Yao's a good rebounder, but he's got room for improvement. Considering we'll be suffering a loss in rebounds at the PF (Cato to Howard is a decline) and the PG (Francis was just about the best there is in that category among his peers), it's only fair for people to expect Yao to pick up the slack in boards. 20 - 10 would make him a solid player, but elite centers in recent history (Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing, Robinson, etc) get to 25-12 territory over a 4 or 5 year stretch. That's greatness. 20 - 10 is Elton Brand territory.
Not in today's NBA. In the past, many players could get 25/12, now only the absolute best can do it probably. Shaq and Duncan struggle to get those numbers. Shaq, I believe, was at 22/12 this season. People forget the zone. Big difference. Same reason why Hakeem could never carry the Rockets past the Sonics on his own. Because Karl got creative with the rules and the Sonics got away with tons of zone.
Aren't we talking about being the best? This was a down year for Shaq, btw, the previous year he was 27-11. Garnett and Duncan regularly average 13-14 rebounds per game, although their point totals are slightly lower than those greats of the past. The zone defense is a valid argument, but it's also an excuse. Hakeem had a difficult time vs. Seattle because of the way the team was configured - with no legitimate 2nd scoring threat, the Sonics could quadruple-team Hakeem before he got the ball. Yao doesn't figure to have that problem.
Well, obviously I agree that Yao is no Hakeem and he's no Shaq (in his prime), but what I'm saying is that Yao would be alightly better if zones didn't exist. Two points and one rebound is a fair estimate, and that would put him in the 20/10 category in his first year. Not hallf of fame, but still damn good.
