Shaq or Duncun is better then Yao at the 5. It wasn't a comparison, just trying to show that Shawn Marion's year wasn't so "lackluster"...you know, bringing up Yao's name is so dangerous with you guy!!!! And it is possible to be a Rockets fan and not be so hot on Yao. Trust me, if i wasn't a Rockets fan I wouldn't have contributed $10 bucks to the fan site. By every chance I get...I wonder where that's from...I'm just honestly assessing the team without a biased mind. But you're free to form your own opinion of course....with opinion being the key word....
Perhaps not now... I never said Yao wasn't worth the first pick because he doesn't average 25-12. But I was against drafting him, and am not sure he will pan out in the end.
Wow! Ten bucks! Of course you're not sure. What eles is new? Also, we know that "pan out" means something you have in your mind. Hmmmm, 25/12? Does that mean "pan out" to you? Psst...."pan out" to the Rox fan means that he'll be part of our team and help us win a title.
No, everyone does not talk how "great Yao is." You accuse everyone of doing that. Then you make matters worse by claiming that you yourself *don't* hold Yao to that unrealistic expectation. Then you swtich back to to the idea that you don't think that Yao will get better (even if he does show a little improvement each year). Now who has unrealistic expectations, I ask you? Look in the mirror, man! I mean, talk about wishywashy.
You know what's really funny about your post? By your very own definition, Yao has yet to pan out. So actually, you're saying the exact same thing as me. Glad you agree.
You know, it's really fascinating to see how you interpret my posts....I think you're crazy to be personally honest, as you seem to almost have this obsession with it all. I don't expect Yao to ever be a 25/12 guy. I never did. He won't get there. Was he worth the first pick? Doesn't matter - it's moot, he was taken with the first pick. If we win a championship with him, then great...if not, then many fans will question the Yao Ming experiment, and guess what, that is our right.
No, I've accepted what he is. He's a 18/8.5 guy. But we wait and see how much he can improve on *little things.* I've not bought into the idea that he will become a 24/12 player either. That's realistic. And that's accepting him for what he is. Even if he never reaches 22/10, so what? We not going to trade him just because he didn't reach some idealistic image of another Hakeem. It's time for YOU to come down to earth. We have. This is obvious to most realistic fans (not YOF or media hype). If we don't win a title it wont be just because of Yao. It will be because of TMac and the other role players around them. Yao is the 2nd star on this team. And he's part of the team. One part of the puzzle. Stop thinking that he's some type of Jordan in the making or a guy that can carry a team single handily. He's not that type of player. The "Yao Ming experiment" is just a loaded phrase that tries to place the whole burden on one player.
Actually, you said that panning out meant that Yao helps us win a championship, and since he hasn't done that yet, he hasn't panned out. Don't back off your statement you just made now. And frankly, many here agree that Houston's championship hopes lie with Yao Ming. We know what T-Mac can do and we have our expectations. The question really is which Yao Ming will show up in these playoffs. It is Yao Ming who will make the difference in how far this team will go. And that burden does lie with Yao...as it should. He's the biggest tallest guy on the court, the number one pick, and for him to accept a place below MacGrady is weak. This is my major knock on Yao - he's soft. He's soft as a leader, and soft on the court. And I'm tired of people babying him and making excuses for him that wouldn't be made for any other player. The guys needs to step up and be the man, and not need to have his confidence nutured at every turn. He's been here for 3 years, it's time he weened himself off the bottle. Stop mothering the guy!
Heh..heh... Yeah, I believe we will a title. You don't. Oh well. The date is April 17, 2005, TMac/Yao are in their 1nd year together (edit). Sit tight... Press release: TMac/Yao have not won a title yet! Scrap the team! Break'em up! Armageddon! Geesh!
See, once again you are putting words in my mouth. I never said I don't believe this team won't eventually win a title...and frankly, you're getting to be quite irritating with your half-truth and taking everything I write out of context. And they are in their first year together.
Yes, my mistake. They are in their 1st year together. Yao in his 3rd with the Rox and TMac with his 1st. All the reason give them some time to get the right mix of players and let them learn each others tendencies (pan-out --- It takes time to win a title). The reason that I rebut your points you is because you put things in the wrong context in determining what success is. I'm merely pointing that out. Give up the high expectations for Yao. He improves little by little each year. That's good enough for me -- What should we do about it? Jump up and down and demand that Yao play tougher? It wont change anything. Yao is what he is. It's as much a physical issue as it is a cultural issue. And ignore the hype from the media. Most people hear don't buy it (execpt some YOF).
I ask the same thing. But I've come to the conclusion of what will happen, is this... Yao will play hard one game, and not so hard another (part physical, part mental). We'll have to deal with this. I mean, we can't just keep yelling at him. Sometimes I wonder why Yao plays soooo hard against Korea and Japan. I do know that he takes it personal. It's National pride. But I'm not sure how long Yao could keep that up over 82 games. Sooner or later he gets tired. So, he has a burden of his large body, while trying to play hard all the time. He's just not built that way. TMac is! Maybe we could put Korean/Japanese masks on all our NBA opponents and have Yao get angry at them and play harder. Of course I'm joking. But that would help only for a while. Sooner or later Yao would return to his normal play. Yao's normal play = plodding, mechanical, methodical, technical and finesse. That's his nature. Tim Duncan learned how to keep focused after getting his ass handing to him when he met the Lakers in 2001 (the year that the Lakers went 15-1). Duncan played consistent (methodical) just like Yao. The difference is that Duncan never had a stamina problem (Yao only 31 minutes). When Shaq/Kobe took it to him, he learned that he had to take it up a notch. We'll see how Yao reacts to adversity. But he'll lose before he wins. Personally, I don't think we can get past the Spurs. They are very, very experienced. They know how to win. We might have to take a beating from them before we can mature to the next level. But experience is the best teacher. And why not have Duncan teach this to Yao? Tmac might have a surprise for us, though (super hero!). By the way, I disagree that Yao is the leader. Tmac is. And will always be on this team (well, unless TMac retires in 4-5 years, like he said he would). P.S. I'm sick and tired of Yao getting dunked on and Yao not taking it personal! Fight back! But, he's just not like that. But what I have noticed is that Yao is blocking more shots that would have normally been dunks on his head (in the past). Or rather, he's getting dunked on less and less...which is a direct correlation to his improved technique, timing and speed. So, he's a technical/finesse player. He's not a emotional/physical player. So what I've come to believe is that as his technique improves, he'll dominate players in a technical way, not an emotional way. Do you know what I'm trying to say? It's hard to put in words.
