Whenever I hear people talk about how Ming will never be able to hold his own in the NBA because he isn't as physically strong as many of the league's big men, I start to get a bit annoyed by the short-sightedness. Basically the arguing point of these people is "brawns over brains" and that force will always beat finesse. I'm not saying that Yao doesn't need to add some muscle, but the claims that he has to bulk up to near Shaq-size are ridiculous. Doesn't anyone remember that Hakeem used finesse his whole career in a consistent Dream Shake to make his opponents such as David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal look silly? Who's to say Ming can't do something similar?
Dream wasn't very fancy during his first 10 years. He was closer to Shawn Kemp than he was to Kareem. It took Dream a few years before he started using moves like the Dream Shake. By the way, when people talk about Yao's strength, they don't mean brawn over brains, they mean for defense. He has to be strong to hold his spot. And they don't just mean against Shaq, people are really worried that he can't hold off other centers.
Face it. Ming is not "cut". Look at some of the other 7 footers in the league... Robinson, Garnett, Nowitzki, Hakeem, etc., not to mention Shaq. That "cut" look is a symbol of strength and athleticism. Skill-wise, yeah, he's OK... Vlade comes to mind, here. But he'll never be a jam-machine until he lifts for a couple of years and works his ass off like the aforementioned centers have. Once there, he'll gain 6" in hops, too. Then, and only then, will be be the dominator we all hope for. He's got "big legs", so what? MJ had legs like pipesticks and could jump out of the gym. Gimme a guy that's 4% body fat AND weighs 300#.
I guess it's ok to worry that Yao might not be NBA ready. Perhaps, on the part of Rockets fans, it is a carry-over from the failure of Kelvin cato to meet our expectations. Most of the doubts are simply because not many people have seen him perform over the past couple of years. It won't be long and we will see what he can do.Just a few days after the draft seems to me should be a time to celebrate our good fortune in obtaining a player almost everyone else also wanted. Yao is BIG, young, skilled, and by all accounts has a great attitude. Predictions about what he will be able to do or not do in the NBA are just that predictions. As for myself, I am looking forward to the promise of a new season with new possibilities. Let's wait and see.
