I think Lebron has a good chance, as soon as he stays out of trouble, and not be another Kobe Bryant.
The great center over a great PG/SG argument is soo played out in my opinion. Bottom line is if their greatness is at an equal level then you go with the center. But if Lebron is more talented than Yao(which he certainly seems to be) then you have to go with Lebron. No person ever, at the age of 18, could possibly do what Lebron did last night to the Kings in his first game, especially with the media circus surronding it. The sense of amazement and LEADERSHIP he brings out to his team is something that is very important to note. Lebron was the leader for the Cavs last night and hes 18. Yao is not close to being the leader of the Rockets. The great big guys, The Shaq's, the Kareems, the Wilt's, and the Hakeem's were all leaders. Yao is not verbal enough doesnt seem to motivate his team, most likely because of the language barrier. I think Lebron has more talent, more media appeal, and has one quality that all the GREATEST players have and thats the sense of inspiring their team to performances they never thought possible, much the same way Bird, MJ, and Magic did. That is why folks when the best NBA player of all time argument comes up, yes there have been great centers but the names you hear are guards/forwards. MJ, Magic, Bird, Oscar, and Dr. J. The post asked "Who would have the better career" and I go with Lebron. But Yao will be great as well, just not AS great as Lebron, forget position. [/B][/QUOTE] Look back in time... In EVERY era, I would pick the dominating big man over teh SG/SF. EXCEPT THE MJ era. Unless you think Lebron will be as good or better than MJ, the nod goes to Yao.
Jordan or Hakeem. Lebron or Yao. I guess this is what a forum like this is all about. But we've been over this a few times, haven't we? Except maybe the Jordan - Yao one. I'd pick Jordan, always go with the guys who knows how to win.
what i have seen from lebron that i like is that he's unselfish. he distributes the ball well and quickly. he could of had an easy dunk for himself, but decided to set up a nice slam for davis. he had 9 assists and thats something steve hasn't done in awhile. but lebron still doesnt compare to the franchise . i would have yao cause you dont get a lot of centers with his height and ability in a lifetime.
You misunderstood my statement. I didn't mean in terms of quality, but type. What I meant was that we have never seen someone of the height play with that kind of style/effectiveness. I saw a lot of Kareem, Alcindor, etc., but were we simply talking quality at center, we're talking Wilt and Hakeem, IMO. I should have said that Walton was something akin to Yao as well, but also quite different. I don't know that James will be as different from Magic, Robertson, etc. as Yao is from anyone else. And how did my quote get attributed to sweetie? I mean, I am a sweetie, but I doubt that you'd know that....
That is so wierd Macbeth anyway, you really can't compare centers to the rest of players, just like you can't compare quarterbacks to the rest of football players. Almost anyone will tell you either Majic, or Jordan is the greatest of all-time, but can you really take Jordan or Magic over Kareem. At the same time, a center can't bring the ball up the court, and get you set into an offense. He can't start from the perimeter. To me, centers are the best athletes on the court, but they also have their limitations. So it's really not a fair comparison. So you just can't say, a good center beats a good guard anyday, it depends on the center and the guard and what each bring to the table, and what they provide their teams.
MacBeth, jabbar/alcindor is not a good comparison for yao ming's skill set. the closest comparison for yao ming is, imo, fairly obvious... bill walton check out walton's games if you ever get a chance. the similarities are staggering....
You said it. Yao is probably the best fit for the current Rockets. Last year his main contribution was on defense. Let's see what more he can bring this year.
I think LeBron could be a cross between MJ and Magic and that's just scary. I mean, here's a guy who could make his teammates better AND flat out out-ball his opponents. He could probably win the slam dunk contest this year. But, what made MJ so great was his competitiveness. LeBron didn't seem too upset about losing last night. Will he have that fanatical desire that characterized MJ and to some extent, Kobe? Or is he a PG version of Vince Carter (who also played great yesterday)? If he reaches the very HIGH expectations over his career, he will be better than Yao. Heck, just look at the expectations between the two: James, the next Magic-Michael to Yao, the next Rik Smits. Not to knock Yao, who's gonna be a great one himself, but I cannot see Yao becoming as good as Hakeem (who, IMO, was not as good as MJ).
dude totally off topic, but I was listening to Jim Rome the day after Kobe was charged, and this black guy was the first caller that day. He was an idiot, talking about how when you take white girls home from clubs, its different from taking black girls home and Kobe probably expect more which led to the rape. The caller was a total idiot. This emailer sent Rome an email saying, If you take an Asian girl home, she'll turn your television into a watch. signed Reggie White
hey it's easy to compare someone who you see on a daily basis rather than someone who no one has seen... LeBron had his hs games broadcast on national tv! People know about him...I think that is why he is compared to MJ and Magic... No one say Yao play before last season...so most people automatically assumed he was some skinny doofy tall asian bum...let's compare him to another tall doofy tall player...hmmm rik smits! or shawn bradley! that being said... I was real impressed with LeBron...although I would take Yao LeBron would certainly be a close second... all he needs to do is learn how to shoot!
Whoops, didn't mean to say that Yao is the next Rik Smits. Just trying to recall the low expactations for Yao at the beginning of last season. Obviously, he's already better than Rik Smits or Shawn Bradley. And the reason for those low expectations was definitely exposure. If we had seen Yao dominate the Asian league like LeBron dominated high schoolers on ESPN, people would have possibly called Yao the next Kareem (or at least Ralph Sampson).
Exactly. I was very impressed also, but LeBron hit some very tough shots yesterday... lets see if he can do it with consistency. My guess is that he'll average a good amount of points, but shooting over 50% is going to be more the exception than the rule. Outstanding passer though. Stuart
I'd also like to say that Darius Miles and Desagana Diop are both a waste of not only space, but high draft picks (#3 and #4 respectively in their years) STuart
