In that tier of players like Shaq, Duncan, or Garnett. I'm a faithful Rockets fan, but realistically I don't see Yao being more than a 14pt., 9 reb., and 6 assist/game player. Rockets still need a physical power forward to really compliment Yao. I believe if you had an opportunity to trade Yao straightup for Shaq, Duncan, or Garnett, you would. What would you do?
if yao will be used to the bump and bruises of a low-post guy in the nba, if he could gain more pounds, if he could have a mentor like hakeem olajuwon or moses malone to teach him some wicked low-post moves, and if ever the team helps yao develop, he will in that calibur! right now, yao's makin shaq earn all his shots, so i think that's enough to show he can be the next "Dream" or the next dominant man on the paint.
I am not totally sold on Yao being as good as Shaq, Duncan or Garnett. I think he has the potential to and a lot of that is tied into his agressiveness on the court in terms of scoring and rebounding. I tend to think he will be a notch below those players listed above but I do believe he has the talent to be a top level guy in the NBA. Yao will be more than a 14/9/6 guy. Heck he averaged very close to 14/9 THIS year. Certainly he will progress from that. I think he will probably become a 20/10 guy at least.
i agree, but the IF'S, are the problem. the system that the rockets run won't capitalize on yao's strengths, and with yao obligations in china it makes it hard to believe that he can recieve this type of help, anyway.
I really think Yao at best tops out at 22pts and 11rebs. That is d#$@ good, but not the level of a Shaq, Kobe, KG,etc. At worst he is Smits and tops out at 18-10. Either way he is going to be a perinial all-star because that is top notch production for a center.Imo I would trade Yao for any of those guys based on a basketball decision, but it isn't just a basketball decision. Yao sells tickets, and is very marketable.
mm, actually, if u take out the first month of the season, i think he averaged more than 14 and 9 <b>this</b> year. So u do think he will improve upon that, right??? The good thing about Yao is no one, i mean no one knows how good he can become. Will he be an all star player, getting 20, 10 and 3 every year. Will he be an incredible superstar getting 25, 13 and 4 a year. Or will he change the game and get 30, 15, and 5 a few years??? No one knows, u see. The only thing we know for sure is that Yao will demand so many double and triple teams, our offense will be fine for years to come. No worries, the Rockets are set for the future
His aggressiveness is key to his overall success, but he's not really agressive. I do give him credit for being more than a 14/9/6 guy, if he's 20/10 he will be in that tier, along with his assists. I just think the personel the rockets have now will screw up his developement.
I already think Yao is better or just as good at some areas then Shaq, Duncan, or KG such as: 1) Defending and Altering shots - simply at 7 ft 5 he has some affect on the shot selection the opposing players take 2) Passing - again, at 7 ft 5 and court awareness this guy can make difficult cross court passes look simple. Like the posters ahead of me, Yao lacks the willingness to bang inside. You can tell he really enjoys the art of shooting the outside shot, yet because of his height his real mismatch is 10 ft or less from the basket (see SHAQ). To be honest, if Yao was as aggressive as Shaq the league would have to rewrite the rules of basketball cause now you are talking about a Shaq that is 7 ft 5. Sorry Tim Duncan but you cann't deal with that. But there is a soon to be a 7 ft 3, and still growing, giant from South Korea who says that he wants to play like Shaq. His name is Ha Seung-Jin. This will be scary. Ha Seung-Jin 7 ft 3 305 ponds
If you look at him in this picture, you wouldn't want him even he's free. His look destroys team chemistry, harms other player's health and undermines franchise stability. Shaq is beautiful compared to him.
Yao isn't going to develop into a Hakeem, Duncan, or Shaq in my opinion. I dont see the aggresiveness/killer instinct in him to be that player. He may be better than some of those guys when it is all said and done but I see him as more of a 7'5'' Scottie Pippen. Yao can be that 20 pts 12 reb 6 ast 4 blk do-it-all player if he stays healthy and becomes more of an assertive player. Maybe a better comparison is Webber actually, he'll be our best player but the rest of the team will determine how far we go (ie Yao won't be the "get on my back and I'll take you there" type).
Confidence doesn't come naturally. It comes from victoties. Look at what J ONeal and Dirk have done to themselves and their teams. Yao was a killer in CBA, even when Wang was there. He has the desire to improve and dominate. What matters is whether he would have enough wins to build up his confidence. Aggressiveness is from fearlessness. When you think yourself is better than the opponent, you don't fear them, then you'd love to attack.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's UUUUUUUUGLY. Freaky....Monster! Well...who cares. Look at Shawn Marion. Maybe he has talent. Yao.....I wish he could become like KG and them...but I don't think he will...especially with the coaches we have and the amount of touches he is getting.....and the amount of no calls he happily receives and doesn't complain about. Maybe he's just a rookie..but I don't think he can dominate. He's too slow...
Fans of such little Faith!! Unlike all the previous posters on this topic I will not pretend to be able to predict, what Yao Ming will become over his professional career,what sort of Offencive or Defencive success he will attain. I do agree though that he has potential and that he needs NBA Professional Big Man Coaching to have any serious chance of developing that potential. I do think its quite wrong to hope that he might turn into another Hakeem , Shaq or Duncan. He will never be these players because he is very different from all of them. Let us step back and support our player to be the best that he can be, and only expect him to be Yao Ming. You never know he might end up being known as a cross between Jerry West and Jabbar. A very unique Center indeed!
Let me go on the record to say that Yao will only average the following for his career; 12.9 ppg 8.3 rpg 2 apg 1.8 bpg 5tpg Anybody wanna bet?
It's sad to see that so many people think that Yao has peaked after HIS ROOKIE SEASON. When he gets more comfortable with American ball(and he will), he will be a major star in the league. I'd be willing to bet that if Yao was only averaging 5 points per game, everyone here would talk about giving him time to develop into his great upside. Now that he's already a top 3 center, people have suddenly decided that he will never be a superstar. Is it because he isn't (in a basketball sense) an athletic freak? Potential isn't based solely on athleticism. Anyone that has watched Yao before the draft knows that he has a lot in his bag of tricks that he hasn't shown. When he gets comfortable, much like Dirk Nowitski, he is capable of putting up ridiculous scoring numbers at a great percentage. When you're 7'5" and can run the floor, leaping ability shouldn't be a big concern. Is it because he "isn't aggressive?" In their rookie seasons, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal, Dirk Nowitski were all deemed busts by many because they didn't seem "aggressive." A lot of the aggression shown on film comes from confidence, as stated earlier in this thread. Even a superstar like Tim Duncan doesn't always appear aggressive. When Yao realizes how good he is, aggression would never be a problem again. It just takes time, just because Amare Stoudemire is more aggressive now doesn't mean that it'll always stay that way. He has also shown the willingness to bang inside much more than scouting reports gave him credit for. Showing more passion will come with time. I firmly believe that Yao can be a top 3 NBA player if he keeps progressing. Nobody knows the future, but there isn't any reason to believe that he has hit a brick wall. Don't give up hope yet!
