Yao, because that's what we need. A big center, that can pass, shoot, and defend. What more could you want? He will cause problems for every team we play. This is the way I look at it. If I had to build my team from scratch, I'd take LeBron. But if I ahread had Francis and Mobley, I'd take Yao. Then, build from there. Then, in the end, the best team will win. Yao is hard to replace. There's not a lot of good centers around. But there are a lot of good SG/PG/SF around that can complement him. The thing that sucks is that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a good center. He seems to play well with LeBron. Ricky Davis might be traded. His game (lack of outside shooting; dunker) doesn't work well with LJ. So, the Cavs alread have their center. Let's hope that Yao can best Z's impact. That would mean that Yao would have to score a lot more! 24ppg.
Most great players end up creating their own legacy. So, Yao might suprise us! Walton-like? Maybe now. But not in 15 years.
I liked what I saw about James in the Kings game. He's incredibly poised at his age, but so was Tony Parker at a slightly older age. Too many people are hurrying to jump onto King James bandwagon. Granted, James played a good game, but IMO what he has displayed doesn't make him seem like a cross between MJ or Magic yet. On offense James was hitting some open shots and rarely did he drive past players by himself except once against maybe Doug Christie. I also didn't see his alleged 40 inches vertical. I only watched some of the first quarter and the fourth quarter, so my view is limited, but I have the feeling he's got a ton of points through the flow of the offense, and by hitting some difficult shots, not through outright domination that one can attribute to MJ-like greatness. Jame's passing and vision were excellent, but Magic was well, just magic. I'm not saying James doesn't have the potential to be MJ or Magic, but the same thing can be said about Yao having potential to be the next Duncan. So I'd say the jury is still out. With more games played will the league know how to handle James, and he'll have to play at least a month before I put that MJ/Magic potential into consideration.
