http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/kelly_dwyer/02/14/champs.chumps/index.html You've heard our cries for Yao to get a little bit of respect from the media and are finally putting the facts out there. You've just become my favourite NBA scribe. It was a little piece but thanx for puttin it out there. ____________________________________________________________ I'm at loss as to what more Yao Ming's critics are expecting from him. And he's not the first big man to be criticized unfairly. Patrick Ewing had hands that were barely bigger than Spike Lee's (no joke, ask Spike). Moreover, he was drafted to be a defensive mainstay to dominate alongside Bill Cartwright but ended up leading a mismatched and outclassed Knicks team to two Finals while making sure New York played significant playoff basketball every year from 1989 to 2000. The man averaged 24.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 37.6 minutes during his eight-year peak, and yet he seems widely reviled now as an underachiever, when, in fact, his only crime was his inability to play as well as Michael Jordan did. Rik Smits? He couldn't outrun a used futon. He had all the lateral movement of a drunk cattle auctioneer. Still, he averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds during his five-year peak, manning the pivot for a Pacers team that was constantly in the thick of the Finals hunt. And somehow, despite Smits's obvious physical shortcomings, fans expected more. That brings us to Yao, who's 26 and in the midst of his fourth season. He's well on his way to six or seven years of 22-point, 10-rebound production at around 34 minutes a night. He's done most of his work this year (20.2 points, 9.3 boards, 1.2 blocks in 33.7 minutes over 30 games) on a bum big toe. His Rockets are 17-6 with him and the chronically buggered Tracy McGrady in the starting lineup, which projects to 58 wins, and somehow that's not enough. The Rockets have won six of seven, they're 4 1/2 games out of the Western playoff bracket, and Yao has averaged 21.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks during this run. He is playing a demonstrative, impassioned brand of ball that is nearly making up for the fact that the Rockets think Maciej Lampe could be the answer. On Sunday night Yao suffered the indignity of having to be on the receiving end of a particularly nasty Eddy Curry facial in the first quarter of a game against the Knicks. Instead of taking it in stride, Yao demanded the ball, spun his way around Curry two possessions later and threw down his own two-handed response. It would have been just as demonstrative a facial had Curry not been faked out of his shoes by Yao's initial move. Though Curry finished the quarter with eight points, he contributed only one point, three rebounds and five fouls in the next three periods -- while Yao ended up with 24 and eight. Good enough for me.
Which other sportswriters are Rockets fans, obvious or not? I always thought Bill Walton had a soft spot for us always having skilled bigmen having been one himself. One thing's for certain. There are plenty of Rocket haters out there.
Great article, Kelly. I've been blown away by the criticism of Yao too. At first, when I started hearing the media talking about how Camby should be the starting All-Star center I thought they may have a point, simply because Yao missed so many games, then I found out Camby has missed a bunch of games too! It makes no sense. No, Yao isn't Hakeem Olajawon. He isn't Wilt Chamberlain. He isn't Shaquille O'neal. He's still a pretty damn good player though, and he may very well be the best center in basketball right now. It's good to see somebody praising him for what he does bring to the game, rather than criticizing him for the terrible crime of falling short of the level of Dream, Wilt, Shaq, Kareem and Russell.
Kudos, Kelly. I'm even more impressed that you've worked in at LEAST two Donald Fagen references over the past few weeks -- you're the only sportswriter in the nation willing to flaunt his superb taste in music to that extent.
yeah.. the biggest YOH are Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, and Screaming A. Smith. It seems they are always on the Spurs jockstrap too. I really like Hubie Brown though.. he seems neutral and doesn't repeat the same cliched Yaoerisms like others do.
I hate that term. Chronically buggered. WTF is that. Well without this sodomized SOB named McGrady we are winlessssss. .
I never posted it and I'm not sure if it was really talked about, but I thought Yao had a string of about 3 games immediately before his injured stint that were the best games of his career. I can't remember exactly which games they were (don't think it was the last 1 or 2), but his points weren't as "quiet" as normal. You know how some guys seem to vanish when it matters, but their stat lines still look pretty good? Anyway, it seems that Yao's stats are improving AND the offense and team are playing better when it goes through him. I think that Yao's reputation with the fans, press, and hopefully the REFS improve because of this. Actually, let me reword that. I hope the REFS pull their head out because of this. During the Knicks game, I thought Yao drew at least three BS fouls from New York post players. I don't think I have ever seen Yao get the benefit of the doubt so many times. On one, Taylor was standing motionless under the basket with his hands up. Yao went underneath him, got his arms tangled with Taylor and then fell down because he lost his balance. I thought it was a REALLY UGLY play by Yao, but Taylor was whistled for a foul. Lets hope the ref association had some kind of epiphany and decided Yao is an all-star deserving of their omnipotent assistance.
Yep, damn good article Dwyer. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a homer (which I am). I'm guilty of expecting too much from him too. I think we all are to a certain point. This article should be a Sticky.
LOL....when I first read the title I thought it said "chump" I agree with Doctor Robert about Yao playing well before having the toe fixed. I mentioned this in another thread a few weeks ago as well. There were about 1-2 weeks of play where Yao just seemed to get better with each game and then he went on the IR. Good read KD set those other "so-called" reporters straight
Honestly, I'm not ... I'm just a CC.net fan. Since the lockout year. Thanks guys. I just get sick of the Yao ripping, it's just too damn easy for writers to rail on the tall guy, and figured I'd try to do something about it. And the Knicks game was just the final straw.
Trader.......J/K, man, great article. I'm tired of people bashing Yao also. Once again, great article.
