Seriously? You think Howard was playing against Bynum and Odom? In your mind, you actually believe that when Odom came in the game, Dwight Howard would guard Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis would guard Pau Gasol? Keep in mind that Bynum averaged less than 20 minutes a game. Howard averaged almost 43. Don't you think its more likely that when Odom replaced Bynum, Lewis would guard Odom and Howard would guard Gasol?
To put it simply, Gasol is a a better offensive player, Yao is the better defensive player. Neither is the #1 guy on a championship team but would be (and is in Gasol's case) a great #2 option.
Simply put, you're clueless. Gasol is a role player. One of 3 big men on a team whose primary contributions are dumping in putbacks and running some pick and rolls. Gasol is a superlative role player but the team isn't built around him like it is around Yao nor does the offense run through Gasol. Playing on a better team doesnt make you a better player. Let that sink in. Playing on a better team doesnt make you a better player. Winning a championship doesnt make you a better player. What it means is you play on a better team. If Amare was on the Lakers, fools would be having his conversation about Amare, how he's better than Yao and Gasol back in Memphis wouldn't even be in your mind. As for that ridiculous statement: Neither is the #1 guy on a championship team. Ok Mr ESPN logic. You realize that using that logic neither is Lebron, right? I guess Manu is better than Lebron correct?
What really puzzles me is that all these self-proclaimed Rockets fans diss'ing a Houston player while glorifying someone who is a freakng enemy. What happened to rule #1 of being a fan: root for your player.
Not really. Yao is a much greater threat on offense. When was the last time teams doubled up on Gasol?
Being a fan doesn't mean you have to sacrifice objectivity. Yao can't stay healthy and you have to take that into account whenever you compare him to another player. .
Being a fan doesn't change change reality. What about the rest of the positions(1-4) on the team? Let's throw reality out the window. Scola is better than Duncan. Ariza is better than LeBron. Martin is better than Kobe. Brooks is better than Steve Nash. The Rockets don't need any changes. They will win the ring with a cast of future hall of fame players that are better than Duncan, Lebron, Kobe, and Nash. I am mocking you.
Of course he is. Defense is obviously irrelevant to the game of basketball. On a more serious note, does anyone else find it funny how much hate Yao receives from supposed fans of the team? It's almost as if... Oh.
Being a fan is entirely about losing your neurtrality. When you root for a team, you blindly follow the team. Of course you are entitled to dislike certain player on the team but please don't use the word "objectivity". There is nothing rational about rooting for a sports team.
i dont know why when ever yao ming is compared with a another player, health is always mentioned. I think when a questioned such as "is gasol better than yao ming" it is assuming both are healthy. why bother with the comparison if you just bring up the argument, yao ming is on a wheelchair therefore gasol is automatically better.
So you think us talking about Rockets and Pau Gasol ad nauseam is reality? If I want reality and objectivity, I'd stay away from clutchfans and spend more time figuring out how to get rich. When you root for a sports team, you indulge yourself in a fantasy world. So what if Pau Gasol has one more ring than Yao? He still sucks in my book just because he doesn't play for the Rockets. That's why I am a fan and you are not. You are too much into reality and objectivity.
Lets get some things straight here. Both Gasol and Yao Ming are not franchise players. Pau Gasol and Yao Ming would make horrible first option on a championship team but both would make excellent 2nd or 3rd option. Gasol and his Grizzlies team didn't make it far in the playoffs was because his team was horrible. The only reason why Yao Ming made it out of the first round was simply because Yao Ming had a better team than the Blazers did. The Rockets last season with Brooks, Scola, Landry, Lowry, Artest, Battier, and Wafer were a stacked team. Plus Aaron Brooks and Scola both were the main one that were torching the Blazers. The Lakers were never considered contenders after Shaq left. But once Gasol was traded to LA, they were immediately turned into contenders and made it to the finals and won a championship a season later. Both Yao Ming and Gasol have their advantages and disadvantages. They are both good at what they do. But Gasol has a slight edge over Yao. Pau is more mobile and has a higher basketball IQ than Yao. He can handle the double team better than Yao Ming simply because of his passing skill (used to play PG as a kid). Gasol is a better rebounder than Yao because he knows how to seal off his man and know where to be at on the court at the right time. Gasol has great court awareness. But the biggest thing that separates Gasol from Yao and makes Gasol a much better player is that he is on the court performing while Yao is often sideline. It doesn't matter how well he used to play. As of right now, Gasol is a far more superior player. The only way to make an argument against Gasol being a superior player than Yao is for him to make it back onto the court and being able to play at a high level again. But as of now, Yao Ming is just another DNP on the stat sheet. The chances of Yao Ming returning to the court and continuing to play at an all star level are getting slimmer. Sure his recovery is on the right path but a player his size and his age isn't helping much. Yao Ming is a very good player but his body just cannot hold up his massive frame. The evidence is there when his foot keeps breaking year after year. This injury will most likely limit his mobility even more. History repeats itself. Big men like Yao Ming never really lasted long in the NBA. Very few can last into the mid 30s. But Yao isn't the few that can last in the league. We all should know it when Yao's body started breaking down when he was about 26 years old. But who knows what will happen. Hopefully Yao can prove me wrong and step onto the court and play at a high intensity level and never gets injured again. But its too early to tell. Until we see him in that uniform again and has the ball in his hand, none of us should be assuming anything or expect anything from Yao Ming.
Gasol is a role player? LOL! I stop reading from there. Bottom line is, Gasol is still playing basketball next month whereas we won't probably see Yao on the basketball court untill Jan 2011!
It doesn't matter what Yao Ming can do in the past, otherwise the best center in the league will always be Wilt Chamberlain even if he's dead and you'll have his gravestone playing in the all star game. How can you think Yao is better when he's broken down 5 of the last 6 times we went to the playoffs? You think he recovers from each foot injury 100% when he doesn't even take breaks from bball all year round? Yao Ming is a shell of his former 25 pt 10 reb self. He's one of the worst players in the league right now because put him in a game and he'll have a statline of DNP-injury.
Actually this is why you're delusional and he's not. Being a fan and being objective go hand-in-hand. If you're not objective how will your team win? If you can't see your players for what they really are then how are you going to win? You'll spend every year fantasizing how your team is the best but every time your center breaks down due to injury.
Let's review: "Better" indicates superiority in skill. Health is not a skill. When comparing players based on their skill, you don't factor in health. When dealing with roster management and hypothetical "who would I rather have on my team" situations, health becomes a factor. Is that simple enough to understand? All of you preaching about "objectivity" seemed to have forgotten this important detail.
I just call it like I see it. I remember having debates like this about davis,francis,terry,bibby, and miller in the height of francis mania. I've had nba league pass since like 96 or whenever the first year was and have always watched alot of other teams besides the rockets. Alot of people posting in this topic never watched pau in memphis other than when they played the rockets. Even then, i see a poster talking about how yao killed pau. That told me right there that poster wasnt watching because pau used to work the rockets. When someone said pau doesnt get doubled? Again,the poster missed all the action when pau was in memphis. Bottomline is its more of what you prefer. If you have your star guard or forward and you had to make a choice, your choice would depend on what youre trying to do offensively.If you want a slow paced,setting, deliberate offensive structure, then yao is your guy. If you wanted to run a passing game offense along with being half court,pau is your guy. Defensively, yao is they space earer and pau is the mobile guy better space. The rox have been a top 5 defense since yao have been here. The grizz were top 5 when yao was there. If either are your best players then your team is going nowhere fast.
Rockets were playing a young inexperienced Portland team. That was the only team they could beat. The matchup was perfect.
