We're not talking about skill, we're talking about Gasol being BETTER than Yao Ming. Read the title of the thread, does it say that Gasol more skilled than Yao? You're the one who limited being better to skills and that other poster proved you wrong. End of story. As far as skill goes I'd say they're pretty even. Tell me something Yao Ming does that Gasol doesn't do. The whole point of selecting more skilled players is to build a championship team. What's the point of being more skilled if you're not the better player for a championship team? That's like arguing that Yao Ming is taller than Hakeem, but that is irrelevant when Hakeem is the better player. Its the same thing with Gasol. Arguing that Yao Ming is better because he's more skilled is irrelevant because he can't stay on the court like Gasol does. Even if Yao Ming is more skilled than Gasol, how can he put that skill to use when he can't play? How is he better than Gasol when Gasol is healthy and Yao Ming is injured every time playoffs come around?
It is a lofty standard when you compare it Yao Ming's dismal performance. Numbers in a vacuum don't mean anything, they only make sense when you compare it to other numbers. Compared to Yao Ming Gasol is a freaking health stud. LOL look at your double standard. You are judging Gasol on his team success when he was in Memphis (wow Gasol sucks his team lost 12 straight playoff games), however when he achieved team success in the Lakers it's somehow due to him having amazing teammates. How about having sucky teammates is the reason why they didn't win in Memphis, or that him arriving in Lakerland transformed them from a lottery team to the champion? A little consistency on your arguments would be nice
Fail. A by-playoff healthy Gasol couldn't even carry his team to playoff in '06-'07. Grizz's record with Gasol was horrible by any measure: 17 wins and 42 losses. In comparison, Yao's low season in '05-'06 was more respectable: 27 Wins, 30 Losses. See you are making excuses for Gasol. That's a no-no according to poster nodstonothing. You guys need to make up your collective mind: excuse or no excuse. OK the great team (with a $20 million hole) Yao had beat the Blazers because the opponents were unexperience [sic]. Was Gasol still inexperienced by the time he played his 3rd NBA playoff series? So much so that he couldn't even win one freaking playoff game, at home? Gasol wins games in playoffs because of Kobe. That's a proven fact. That's arguable at best. Playing 2nd fiddle to McGrady in the '04-'05 playoff against the Mavs, Yao had 29.0 PER and .693 TrueShooting%. It's much easier for a skilled big man to score when the defense doesn't collapse on you. Are you talking about a healthy Yao or not? Again, make up you mind. If winning playoff series and championship is the sole criterion of judging a player, then Robert Horry must be the GOAT.
Gasol isn't as injury prone as Yao at this point in their careers, but that doesn't make Gasol a health stud. Missing a quarter of games a season is nothing to write home about and it in no way comes close to being "always healthy." LOL ... a little revisionist history maybe? Prior to acquiring Gasol in early February of 2008, the Lakers' record was 30-16 which would be equivalent to 53 wins. Gasol was lucky because LA was in desperate need to find a replacement for Bynum who had a breakout season till he was injured. Gasol's arrival sure helped but the improvement was not a whopping revolution you are trying to make it to be. Since Gasol's NBA career didn't start in LA, you can't simply write off his miserable playoff failures in Memphis. If Yao's career ends today, you guys have the bragging rights. But if I am a bookie, I'd bet Yao and his Rockets are gonna be playing deeper in playoff rounds. A ring or two is also not without possibility. Nevertheless, Gasol will forever be remembered as the only skilled big man in NBA history who could not win 1 playoff game in 12 tries.
It's quite obvious to select the healthy player over the injured one. What's the point of discussing that? Again, you're completely missing my point. I'm not arguing that Yao is better than Gasol, I'm simply asking for people to go a little deeper than "lol he's injured" when explaining why he's not. That's the OP. Reading is fundamental. For the sake of the discussion, that's the point of arguing skill. Your own example of height is a great example. You can't argue that someone is a better basketball player simply because they're taller, and you can't argue that someone is a better basketball player simply because they're healthy. You can argue that someone is a better piece to a championship team because they're healthy, but that's been repeated ad nauseam and it isn't the point of this thread. If BOTH were healthy, who's the better player, and why? It honestly isn't that hard to grasp.
Man, I can't even believe that this is a question. Yao is never even healthy and he's about as invisible as anyone can get at the end of close games when the Rockets need a closer. Hell, half the time they can't even get him the ball because he can't get open. Gasol has been a much more valuable player his entire career. He's tougher, he's more clutch, and he's more reliable down the stretch. Yao's only been on one team that's even won a playoff series and in that series he only had two good games out of 6. Gasol > Yao all day long.
When I see more than one player defending a single guy, with other offensive players left open, that's a "double team" to me. So they weren't double teaming...because you said that they closed out on the Rockets shooters. 1. Your unsubstantiated word means nothign to me. Provide supporting evidence; don't just say something as if that's that. 2. False dilemma fallacy. You can double someone and still run out to your own man if the ball is passed back out. 3. Watch the video, or any other video from the series. Tell me how Yao's not being outnumbered in the paint, while Rockets shooters are left wide open. Funny, I could've sworn that I saw those Jazz players moving into the paint to take up space and make attempts at the steal before Yao got the ball up. So not only can you not debate, you're an outright liar. I think you mean to say that I said that the Jazz packed multiple players in the paint, or against Yao. Time for some simple math: Yao = 1 player. Yao's defender = 1 player. 3 more Jazz players + Yao's defender = 4 players. 4 players - Yao = 3 Rockets open. I usually don't nitpick obvious little grammar mistakes or hasty typos, but combined with your previous sentence (which was also flubbed), and the fact that you TYPED IN ALL CAPS as if you had some kind of devastating argument against me...I'm going to point out your dumb brainfarts all I want. You seem incapable of even forming a coherent point. And oh yeah, watch the damn video at 10 seconds and 35 seconds. Count the number of blue jerseys in the red box (it's tough, but try for me). What's that? Oh my God 4 OTHER ROCKET PLAYERS were wide open! (Except it's more like 3). You've never gone to a minute of school by the sounds of it. Get back to me when you can add up those 1-2-3's.
Thank you for proving yourself to be an even bigger fool than before. Not only do you fail at stringing together a complete thought, but now you've shown yourself to be a racist too. Where did I even mention my race in this thread? I'm the one showing video evidence and actually supporting my statements. Unlike you, because all you've done is post illiterate insults.
Thats is by far the dumbest video trying to illustrate a double i've seen on this board in a long time. Well, there was another fanboy trying to use the portland series game 2 and he looked just as foolish as you do. Maybe its a general lack of understanding or maybe its because a double team in real time is different than one on a video game which throws your perception off. Its ok, we never stop learning until we die and obviously you havent learned what a double team looks like in the 2 days or so we have been debating this. The jazz can't do all the things you described and the things you didnt see. They tilted to tracy much like they did lebron to make him shoot jumpers, singled yao by playing him very physical, and stayed a step and a half towards rafer,battier,and head. They didnt even bother guarding chuck hayes as usual. You dont have to believe me, use rocket2k's video and see for yourself.
I don't know about you, but where I come from people are expected to explain their positions instead of just dismissing everything they don't like as "dumb." Reiterating your position without actually explaining it any further doesn't pass with anyone with half a brain. You're just padding out your post, when you could've said as much with a juvenile "ur stupid" Again, I have shown video of the Jazz packing multiple players in the paint while leaving multiple Rockets shooters open. I'm sorry if that doesn't live up to your own made up, ficticious personal definition of "double team." What was that again? It's not a double team unless two players do nothing but go hard at a guy, completely ignore the other offensive players, and try to force the ball from his hands? If that's the definition you're going by, then hardly ANYONE is ever double teamed. Meanwhile normal people consider it a double team if the offensive player is opening up opportunities for his teammates by drawing the attention of multiple defenders.
Hey leebigez, why don't you post a link to said videos, along with your analysis of them and specific times to watch for? You seem to have a serious problem with backing up your words. Lazy school kids (and BSers) are the type of people who say vague things like "it was on TV" or "I read it in some book."
How is that Racist. I said it's hard to be objective about a national hero like Yao. The guy is all class and dignity, so i can see why our chinese friends defend him so strongly.
So naturally, anybody who is Chinese can't form an objective argument about Yao. You're almost r****ded enough to the point where I feel sorry for you. Don't reproduce.
Gasol and Yao are almost at the same level in terms of skills. How many 7 feet big men with that skill level? You can't find much in the whole world. But Gasol is obviously a better player when looking at career achievement. He's a core player in Fakers and Spain national team. Also he won almost everything in Euro league. Honestly, Yao can't compare with him until he's got a ring.
