I think people are confusing some terms in trying to describe Yao's passing. Yao was a flashy passer in his first season, but that doesn't equal being a great passer. Great passing big men are the likes of Divac and Chris Webber, Yao is nowhere close to that. However, he demands double-teams so he has the opportunity to pass the ball out more often than those guys did, and based on that sample Yao is definitely not a great passer. Great passing means passing the ball in the right spot, at the right angle and with great timing. Yao hasn't shown any of that consistently thus far in his career, although he has shown flashes. He does, however, have above average court vision and b-ball IQ. IMO, the only above average passers on this team are McGrady and Alston, both guys make terrific passes consistently, at the right time, in the right spot, to the right player (the open guy, mostly). I think Yao has improved on his timing issues a lot in the past two seasons, however, so he's definitely making strides. So again, three ways I've heard being used to describe a player's passing abilities, often used interchangeably but are independent of one another: flashy passer (doesn't mean a great passer); great passer; and great court vision.
