Yao is soft like Brad Daughtery and David Robinson, but that doesn't mean he's not a good player. In the nba, all big guys get challenged from a physical/ mental standpoint. When you don't stand up for your manhood, you're labelled soft. No one had to get enforcers for dream,shaq, moses, and guys like that. They were the enforcers and as a big man, you have to be. People want to throw dream into this elegant,peaceful, gentle giant, but coming into the league, being from Africa and the #1 pick, he was challenged. He had to whip Olden Polynice, Mike Cage, square up on Lucas, and box kupchack. Once it was established, they left dream alone. Shaq had to box derek harper because after a foul, he just laughed and was like, "yeah I fouled you, whatcha gonna do?" Well shaq whipped his ass and eventhough shaq has been fouled hard over and over again, he'll get guy off of him. Shaq will give a hard foul. Shaq will get a flagrant sometimes to prove a point. How many and 1's do you see shaq giving up? Kareem was labeled soft, but after he squared up someone in Boston that was out the window. If you at Big Dave and Yao, people foul them hard, push them down climb over their back and they do nothing. Well, if guys know they can do that to you, they keep doing it. I'm not saying Yao needs to whip someone, but a pivot with a elbow to the face or just a hard foul to let people know that they can't do just anything to him would go a long way. Yao gives up a lot of and 1's , so guys challenge him over and over again because their are no consequences. Yeah, he's soft, but he's still a good player.
Shaq, Howard? (hard). artest......who else is hard?......So what he doesn't retaliate....he does so much more than that . he does things things those guys wished they could do. Who else besides those 3, no 4, we'll add Raja bell to that list......name 5 others who aren't just punk players....in the league today that make an impact on a game.....Ben Wallace once was i think he's old now....who else? This nitpicking is soft. OK yao can make free throws in the clutch which is so much important in a game better than the "HARD" players debate......oh wait the hard players don't want to foul him at the end of a game....Shaq?Howard?....gameplan.
well that year chuck was our starting pf so they were able to double yao all day... so i can see why yao strugled especialy how we know calls dont go his way
Its not a matter of being hard or soft, its respect for the big guy. When these 6ft guards come to the hoop, they see Yao, but they don't. They see him as a guy at the goal, but they don't worry about being knocked into the camera row. They know Yao might foul them, but they feel they still can finish the play. When guys push, lean, tug, and grab Yao, they might get a foul or the might not, but they don't worry about catching a elbow to the nose, jaw or eye. All it would take is 1 time for Yao to pivot with his elbows up and catch a guy in that area and guys wouldn't do it as often. Ask Deke what it was like guarding Shaq in the finals. Yeah he took some charges and got some blks, but he caught bows left and right. In the nba, guys will disrespect you until otherwise. A lot of guy respect Yao as a man and have a respect for his nobility, but no one is making career decisions when they come to the rack.
All Okur does is hang around the perimeter, and yet you're calling Yao soft? He was guarded mainly by Boozer + double teams + handchecks anyways.
Being "tough" or "soft" for an individual player isn't what wins titles. A team needs to have enough elements of on-court toughness to win a championship. As individuals, Yao and Tracy are soft NBA players, like it or not. They both dish out a lot less punishment than they could and you cannot blame it all on the refs. This is their nature and it doesn't mean either guy isn't championship caliber. You have to surround them with teammates who complement them and make up for their deficiencies. You want 5 other "hard" players who aren't chumps? Baron Davis Allen Iverson Kobe Bryant Paul Pierce LeBron James (the last 2 seasons) With his size and skills, Yao is the best low post offensive player in the game, but he is still soft.
I'm just wondering are you guys saying that Yao being soft is a detriment to the team? Or is it a player weakness like when guards took it right at Shaq in the playoffs...sure Shaq fouled them hard but then what? It didn't help his team.
Amare didn't give many 'And 1' because he refused to challenge shot most of the time. He would rather duck out of the way or run the other direction in order to get his fast break points. And that's also the reason why he seldom receive the facials because he refuses to let himself exposed to the possibility of getting dunked on. But...but..but he did dunk a lot...he did dunk really hard on the offense end. So do you call him soft or tough?
Amare from a physicality p.o.v. has a lot to be desired defensively. To be fair, Amare isn't a 7ft guy either. In fact, Lebron is probably bigger than amare. Amare on the offensive end is more relentless than Yao. That doesn't mean he's tougher, but when guys push and tug at him, he kind of turns it up and becomes more aggressive and determined. Defensively, Amare doesn't compete as he should and that's one thing I can say Yao does do that. Maybe its by culture or upbringing, some of the imports that don't play college ball here are kinda soft. The ones that aren't are the nocioni's, scola, okur, parker, pietrus to name a few, but the Dirks,peja, and Yao's are considered soft. I think even with his softness, I think yao is a very good player. Just like one poster has said, you just have to get "dogs" around them. Dream,Shaq, and Moses were the "dogs" on their teams.
Remember how "hard" Carmello was in that fight against the Knicks, when he took a sucker punch at someone under the basket, then ran backwards all the away past mid-court to avoid the actual fight. And this was only a few seconds after he slapped 5'9" Nate Robinson. You want "hard"? Calvin Murphy's middle name is Hard.
Good post and very fair. I guess people just have different definitions of being tough. Some people thinks toughness is the determination to play through injury. Some people think toughness is the courage to challenge shots. Some people like you think toughness is the willingness to retaliate or foul hard to make other players think twice before they wander into the paint again. Some people think toughness is not to back down from competition even though the chance of his team to win is next to none. And then there are some people who watched the ESPN too much think toughness is to throw out thunderous dunks. Until we can arrive at a definition of toughness that we all agree with, this debate will have no end.
i'm sorry, but exactly what does that link have to do with people labeling him soft? she didn't say he was soft, she said he wasn't going to win the olympics, maybe because team usa is stacked and yao can not beat them on his own, i agree with what you say that he has heart, he isn't soft, the whole "cuz he doesn't go ghetto" statement was slightly ignorant, but that's okay. there are alot of players that play hard and strong, but i most certainly wouldn't brand them "ghetto." choose your words more carefully
To me its not all about dunks, but I would be lying if I told you tha yao would have more and 1's if he finished stronger. If Yao finished stronger more often with a dunk after a pass, he would add 2-4 more points on his total. Since he finesses a lot, when he gets fouled on the way up he gets 2 ft throws instead of a and 1. Overrall, Yao isn't holding the rox back because of his softness, so really it isn't that bad. Finishing strong, putting a guard on the ground "clean" and getting a guy off your back with a "accidental elbow ", would do a lot towards that part. Fortunately, Artest will be that hard foul guy. He will be that no layup guy. Once Posey started doing that in Boston, it kinda carried over to everyone else. Maybe, it will do the same when Artest starts the trend.
All Yao has to do is win. See Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. There's no reason to feel sad for Yao. Both Tracy and Yao are on a very talented team and have an opportunity this season to shut people up.
If Howard is "hard" then why Yao dominated him so much? If Yao is "soft" then why he is the only one that defend Shaq one on one. If Yao is "soft" how is he able to play with a broken foot while other have to be taken in a wheel chair for something less painful. Just a few question. BTW here a list of some soft big man in the NBA, Gasol, KG, Amare, Camby, etc.
what the heck are you guys talking about? People call Yao soft because he is a 7'5 - 300lb+ man who gets pushed around in the post, sometimes falls down, and struggles to get good position despite his ridiculous size advantage on almost everyone who guards him. It doesn't have anything to do with heart and all the rest of this other garbage. People say that of his physical demeanor not his mentality. Some of you guys are just taking it way to seriously, there are other players like him in the league. Yao is just pointed out alot because he is the biggest player in the league, yet he doesn't really take full advantage of it. Again, it has nothing to do with his heart or him not going "ghetto".
