Amare may win ROY but NO ONE would take him over Yao.

I disagree with this post wholeheartedly. Fandom aside, I think most in the know would call them both cornerstone players -- and many would probably choose Amare over Yao. It all comes down to preference and team needs, IMO.

 

There are very few teams who would take a potentially great PF over a potentially great C.

There are already many great PFs much better than Stoudemire. There aren't many centers better than Yao.

 

every team in the nba but 1, needs a great center.

 

Well....I would still take Yao Ming.

 

Long term - Yao over Amare.

But don't say if he was on the Nuggets he would be just like Nene, he's a beast on both sides of the floor. As of right now, he doens't have that great of skill, so he's doing everything on athletecism, if he was on the nuggets, I feel he would prolly get even better stats and win the ROY w/o much debate. But who cares, we got the Dynast, its all good.

 

"There are very few teams who would take a potentially great PF over a potentially great C. There are already many great PFs much better than Stoudemire. There aren't many centers better than Yao."

I think you make a great point there, as centers are hard to come by. However, you presuppose that both players have the same amount of "potential", and there are many who would debate where each guy maxes out. I've seen a lot of commentary here claiming that Yao's transition was harder, and I think that's erroneus. Maybe the transition was more difficult culturally, but Yao had tons more experience with competitive ball under his belt. Meanwhile, Amare played a couple years in high school. Say what you want about the Chinese pro leagues, but I would still wager that they're better proving grounds than high school.

But the argument that the Suns have more talent than the Rockets just does not wash, meaning that Amare had just as much influence on the Suns' chances as Yao did on the Rockets. One got it done. One did not. It's that simple.

 

I think we need to look at this realistically. In terms of "upside", it's more than fair to say that Amare has more upside than Yao.

This is simply because Amare is so young and raw, yet somehow still manages to succeed thus far. His potential is truly unlimited.

Yao, by comparison, is the product of a communist government who did nothing but train this kid in basketball like a soldier for that past decade. Eat, sleep, drink basketball.

One thing is for sure: This will be a classic match-up for years to come.

 

While Houston fans have every right to be very excited about Yao, I dont think you would find too many Phoenix fans that would agree with that statement.

 

That's right, chick. And based on the voting, I think a lot of people would take Amare across the country.

 

I didn't know he came out after his sophmore year in high school! damn

 

yep, those cba guys are great. its a wonder why more kids have made the jump from highschool to the nba the last 2 years, than players from the cba to the nba in, well...ever.

if you gave houston marion, and pheonix mobley....id "wager" that houston would be in the playoffs right now, and the suns would be watching.

 

You may want to look into his story, Dream. It's pretty interesting.

First off, he didn't start playing until later in school. And then, his eligibility was affected by his rather unstable home environment.

 

i knew he had some problems in highschool but i didn't know it affected his b-ball

 

i still think Yao is going to be better

 

No.

I would still take Yao.

In American high schools, there is much more competition than in China. Yao Ming was facing people who were all about 2 feet shorter than him. There was no one who could face him. He was probably the strongest guy too...

Yao is one of the best centers...and is still improving.
Amare is not really one of the best power forwards...but is still improving.

Man..Amare is good. But I would still take Yao. Heh...what about Jay Williams? Those smart people who said Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy could be a #1 pick any other year.

When you have two guys. One guy is 5 feet tall...and the other guy is 5'9".....THEN YOU TAKE THE TALLER GUY!

 

"yep, those cba guys are great. its a wonder why more kids have made the jump from highschool to the nba the last 2 years, than players from the cba to the nba in, well...ever. if you gave houston marion, and pheonix mobley....id "wager" that houston would be in the playoffs right now, and the suns would be watching."

Are you honestly trying to float the notion that American high school ball dominates Chinese pro play?

Second, lost, the Houston roster is every bit as talented as the Phoenix one. One just made it work this year and the other has a few things to figure out yet.

 

In American high schools, there is much more competition than in China. Yao Ming was facing people who were all about 2 feet shorter than him. There was no one who could face him. He was probably the strongest guy too... "

See -- I still think that argument is a bit silly. Much like European players, YAo's job as a Chinese national was to play basketball. Amare's was to be a student. If you think that Amare saw the same amount of training, time allocation in tersm of training, or expertise in the area of coachingm I think you are folling yourself.

"I would still take Yao. "

I think that's cool. You'd take Yao. I'd take Amare. And we could both make a case. That's fandom for you.

 

give me a break. amare lived with a succession of coaches who gave him a home to live in and trained him in his stints with different highschools.

 

"give me a break. amare lived with a succession of coaches who gave him a home to live in and trained him in his stints with different highschools."

And I can guarantee you that whatever Amare, had Yao has ten times as much. He had a NATIONAL PROGRAM backing his every move for years. Amare had a few fleeting coaches in his life from time to time. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't compare.