I don't think Hollinger's bringing up that idiotic "he'll never be anything more than Rik Smits" crap again. He knows how good Yao is. Hollinger projected Yao to be #1 last year, and projects him to be #4 this year. I believe that similarity thing is just a formula, which compares players based on their numerical stats, AND physical attributes like height and weight. Also, if you are a very unique player, someone can be the most similar to you without actually being close to you at all. As a 7'6, 310 lb. center with excellent offensive skills and the ability to hit ~85% of his FTs, Yao is a statistical freak. Rik Smits is one of the few players near that height who was also offensively gifted (though not nearly as good), which is why he's rated as the most similar player to Yao.
