http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/oly_2004_basket_chn Shaq O'Neal stronger and quicker, but Yao more mature: Harris BEIJING (AFP) - China's American basketball coach Del Harris reckons Los Angeles Laker center Shaquille O'Neal is a quicker, stronger and better athlete than Chinese star Yao Ming, but Yao is more "mature and businesslike." Harris, the only man to coach both of the NBA All Star centers, made the comments at a press conference ahead of a pre-Olympic four-nation tournament between China, Canada, Croatia and Brazil this weekend in Beijing. "Yao Ming is 24. Shaquille O'Neal, when I had him he was 24. At that time, Shaquille O'Neal had already played in the NBA four years and been to the NBA finals one time, so he had more experience and was stronger," Harris said. "Yao Ming is more mature and has a more businesslike approach to the game. He is a better shooter, but you have to give the edge to Shaquille O'Neal. "Shaquille O'Neal, of all the players I've seen in 30 years in the NBA, he has all the skills, the strength, the quickness and the athletic ability that only come along, apparently, once every 30 years." The good news for Yao is that he is younger and still has 10 to 12 years of NBA play ahead of him, while the three-time NBA champion O'Neal is 34 this year, he said. Harris has been tasked with bringing the Chinese national side into the top eight at the Athens Olympics in an effort to field a team capable of vying for a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The former Lakers coach, who in recent years has been an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks (news), is expecting Yao, a two-time NBA All Star for the Houston Rockets (news), and NBA veteran Menk Bateer to lead the team to success. "The team has progressed well in the period of time that we've had practices, still there is improvement we would like to see," Harris said. "It is difficult to say how we will do (in the Olympics) because I still haven't seen any of the other teams." In Athens, China will find itself in a tough group of first round matches that includes World Champion Serbia-Montenegro, Spain, Italy, Argentina and New Zealand, with only the top four advancing. "We still need to get film and materials on the other teams so that we will better know who we will be playing," Harris said. He is urging China's basketball association to step up efforts to get scouting reports and film on the other teams as an important part of the preparation for the Olympics. Harris, known in China as the "silver fox" for his head of white hair, is getting his first taste of China's sports machine which is run by a ministry-level bureaucracy that has made China the world's overall number three Olympic medal winner following the United States and Russia. In the upcoming tournament, Yao may sit out the action as he is recovering from a toe operation that was performed in the United States during the team's just completed 20-day training session in Texas. "We are hoping that Yao Ming will be able to play, but right now all I can say is that it is a day-to-day situation," Harris said.
I dont understand why people are always comparing those two (Yao-Shaq) they are different in EVERY single way. From the approach to the game all the way to style with which they play the game.
Honestly, this article somewhat gets me to wonder about Yao's abilities. I hope Del Harris is saying this because he wants Yao to get stronger and quicker. I understand Shaq is going to be stronger than alot of NBA Centers in this league but I was hoping Yao was alot lot quicker than Shaq was. I just hope Yao proves Del Harris wrong
Yao is definitely slower than Shaq(especially shaq in the 90s). Shaq is a even bigger freak than Yao.
No doubt Shaq is faster, 7' is faster than 7'6" Shaq is just a better basketball player, but Shaq is getting old.
Shaq and Yao's games should not be compared because, yes, they are vastly different but the reason for the Shaq/Yao camparisons is because Shaq is "the most dominating player to play the game" and Yao is supposed to be the heir apparent. Its just as unfair as the "next jordans" that always come along but its something that will probably never stop.
It is really very obvious. Shaq is stronger and quicker. Yao has 5 inches on Shaq. Both are physical freak of nature. The difference is Shaq will never reach his full potential. By all indication, Yao is a student of the game. It means he will continuously improve to maximize his strength. It is mind boggling to imaging how good Yao will be 4 years from now. I just hope there will be another freak of nature at the center position soon to provide some competition.
Hmm..you compare Shaq's numbers from day 1 to Yao and then you tell me who is underachieving. If Yao produced Shaq's rookie numbers this board would have a collective cardiac arrest.
Different situation. Yao never had the training Shaq had in college. But that is NOT the point. The point is after all these years, Shaq still CAN'T hit free throw. He still CAN'T shoot anything more than five feet. He still miss tons of shot less than five feet (if it is not a dunk). This is the reason I say he never reached his full potential.
Shaq's played fat his entire career, and he seems to consider his poor free throw shooting a non issue. Shaq could have been the best player of all time, even better than Jordan, but he's content with being a top ten of all time instead. He is a text book case for underachieving.
If Shaq had even half of the desire and work ethic that Bill Russell had, he (Shaq) would without a doubt have been the best team basketball player ever. Instead, Russell retains that spot and Shaq will have to content himself with being the second most dominant player the league has ever seen.
I never expect Yao as dominant as Shaq did. But I do believe he can get 20/10 for the next 10 years, which is still incredible. With T-Mac already in our roster, Rockets is going to build a whole new dynasty within the next decade
i watched shaq play UT at the summit (when he was at LSU with chris jackson) and i could not believe my eyes. that combination of power and speed -WOW! i mean, i love yao's game but let's be objective about this. shaq is a great, great player with three rings in four trips to the finals while yao has yet to prove anything. also, yao will never, ever dominate physically the way shaq has.
