Just watch. Tony Delk had a 50 point game. It's called inconsistency, folks. All rookies go through it. Some people are being silly with the whole "rookie wall" crap. He's had a few bad rebounding games, so what? Shaq had a game where he had 4 rebounds. Eddy Curry was fresh at the beginning of the year and still went for many games without a rebound. I wouldn't be worried if I were you. Just because Amare's team is doing better does not mean that he's a better player. IMO, Ming still deserves ROY because he's putting up better numbers and defenses have been geared towards him. I love Amare's game but Ming is still the best rookie for now.
I'd like to see how Amare respond to double and triple team in the near future as Yao constantly draws in the last two weeks. Yao's number in Dec is better than those of Amare's. And Yao has had more big games in helping Rockets win over Spurs, Pacers and Kings. Houston has no business in beating these teams if not for Yao. Yao's number is off recently, but overall, he holds a small edge over Amare. I will be very impressed if the opponents make it a top priority to stop Amare and see how he responds.
As far as the better player there is no question Yao is the better player. If you look at the efficiency ranking for rookies on NBA.com(which taking into account points, block shot , rebounds , assist, steals, FGA, FGM, FTA, FTM ,and TO), Yao is rank ahead of Armare (Yao is actually number 1). Phoenix is playing better right now because they found their chemistry while Houston is still lokking for theirs. Phoenix is on a hot streak right now and a lot of it had to do with the improve play of Marbury and Marion. Armare no question had contribute to their success but team are not focusing on him as they are on Yao. Armare is no doubt going to be an excellent player but he is too raw to place him ahead of Yao. The Rocket's mediocre record during this month is not because of Yao's play . He might contribute to it but not in a major way. Yao can change the whole way that a team attack Houston on offense with his shot blocking and intimidation. His court awareness, his passing and the way he can create open shot for his teammate affect the game that will not show up on the stats sheet. Also his stat for December is also better than Armare if you going with stats by itself. As far as Armare's outburst for 38 points, it took him 24 shot to get there (which is not bad at all). But it took Yao 12 shot against the Mavericks to get his season high of 30 points.
There are several elements that support Yao Ming is in fact playing better than Stoudamire. (1) Yao Ming's statistic is better in many ways. NBA.com has been biased in the rookie power from day 1 when they placed Yao Ming at the bottom by overlooking the minutes and touches he had. They are still baised in this week's standing. Even when Yao Ming was placed on the top, they still said Yao Ming is not ready to give up no. 1 (implying he is marginal on top) when in fact there was a big gap in the statistics between Yao Ming and Stoudemire. (2) Stoudemire's stat was bumped up by one game. whereas his team lost, so he did not help his team win. It was his opponent focusing on his teammates that give him the open look. Phoenix is more geared to pass the ball to their big man while Houston is a guard-focused team. For example, againt Timberwolves, Stoudemire has great suppot from their guard and small forward, Shawn Marion and Stephon Marbury, while Ming has been supported by our dribble-and-shoot guards of Steven and CM. (3) Stoudemire had more minutes and touches to get to his Stat. In his big game, Stoudemire played 45 minutes but in Yao Ming's big games, Rudy benched him when he was hot. (4) Yao Ming has attracted a lot of attention in the league. When Houston plays another team now, there is always double or triple team Ming while Stoudemire is pretty much overlooked by his opponent. (5) In the last few games, we were playing two rookies (Ming and EG) in the low post while in Phoenix, Stoudemire was supported by many veterans. In a way, his teammates has attracted more defences to leave him wide open. Yao Ming is on the contrary, EG does not attract a lot of attention. So, he has been fighting alone at the low post, mostly against zone defence.
Yao is a better player than Stoudemire, but I wouldn't prove it by an efficiency ranking. It's a pretty bad way IMO to compare players because it doesn't take defensive abilities into the picture (Yao is a better defensive player than Stoudemire, too). Stoudemire is getting a lot of attention now because no one that hasn't played in a college or professional game prior to the NBA is doing what he is doing right now since Moses Malone. Griffin is not a rookie, he is a 2nd year pro. Also, he doesn't really play in the post. I'd say Stoudemire's supporting cast in Phoenix is much better than what Yao has in Houston. Valid point.
38 points, yeah but that only one good night when Yao shoots 25 times he well score 40 points, and he is a more complete player and in a harder position if there are no cultural distractors Yao will win the award
just wanna say... first of all... amare played 45 mins... second of all... it was garbage time since the 2nd quarter<suns down by 20>... so most of the time<nearly 30 mins or so>... amare was playing against the wolves' bench players... but still... for a kid come out of HS... he is impressive... i don/t really think he will be ROY... but his team really suits him... their coach really trust him... and there is not much competition on his position in the suns team... and that gives him lots of playing time... IMO... if yao continue to play like the last 2 or 3 games... amare may have a chance at ROY... but i still favor yao since his size and agility are always there and it seems that he is adding some muscles lately...
Amare: 8 double doubles (6 of those won) 16 assists 15 blocks 14 steals average 3 turnovers a game Ming 8 double double (6 of those won) 28 assists 40 blocks 5 steals averaging 3 turnovers a game Yao's a much smarter and more polished player. Amare relies too much of athleticism .Amare is great. It's refreshing to see a rookie with a power game and who just loves to dunk . But Yao is better!He's got a knack for the game I'm not sure I've ever seen in a 22 year old except for maybe Kobe .And he plays the rarest position in the league.There are a few players with better post moves than Yao, but not many with the combination of size, grace, speed, and court awareness as he does.Yao is not the most dominant low post scorer, but he does have a pretty wide arsenal of moves. That under the basket shake, and the up and under are hardly used by ANYBODY, not to mention he has perfected the hook shot and turnaround fade-away.BTW (20ft jumper shoot tonite).
Are you kidding me? Their was no garbage time. The Suns had several chances to get within 2 in the fourth quarter. Against Twolves bench players....why did KG have to play 40 minutes? Although Amare got him into foul trouble in the third and Saunders had to sit him? Hudson played 38 minutes, Gill played 40 minutes. Nesterovic fouled out in his 16 minutes. Joe Smith also fouled out in his 21 minutes. Amare had 23 points in the first half. The Twolves got on a 10-0 run at the end of the second half when Amare rested 3 minutes on the bench. Get a clue
Did you watch games? Minnesota double teamed Amare all night. Amare gets the double team all the time already ever since he started to average 15 and 10 as a starter. Yao had more big games in helping the Rockets win over Spurs, Pacers and Kings? Phoenix beat all of those team too and Amare was a big part of it. Also Amare is one of the leaders in NBA.com's crunch time statistics.
correct me if i'm wrong, but yao is leading in almost every categories except rpg(8.8-7.9). in fg pct., yao is leading by over 10%. i'd vote amare for rookie dunker of the yr. i'd vote yao for roy. there's a difference.
poor guy, he doesn't have a good eye. He doesn't know how to read. READ THE FIRST SENTENCE IN THE LINK , CAN'T READ? OK , READ HERE "After being on top of the Rookie Power Rankings for more than a month, Yao Ming slips to No. 2" YM hold the top 1 for more than a month. How long has that A guy got that position? Huh? Don't use this link, it means nothing for that A guy.
Slin, I don't think that we need to argue anymore. You take Amare and we take Yao. I hope that both of the teams are happy with their own rookie. I have no doubt that Amare was the stud and the only difference in Sun's win over Pacers and Spurs. So is Yao, who single-handedly carried Houstons' to wins over then, and at the same time outplaying arguably the two best front courts in the NBA all by himself. Case closed.
Listen...YAO held it for at least two weeks. This is Amare's first time. I bet you Yao will get it back. Only this week did Amare do good. Maybe he has erupted...I don't know. Yao is the Rookie of the Year.
