Yao Ming, and inherent biases

Hmm... let's see.

He doesn't jack up a lot of bad shots. He's always looking to pass and get his teammates involved. In his spare time, he enjoys reading history and supposedly has an IQ over 130.

Yeah, youre right, it's just a stereotype.

 

Chris Dudley and Mark Madsen can't play.

Even if they tried they can't. It doesn't mean they don't have a high B-Ball IQ. It just means they couldnt do anything with it even if they had it.

The fact Chris Dudley has been in the league for 100 years with no talent says a lot about how smart he actually is.

 

He does not have a higher bball IQ than our camp invitee Tim Goodrich, nor his teammate Glen Rice. If Goodrich or Glen Rice were 7'6, well....those passes are easy. He hasn't shown to me, yet, how to fake his passes to make his own move. Yao does not use all the BBall IQ at his potential to make his move, yet. He is defaulting to passing is all, and against a background of Francis and Mobley, he looks smart. Until then, I cannot call him a highEST BBall IQ player, but rather an average one who has an enormous physical advantage that makes things easier.

Calling Yao Ming with his enormous physical advantage as smart as Sabonis/Walton, right now, is like calling Jordan with his enormous physical advantage as smart as Magic or Bird.

This is just my opinion...and I don't really care to debate it, especially based on speculation of Yao's potential. From day one, I'm been the biggest speculator of Yao's potential of anyone...but I refuse to call him Sabonis or Walton smarts just yet.

 

I never said he had a higher BBall IQ than Stockton or Bird. Im answering your original question - does he have a High BBall IQ? I would say yes.

I would not compare him yet to Bird, Stockton, etc...

My idea of a High BBall IQ is someone who does the most with what he has - maximizing their potential.

Larry Bird was incredible because he was a self made player and so was Stockton.

Right now, Yao Ming is doing the most with his skills. Yes, his height is a huge advantage. However, whatever advantage he has is offset by his inexperience, change in culture, lack of training camp.

Most of us are surprised at how well he's done given the circumstances. You can't do that without a high BBall IQ.

It takes most rookies months to adjust - not weeks. And we're talking about the ones whose first language is English.

By the way, Yao's height may be an advantage, but none of his other skills are natural.

The passing, shooting, etc were all learned.

You want to see natural skills, go look at Amare Stoudemire.

 

HeyP,

I think your response is somewhat disingenuous.

First you say Yao has a huge advantage because of his height yet claim MJ was not as smart as Magic Johnson, etc.

Magic Johnson was a 6'9" PG when there were no such things. He had at least a 5 inch height advantge over his counterparts.

I do believe Magic Johnson had a high BBall IQ because he made himself a better player that augmented his natural skills. Also he made his teammates better (which is another indicator of a high BBall IQ).

Just b/c Michael Jordan was more physically gifted does not mean he did not have a high BBall IQ. In my opinion, he had a tremendous BBall IQ. He was able to get all his teammates involved and made them better while scoring 30 points a game. Thats unbelievably hard to do.

Physical talent does not preclude you from having a high BBall IQ.

The things you're talking about - fakes, etc. will come with experience. Yao demonstrates many skills that many NBA veterans do not or cannot do that has nothing to do with height.
A bounce pass to the cutter in the paint is not easier because youre 7'6".

Even as a 22 year old 30 game rookie, he gets his temmates involved - moreso than any other Rocket.

 

Whether he does or doesn't isn't really in question. What is in question is whether or not people thought he MIGHT just because he's Asian or that some NBA players don't just because they are black.

It's like the "white men can't jump" theory. White basketball player? Must be slow and plodding, but smart and a great shooter. In the case of Yao, there was indeed a height stereotype. Because of his size, the comparisons to Shawn Bradley and Manute Bol were almost immediate whether or not they were true.

I think that there is some reason to believe that SOME thought Yao would be smarter than the average player because he is Asian. For educated basketball fans, the fact that Yao is an intellegent player is evident by how he plays on the floor. But, it isn't a stretch to think some others may have given him the benefit of the doubt just because he is Asian.

 

I thought there were biases that Yao couldn't play just because he was Asian and played in "inferior competition". Now it's biases the other way around because he can play smarter than the average bear.

Now if only BooBoo can get some playing time and show why we chose him for the 15th pick.

 

If the question was if "SOME" ppl assume MING has a higher BB IQ simpily because he is Asian, then the answer is obvious. Thats cetainly true without saying. Just as many had predicted that he would be a bust for the same reasons. There are always some ppl with racial bias. Has MING shown enough BB IQ comparable to other all-time greats. He definitely has revealed he is CAPABLE of doing so. Only time will tell how well he will live up to all these expectations. And I do have high hopes for him. Another point. It is quite ironic when some ppl said Ming would be a bust simpily because no player taller than 7' 4" would be good. And some of the same ppl now saying that basketball is easy for him simpily because he is that tall, he should be able to get all those rebounds and make those easy "high BB IQ" passes. Are there some resentments or bias here that Asians, especially tall Asians, cant be smart and be athletic the same time? I guess my question is also irrelevant, because the answer is obvious.