[ESPN Insider] Yao to the rescue

Yao to the rescue
posted: Tuesday, March 14, 2006**|**Feedback
filed under: Houston Rockets, Yao Ming
By Chris Broussard, ESPN.com

It's Yao Ming to the rescue.

No, not the rescue of the Houston Rockets, at least not this season. With Tracy McGrady out for the next five weeks with a back injury, the Rockets are done. I believe they would have made an inspiring run to the playoffs if McGrady hadn't suffered his latest injury, but they'll have to wait until next year.

Anyway, back to Yao. What Yao is rescuing is the traditional center position. He's the savior of the basketball purists.

Shaq's obviously still 'The Man' in the middle right now, but he's only got a few more years left (and Duncan won't be far behind him on his way out the door). Until recently, it looked like The Daddy would take the idea of the truly dominant center with him.

There is not one center among the league's top 15 scorers this season. That's amazing. And ridiculous.

Gone would be low-post centers who could score big and be the focal point of an offense. It would be all about the power forwards ... those 6-10 to 7-foot types who shoot 3s, handle and go down to the block only when absolutely necessary.

Huge, gawky teenagers would have no one inside to model themselves after. They would try to be KG and Dirk instead of learning and loving how to use their God-given size to post up and obliterate somebody near the rim.

But no more. It appears that Yao will take the mantle from Shaq.

For the first four-and-a-half years of his career, Yao looked like he'd be a slight upgrade over Rik Smits. Now, he looks like he'll be a beast that no one can handle once Shaq hangs 'em up.

I won't put him in a conversation with the Four Immortals -- Wilt, Russell, Kareem and Shaq -- and he may not even be Hakeem, Moses, Ewing or Robinson.

But hey, let's just wait and see.

What's becoming clear is that Yao is special, and not just because he's 7-5 and good for more than blocking shots.

Whatever's gotten into Yao recently, I like it. In 11 games since the All-Star break he's averaged 28 points, 13 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.

Take away a 6-point, 0-rebound, 19-minute clunker against Phoenix on Feb. 16, and Yao's averaged 25 points, more than 11 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 20 games since returning from a left toe injury.

If Yao hadn't been hampered by the toe injury over the first half of the season, we probably would have been seeing this type of production all year. Last summer was the first in ages that he was not completely obligated to the Chinese National Team and actually had a real off-season.

Amazing what a little rest can do.

When considering that Yao has McGrady, who can get him the ball as well as command double teams, a coach in Jeff Van Gundy who believes strongly in playing inside-out, and a birth certificate that's just 25 years old, we could witness Yao do some tremendous things over the next decade.

A few years back, I wrote a story for The New York Times about the decline of the dominant center. I interviewed Pete Newell, the renowned Big Man coach, and he told me he once asked a large group of high school and college coaches if they would be able to fit a youngster like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his sky hook into their offensive sets.

Amazingly, not one coach raised his hand.

Thanks to Yao, some coaches may have to revamp their offenses for the big boys who'd rather make the drop-step, spin and flush their bread and butter than the 20-foot J.

 

stuff about yao is good.

the somewhat dis of hakeem is bad. i guess in most peoples eyes shaq as moved past hakeem on the "greatness scale"

 

Nice article, but this will piss me off for eternity:

Shaq immortal....Dream not??

 

I did not know that Yao has been in the league for 4 1/2 years.

Also I will say that Shaq is not the man in the middle any more. Yao could earn the MDP honor by the end of the season even if the Rockets miss the playoffs.

 

No, Shaq has just been more marketable and media-friendly than Dream ever was...oh, and he doesn't talk with an accent.

Shaq is a great center, but definitely not an immortal.

If you're going to withhold Dream's name from the list of 'immortal' center to ever play the game, then I would agree with the Wilt, Russell, and Kareem being in a class by themselves. However, Dream and Shaq would be in the 'tier 2' group, and Admiral, Ewing, and Moses would be tier 3.

If they're going by number of rings, then yah I guess you can make an argument for Shaq since he has three rings.

IMO, however -- in exception of Wilt because he was the most dominant force in history of the NBA, so you have to throw him into this group-- I would say at least five rings and more would qualify you as an 'immortal'.

But Dream is NOT below Shaq, never has been and never will be. Dream was a more complete player than Shaq ever was.

Just ask Robert Horry.

 

Good article, except the 4 immortals comment. Should be 5 immortals. Add Hakeem.

EDIT: Strike that. Should be 3 immortals. Subtract Shaq.

Then 2 near immortals. Shaq and Hakeem.

Then the next level...Robinson, Malone, Ewing, etc.

 

Hakeem not in the top tier, just silly.

Good article otherwise

 

Good read! Great to see Yao finally getting his due. But on that note the media is a bunch of gossipin' band wagon jumpers......

On the immortals quote, if you asked the four guys he listed who the best center in the league was I would bet they all would say Hakeem due to the way he revolutionized the position. I know Shaq would say it because he already has and I have heard interviews in the past from a few of the others to this effect as well.

 

What about George Mikan? Poor guy. Also, Walton belongs in that tier with Ewing and Robinson.

 

Hakeem is the #1 all-time center in my book. Athleticly and skills-wise. He had 26,946 points, 13,748 rebounds, is the all-time block leader, all-time top big man in steals, not to mention that he played in an era of good centers.

I would put Shaq in the second tier, and that's probably where Yao will end up unless he puts it to the floor and has several mvp-calibur seasons (like this second half).

 

George Mikan was dominant only because he was the only big man in the league back then. I don't think him being in his prime would be able to compete with the players today.

 

Yahoo had another Yao article up this morning, too.

 

It looks like it was written a week or so ago.

 

"For the first four-and-a-half years of his career" ?

 

i don't care what kind of praise the rest of the article may have but i knew i should have quit reading when he said 4 1/2 years and i did quit when he DISSED hakeem.

 

Ofcourse Shaq's top tier. He's such a fun guy with a huge smile!

The Hakeem insults keep getting worse--i'm gonna go bundy on these writers one day

 

Are you ******g kidding me? I like the fact that he gave Yao props but to say that Hakeem is 2nd tier center behind Shaq is ludicrous! The Dream swept Shaq clean for God sake!