Jamal Mashburn and Jon Barry: Yao is the best center in the NBA

This is a good argument which the tiebreaker is free throws. Yao is money from the free throw line and DH like Shaq is horrible at the line. The ability to get to the line and sink free throws is essential for a winning a game.

 

They main difference between Yao and DH (and I have some serious DH love) is that Yao changes how teams play defense. He forces teams to double team which opens things up for other players. DH does not do this.

This is why Dream and Shaq >>>>>> David Robinson and Ewing even though numbers where similar.

 

Yao's game is better. DH's game is gaudier. DD's right the two games are closer than they should be. Games like the Memphis game hurt Yao. He builds his rep. with steady solid games not flashy explosive games, so when he has a stinker his steady performances are erased from people's minds. If DH has a stinker people think, yeah, but do you remember that dunk, or do you remember that rebound. He gets the benifit of the doubt. Yao does not. Yao can't afford games like Memphis and he would do himself good by adding some flash to his game ie slams instead of lay-ups. But even more than that Yao needs a successful and effective playoff run to off set his percieved short coming.

The thing I find most peculiar is the constant harping on the fact that Yao isn't "dominating' the way he should be. I think I know what people mean by that and I agree in part, but when I watch the games and I can tell that dealing with Yao is the centeral theme of opposing defenses and offenses Isn't that a form of domination? Does DH get that treatment? Are we talking about a real or percieved effect a player has on a game?

 

i agree yao > howard (outside of his offense and reboudning, his offense is average to above average at most; he gets a lot of dunks from guards' penetration or put backs).

but howard does change how teams play (theres a reason the magic takes tons of 3s and makes tons of them).

teams are getting smaller nowadays that EVERY big man causes them to change how they play defense. kaman gets doubled more often this year, hell even GREG ODEN.

 

Both are not qualified to get the ball with the game on the line in game 7 of a playoff series.

I can't remember how many times Yao failed when the game is on the line. Either a turnover, a shot blocked or a brick.

Many times Yao can't even get the ball. A simple fronting will take him out of the game. I can't believe there are still quite a few idiot coaches in the league who can't see this and play behind him one on one.

I am actually disppointed in DH. He seems still not have a relible post move after several years in the league. He should be better than that.

 

I have to agree. Unless we're playing a team that is ridiculously undersized and hasn't stopped Yao all game, I wouldn't give the ball to either player. It all starts with T-Mac playmaking and you go from there.

 

I think you are totally wrong...did you see Yao Ming's clutch shots against Dallas, Atlanta, Golden State, and few other games. Did you see the shot he hit in the Portland game. His production doesn't drop off that much .... he's even consider to be one of the more clutch big men in the league, outside of Dirk and Tim Duncan. 82games.com,


Yao and T-Mac are the only two players who showed up in game 7 vs. Mavs and Jazz, while T-Mac at one point was on-set to have almost 60 points against the Jazz, last year game 7. In fact, both players are much better players in playoff, than they are in the regular season....their stats prove that. They just haven't had the supporting cast to get to another round...have ever seen the JVG rosters or the T-Mac's magic roster...the Rockets aren't gonna roll over into the next round in the very tough west.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/03/ba...s_1203bargains_slide_11.html?thisSpeed=15000/


Also, it doesn't always work, especially when there is not shot-blocking presences under the basket...it's not always good strategy to use, especially when other players start to get into paint and get easy baskets. Also, it pulls your players away from basket for rebounds. Defender away from the basket is usually trouble. And most of the time, the teams that front Yao are usually very poor defense or undersized. No good team is simply going to front him the whole game and leave the post open for other people get points. It happened alot last year, when teams fronted Yao, and other players started to get easy opportunities and Houston still won by double digit points.

I would say team, like the Lakers and Spurs would rather Yao have 25 to 30 point game, instead of letting Luther Head or Rafer Alston get one by getting uncontested shots near the basket.

 

Whats the stat for drawing a triple team while you're standing 15 feet from the basket doing nothing but holding the basketball and you throw a pass that leads to a 3 pointer?

Whats the stat for being the entire focus of a defence and making teams gameplan for you and facilitating your teammates play just by being on the court?

If you think about, this is what a dominant center does and it does not neccesarily show in the stats. Think about this next time you watch Stoudamire or Howard play.

 

That stat is wins

Dont get me wrong, Yao has to prove himself in the post season and he has to prove he can stay healthy before he gets his props. But his impact on the game isn't understood by most fans who just see him as a 76 slow, plodding goofy asian guy that gets dunked on. Its sad, but true.

Real rockets fans know what kind of player and what kind of leader Yao is. He's invaluable to this franchise.

 

I forgot only your stats work and not mine.

I'm so sorry, GO look at the boxscore of the Rockets-Magic, and suck your idiotic pride and get lost

 

Hey idiot, Yao outplays Amare more than half of the time, Did you even watch this season, where he stuffed him like 5 times? And where he also outplayed Shaq or equally performed?

Not to mention the Rockets won?

 

You obviously have a health issue with selective memory. You should get medical help immediately if you have medicare.

You have to understand that haters would always only remember/mention(even if they can remember) the negatives but conveniently leave out all the positives. Yes, it's lame and pathetic. But it's the most effective tactic that they can employ.

 

After Yao lead Rockets into second round, I will defend him to death to argue he is the best.

But for now, I really had nothing to say if someone says Howard is better than Yao ...

 

Hey Mr Pink. STFU!

 

I have to say, as ridiculous as it is to base a player being better based on head-to-head stats, it's even more ridiculous to assert that Dwight is better based on 22 games...

Statistically speaking, Dwight is averaging 16.8 PPG on his career, Yao is averaging 19.0. Dwight has an impressive 12.4 RPG rate and a better clip at 56% FG (as compared to Yao's 9.2 RPG and 52% FG), but that's counteracted by Dwight's atrocious TO rate (2.9 compared to Yao's 2.7, with Dwight having a lower usage rate) and his absolutely horrendous FT% shooting (59.9% as compared to Yao's 82.8%) as well as his slightly lower assist per game ranking (1.4 APG compared to Yao's 1.6). They're both even at 1.9 blocks a game.

Based on that, you can probably pick and choose between the two. Obviously, Dwight is the younger player but that should have no bearing on CURRENT status, i.e what players have accomplished up to now. If I'm a head coach or a GM looking to win, the best center in the league is Yao.

 

Double post, but I'll clarify (as I have admitted in the past) that Dwight unquestionably is the better center right now if you were looking at this season...but that's based on 22 friggin games, which is a sample size about the size of Brooks. I'm still saying that if you want to expand into it, Yao is the better center career-wise and that's where judgments should be made in the eternal "player vs player" debate.

 

A real center is at least 6'10" and is able to score against and defend other centers. So Dwight is a center. But Amare isn't and never was.

 

I agreed and understand your point. Since Mr Pink is too stupid to express himself and letting others do the work for him. Since he's a simpleton. He'll probably understand this much better with this stats.