Jeez, this whole Yao vs. Hakeem thing is so stupid. They're both Rockets. They'll never actually play against each other. To say that Yao will NEVER be as good as Hakeem is silly. And to say that Yao WILL be better than Hakeem (or something similar) is just as silly. Who really knows? And what's the point. Whatever Yao does in his career, it wouldn't take away from Hakeem's accomplishments. And to use Hakeem's successes as a barometer to judge Yao by would be unfair. It would be unfair to Yao and frankly it would be unfair to Dream. You just can't judge people that play in different eras. It's only a fair assessment if the guys played at the same time and against each other. Otherwise it's just "my dad can beat up your dad". And that doesn't get you anywhere. You just end up arguing around in circles.
and stop looking at the stats only. If numbers are the only standard, then no one comes close to Wilt: name another guy who got triple-double-double (20-20-20) game! I don't think anyone can ever accomplish that again. Then where did Shaq's MDE come from?
Now we come back to the same conclusion again, Yao's biggest problem is his stamina. As anyone could see over the last two seasons that Yao's energy level dictates his performance at any particular night. when you don't have stamina to sustain 35+min per night, 82 games per season, then it's hard to provide high energy every night, hence the inconsistency. I fully expect a 3rd year Yao to have a much better consistency, play 35+ minutes, average 20/10 this coming season.
I think it's pretty fair to say that Yao will never be as good as Hakeem. He has not shown me anything to warrant that comparison, offensively, defensively or passion wise (then again, I think Dream is the greatest center of all time).
I think it's more an issue of quickness rather than leaping ability. Karl Malone has never been a good leaper, but he's a great rebounder because he's both quick to the ball and strong. It's hard to be quick at seven foot six (hey that almost rhymes), but I think Yao can get better if he works on his strength and positioning.
Stamina is a huge issue for Yao right now, but he's not getting any help by the fact that he doesn't get to rest during the summer.
The funny thing is only some Rockets fans consider the Dream "the greatest center of all time". Does the word "homer" ring a bell?
I think it's pretty fair to say that Yao may achieve more than Dream, even he is not as impressive. At least Yao learned to trust his teammate from day 1. Dream is the 4th center of all time in my book, right after Russell, Wilt, Kareem.
Yao Ming is the second best to Shaq. Ask any GM in the league who they would want for a C, outside of Shaq, and the only one who might say no is Jerry Krause...can't you just picture Brand, BMiller and Artest leading the Bulls to the Finals this year? Possibly as early as next year, he will replace Shaq as the best center in the league...period. That is why his pairing with a guard like Tmac seems to good to be true.
