First an article that has a little one the subject Scoring no longer focal point of ROY chase -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Marc Stein ESPN.com Editor's note: As part of "The Stein Line" every Monday, ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein gives his take on things in "Slams and Dunks." Yao Ming, left, and Amare Stoudemire are battling for a playoff spot, too. The sentiment here, all along, has given Yao Ming a slight edge over Amare Stoudemire in the Rookie of the Year race -- the premise being that the transition for a 22-year-old from China, who only just received his Texas driver's license, is even more daunting than what Stoudemire has faced, matriculating straight to the pros from attending six different high schools. The race for the No. 8 spot in the West remains another variable to complicate the choice. Even though two of his teammates are All-Stars -- Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion, compared to only Steve Francis for Yao -- Stoudemire figures to benefit on some ballots if the Suns hold off the Rockets for the last playoff berth. What we do know for sure is that we're looking at another ROY in the new millennium with modest scoring numbers. Yao is averaging 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. Stoudemire averages 13.4 points and 9.2 boards. Scoring-wise, that puts both only slightly ahead of Mike Miller, who won the ROY trophy in Orlando in 2001 despite averaging just 11.7 points. Memphis' Pau Gasol nudged the bar back upward last season by averaging 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, but all of these numbers serve as further evidence that the modern rookie arrives in the NBA farther away from impact-player status than they used to. History reveals that the composite scoring average for the 51 players who either won or shared the award before Miller is 20.5 points per game. Second Mark Steins chat wrap: Mike (NYC): Hey Marc, I want to give Rudy a shoutout cos we all want that biopsy to be negative. My question: will Yao's chances of being ROY be impacted if the Rockets don't make the playoffs and the Suns do? Marc Stein: Me, too, Mike. Rudy is one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. Our prayers are with him for a fast recovery. As for Yao vs. Amare, I can't see how the No. 8 wouldn't have some impact. Their numbers are almost identical and, for some voters, the playoffs will almost surely be a tiebreaker. I'm leaning toward Yao no matter what, but I am taking the rest of the season to make final decisions, just like MVP and Coach of the Year. Lots of tough choices this season. Mostly old news though Yao in the lead
I dug this out from FOX SPORT. IMHO, Mike gives a quite objective analysis of ROY race. I hope nobody has posted it yet. http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=976190 MONROE: Yao heads the rookie class BY MIKE MONROE FOXSports.com Mar. 17, 2003 2:27 p.m. Call the engraver, and see if you can find one that can inscribe in Mandarin Chinese. The NBA's Rookie of the Year race is over. Yao Ming is your winner. To reiterate a line I first used long before the draft: The Rookie of the Year trophy is going to pass from Pau to Yao. Wow! If Amare Stoudemire, the runaway Rookie of the Year leader through the first half of the NBA season, were going to retain any hope of being named this season's best first-year player his chance ended Sunday in Houston, where Yao outplayed him in the most important game of the season for both the Rockets and Suns. Stoudemire actually appeared to be getting the better of Yao late in the critical game when he rejected his dunk attempt as the Suns mounted a fourth-period comeback. But Yao followed by scoring six points in the next two minutes. And he set up two more Rockets baskets as they held on for a huge victory that earned them the season tie-breaker with the Suns should the two finish tied for the eighth, and final, playoff berth in the Western Conference. One of the reasons I had named Stoudemire top rookie in the first half was the fact he had been most responsible for turning the Suns from a lottery team to a playoff contender. We can now say the same thing about Yao. Yao finished Sunday's big game with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, along with eight rebounds. Stoudemire made only 3-of-10 shots, scored 12 points and had nine rebounds. The Suns' Amare Stoudemire, center, couldn't lead his team to victory against Yao and the Rockets. Pat Sullivan / Associated Press Yao and Stoudemire clearly are the top two rookies from a rookie class that may be remembered in future years as one of the best in a decade, in part because Yao has averaged 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. He has made 51.9 percent of his shots and 80.5 percent of his free throws. He has also averaged 1.88 blocked shots and 1.6 assists. Stoudemire has averaged 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds. He has made 46.3 percent of his shots and 67.1 percent of his free throws. And just as statistics don't measure the way Yao's passing and defense help the Rockets, they don't show the way Stoudemire's inside presence has changed the Suns. The Rookie of the Year was a two-horse race from the moment Yao began to recover from his late start — remember, he arrived in Houston just a week or so before the start of the regular season — to begin playing the way the Rockets believed he could when they made him the first overall pick in the draft. Stoudemire's early ascendancy was as much of a surprise as Yao's early struggle. He was the 10th player taken in the first round, not the first. Plus, jumping straight from high school to the NBA hasn't been easy for anyone, not even Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. To say Stoudemire made the jump more successfully than those three MVP candidates is no overstatement. If you still have any doubt that Yao will be this year's Rookie of the Year, check out the results of a poll of actual voters the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen conducted over the weekend. Feigen contacted 28 voters (including Yours Truly), nearly a quarter of the 126-person voting pool, and asked for whom the voters will cast their Rookie of the Year vote. The results were overwhelming: 20 for Yao, 8 for Stoudemire. Nobody else received even a single vote. Considering how dramatically Yao was criticized through the first few weeks of the season this is a resounding affirmation of his resiliency, not to mention his talent and potential. Yao also has been a marked man every time he has played each team for the first time. Opposing players have measured their machismo by their ability to take their game right at him. That includes Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Add the fact Yao has had to deal with a media circus all season, with pregame press conferences that include his constant companion, interpreter Colin Pine, and you begin to understand just how resilient the 7-foot-6 youngster from Shanghai truly is. Clearly, the Rockets made the right decision when they used the first overall pick to take Yao. Just as clearly, the Bulls made a mistake making Jay Williams the second pick. Williams has been given every opportunity to succeed as the Bulls' point guard. Only five rookies have averaged more minutes per game: Yao, Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Dajuan Wagner and Nene Hilario. But Williams is eighth among rookies in scoring and his shooting percentage is horrid, 38 percent. Let's apply 20-20 hindsight to last June's draft and re-select the Top 10. Yao Ming — Rookie of the Year, and he's only going to get more dominant. Amare Stoudemire — A man's man at age 20. Nene Hilario — Ditto Stoudemire, and he'll be better when he learns English. Caron Butler — Logged more minutes than any rookie. Mike Dunleavy — Still needs to fill out, but still knows how to play. Drew Gooden — Change of scenery definitely helps. Jay Williams — Better work on his shooting. Jared Jeffries — Wizards could have used him for the stretch run. Carlos Boozer — Top percentage shooter, No. 3 rebounder among rookies. Dajuan Wagner — "Tweener' who shoots just 37 percent. You may notice Nikoloz Tskitishvili, the No. 5 pick last June, and Chris Wilcox, No. 8, didn't make our re-draft Top 10. There are reasons the Nuggets and Clippers have been two of the NBA's worst teams for years and year. Draft day mistakes are among them. At least the Nuggets picked a winner in Hilario. Wilcox hasn't been able to log meaningful time (not even among the top 20 rookies) despite injuries to Michael Olowokandi and Elton Brand. Mike Monroe can be reached at his e-mail address, mmonroe@foxsports.com.
huh? what? did i miss something? "amare is not comparible to yao" isn't that 6 words? oh well, sorry i brought it up.
I think if: (1) both Rockets and Suns make the playoff, Yao will be the ROY. (2) Rockets make the playoff and Suns do not, Yao will be the ROY. (3)
I think if: (1) both Rockets and Suns make the playoff, Yao will be the ROY. (2) Rockets make the playoff and Suns do not, Yao will be the ROY. (3) Suns make the playoff, Rockets do not, Yao and Stoudemire will be co-ROY.
damn, look at those arms! he's really been workin out! and that makes me think...since his coming here to the US, he's improved on his game, his strength, his engrish, and even his driving ability...so what HASN'T yao improved on? dude, he's ROY hands down.
The time is YAO News of The Week Yao Ming leads all rookies and possesses the tenth-highest Efficiency Rating Per 48 Minutes in the NBA this season at 29.84. This rating is determined by a statistical formula, which subtracts two totals and divides by the total number of games played. The totals are 1) points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots and 2) missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers. The rating is then projected over 48 minutes. Fact of The Week Among NBA rookies, Yao Ming ranks second in scoring, second in rebounding average, first in blocks per game, and second in field goal percentage. His 23 double-doubles tie him for the league lead among NBA newcomers. Yao also stands as the rookie leader in efficiency with a rating of 18.35. Yao-cetera ... Yao Ming was voted as the NBA's 23rd-best player in a survey conducted by The Sporting News with team general managers, standing as the the only rookie to receive votes and just one of two centers in these rankings. Yao Ming has had at least three blocked shots 23 times, as the Rockets boast an 19-4 record in these contests. Yao Ming stands as the only NBA rookie to lead his team in rebounding average, as he leads Houston in rebounds per game, blocked shots per game and field goal percentage. Yao Ming ranks sixth in field goal percentage, 13th in blocks per game and 18th in rebounds per game among all NBA players. Yao Ming ranked fourth overall in All-Star balloting with 1,286,324 votes. Yao Ming is the first-ever No. 1 pick to come from an international basketball league. Yao Ming has averaged 3.75 blocks over Houston¡¦s last four games (through March 16, 2003). ============================================== Yao will be the one and only ROY. Amare Stoudemire and the Suns will be watching Rockets in the playoffs at home. Go Rockets!!!!
Usually people say one word or in one word, it is not gonna to be exactly one english word. Instead, people try to make a conclusion by stating that first. Correct me if I am wrong or you really need better education.
the people who support amare are definitely blinded by amare's spectacular dunks. cause if you were to actually argue who the two top rookies are, i would say yao and nene hilario are the two best rookies in this draft. in amare's best offensive games, his team lost. the suns are not led by amare. they're led by stephon marbury. he's the one who ultimately decides whether the suns win or lose, not amare. amare's a great player and very talented, but he doesn't play hard tough defense all the time and he doesn't make the players around him better. compare that to yao's impact when he has 3 or more blocks in the game, the rockets win a lot and yao often helps his team when his team's offense isn't producing. in that one game where i saw nene play against the rockets, he showed what a truely talented defensive player he is because he stole the ball from a guard. and he showed more explosiveness and quickness than amare. also nene averages almost 2 steals per game and he has a higher field goal percentage than amare and averages about the same amount of blocks and actually averages over 1 assist per game which shows he's a more complete player than amare and he plays fewer minutes than amare too. if anything, amare's overrated. nene's actually the closest to beating out yao for top rookie. only nene's offensive game is still not that polished and he doesn't block as many shots as yao, but his steals per game average is very impressive. some guards don't even average that much.
they only showed the part when amare blocked two of Yao shots..and nothing else of Yao..stupid ESPN...
