When John Lopez, who used to criticize Yao Ming so harsh in the past wrote something like this.........you know, the long wait in the tunnel is coming to an end.......
I agree. Yao does not say much, but he does the work. Yao is extremely consistent in the last one month.
i don't agree with lopez. there are still holes in yao's game. he still picks up stupid fouls and gets the ball ripped from him like a rookie. thats 1 of the reasons why he's not in MVP discussions, because of his rookie mistakes. he has gotten a lot better though and i've noticed a great improvement in his hands. however he still loses the ball a good 5 times a game.
I will accept that it is debatable but if anyone discusses MVP and does not include Yao they're an absolute idiot. For my money and I don't think I am overly bias Yao is the MVP of the league and if I were going to start a franchis he would be my first pick!
ROFLMAO !!! Well following your logic, in that case, all those NBA superstars like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Leborn James, Tracy McGrady are all making rookie mistakes of having > 3 turnovers a game. http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Turnovers.jsp Let me ask you, who from the Top 5 of the most turnover players is like Yao Ming, always received double- and triple-team treatment ? And don't forget............alot of his turnovers are 3-second offensive and defensive violations, that had nothing to do with butterfingers or your so-called rookie mistakes !!
lebron has a huge hole in his game and it's called defense. he's great at playing the passing lanes and he's certainly capable of being a good defensive player, but he isn't one yet.
yao won't get any mvp talk unless the rockets get 60 wins (or at least 52 wins without mcgrady) and he plays more dominant at the end of games. dallas won 60 games last year and dirk nowitzki was one of the 3-5 elite players in this league (averaged 26 and 9) and didn't get the award. so i assume international players have a general disadvantage because the awards are voted by american journalists. that's not how i like it, but that's how it is.
To be the MVP of this season, Yao needs to decrease his turnovers and increase his shot percentage in the clutch time when other teammates are off. And most important thing, he must bring Rockets to Playoff 2nd round at least!!
I think Yao is an MVP candidate. But can he keep this up and better ? We'll see. He deserves MVP talk at the very least.
I'm afraid to say that these TOs will never go away. Yao will always get a doubleteam so it's a part of the risk.
Although every end-of-season award is part popularity contest, you have to look at how Yao changes every play near the hoop. People are just scared of him. And you can't argue that it's his size; there have been plenty of big centers in NBA history who just stood there and watched guys blow by them.
Only if Yao starts rebounding again....I mean all those bricks last night and he only gets 5? MVP's get 10 a night. DD
Winning Player of the Month proves Yao is now recognized as a top talent and is clearly on the MVP radar. There isn't much of any "lack of acknowledgment" IMO. Sure he has flaws but so does any MVP contender.
The question isn't, "Is Yao THE MVP. The question is should Yao be mentioned when talking about getting MVP votes? Yes, Yao CLEARLY should be mentioned. Will he get the MVP? no. But he should get some mention. Lopez makes a good point that Yao's name isn't even in the hat ...and it should be.
If the Rockets can prove over the course of the season that they're back at the top of the league's elite, then Yao should definitely get strong consideration. Interestingly, what would help his cause the MOST would be for TMac to continue to struggle as he has. Let's say the Rockets somehow win 55+ games or something ridiculous WITHOUT a healthy, productive TMac. If Yao doesn't win MVP under those circumstances then something is very wrong. They like to pick guys that can single-handedly turn a team around or carry them on their backs. Look at what Steve Nash did in Phoenix - that's why he won. If Yao can do the same thing in Houston, he'll get his due. It's just too early in the season now for people to feel comfortable saying that the Rockets have arrived.
I agree, if Yao can cut his TO's to <4 a game, I'd think Yao is an MVP canidate without having to be a homer. Yao is getting to be more consistent. Getting to the line, making smart passes, and punishing teams for double teaming him will continue to be the mark that will guage his dominance. Right now, those TO's are his achille heal. But TO's tend to get overlooked....
