i personally think its close between rockets and lakers alston < fisher (if we are talking about playoffs because that's what counts anyways fisher has the experience and clutch to edge out a little) tmac < kobe artest > odom scola < gasol yao > bynum i say the benches are pretty equal the series will be a 7 game series imo and it will depend on team chemistry to determine the winner imo because on paper its too close to tell
Bynum is not far from yao. and if tracy is healthy, he isnt all that far from kobe. it will come down to the gap between the benches and artest/Odom. Brooks Barry Battier Landry Hopefully deke soon Hayes Is a very good bench interms of defense and scoring.
He may be a very good interior scorer, but yao is the best. And im not being biased here. Is bynum even close to commanding a double team?
And you have come to this conclusion from what? His last 2 months of play before he was injured? Or from his more recent preseason games?
Based on his combination of skills and physical ability close to the basket. Hell, even Eddy Curry commands a double team against some teams, and Bynum is a far better player.
If we're comparing Yao vs Bynum in a head to head matchup (as in Lakers playing the Rockets), I can tell you right now that we will NOT be doubling Bynum anytime soon, and it's not just because we're more worried about Kobe and Gasol. Yao can take him on by himself. His post defense is underrated, especially on fellow big men. On the other hand, the Lakers may have to resort to double teaming Yao because I can't see Bynum stopping him on his own.
I see. I thought we were. That's why I was puzzled when you said Yao = 8 and Bynum = 7.5 out of 10. Either way, I still don't agree with you.
Yeah, that's not really what I meant. I mean, basketball isn't just 5 one-on-one matchups on the court, right? I think that's particularly the case for the center position, where the help defense and rebounding responsibilities can often outweigh the one-on-one responsibilities. And those ratings were more meant to be how each player plays against the league, not in a Lakers vs Rockets match up.
what exactly were you trying to say then, when you say that bynum ISN'T THAT FAR behind YAO? Bynum isnt even ranked one of the best big men in the NBA. you have Duncan, Garnett, Brand, Howard, Amare, Sheed, (still Shaq), even Chandler, and as much as it pains me to say it... Boozer, and he hasnt played a real NBA game but it isnt a far reach to say that Greg Oden will be better than BYNUM. When you have all those big guys and arguably (imo) Yao is a top 3 if not the top big guy on that list...then how is it that BYNUM is not too far from YAO?? as in 9-10 players away from Yao? So all this said... So my comment about how it's absurd to say that Odom, Fisher, and Bynum are greater than or equal to Artest, Rafer, and Yao is a "rookie" comment??? and how some posters keep bringing up some sub-par lakers players who would be nowhere without kobe or gasol and comparing them to 2 of our big 3 as if Yao really was Rik Smits or Joe Kleine. so, yeah, sorry about the laker fan comment but it is preposterous to say that bynum is not that far from yao. 5-7 years from being near yao is nowhere near yao. if that makes any sense to you.
I don't know of any coach who would take Bynum over Yao. So, I emphatically disagree with you. would you rather have Rodman or Olajuwon? Bynum may be close to becoming a Rodman (who is a n integral piece to a championship team) but I don't see the Yao comparison. I could be wrong. I never thought Boozer would be a center piece for a team either, but I think I just didnt like Boozer to begin with even when he was on Cleveland.
I think Yao is a really underrated defender as far as clogging up the paint goes. Seems like 3 times a game, I hear Worrell going "<insert opposing PG/SG name here> wanted to drive, looked up, and saw The Great Wall and got scared!" Yao is a force in the middle. When he's healthy, he can gobble up boards. I want to see first hand how Bynum (and Oden) can affect the game defensively. When I say Yao is significantly better than Bynum, I wasn't just talking about scoring. Yao has the bigger package.
First of all, there has been no official declaration that Bynum isn't on The List, while Yao is at top of it. So, that's not really an argument, as far as I'm concerned. When I say they're close, I'm merely going off of how I project Bynum to play this year, and how I project Yao to play. I think Bynum showed remarkable progress last season (illustrated, for instance, in a 22+ PER), he's quite young, and he should be still better this year. Bynum has all the characteristics of a stud big man -- a skilled post player, great hands, great finisher at the basket, a solid free throw shooter, excellent rebounder, good defensive interior presence, etc. Obviously, his per-game numbers could be inhibited because of the depth the Lakers have in the front court with Gasol and Odom, and the lack of touches he may have. But, if becomes a secondary option for them (and he very well might), then I think he'll be widely considered as one of the top centers in the game. As in, top 3 or 4. As for Yao, we all know his strengths and weaknesses very well, so I won't rehash it. You could make an argument that he's the best center in the game, and I won't dispute it, but I don't think there's a whole lot separating the top few centers. And I don't think we should expect Yao to get better this season; my feeling is he peaked a few years ago. If I was to make a prediction, I think Yao's numbers will likely far exceed Bynum's on a per game basis. Both those numbers aren't necessarily a true reflection of how much each player is helping their team win. On that basis, I just don't think Yao gives us a huge edge over what Bynum gives his Lakers. I will say, however, that Yao is probably much more valuable to our team, because we don't have the same size and skill to replace him that the Lakers would have with Gasol.
