actually, i thought it would be a waste of time. so much of hakeem's greatness came from his quickness and inimitable footwork that i thought it would be futile for yao to attempt to learn anything from him. i think patrick ewing would have been a better coach (I say would have due to the reports that allegedly pat really didn't do much with us here) for yao because he was just a brute. he didn't have any exceptional physical gifts - everything he had came from hard work. that's not to say hakeem didn't work hard. we all remember his brutal training sessions with moses and the obvious work he had to put in perfecting the dream shake. but i think it's harder to teach when you had those gifts as a player that your pupil doesn't. i will say though that if i was training a young superstar, i would want a former superstar training him, because any shortcomings shouldn't be tolerated, and that same drive for greatness needs to be instilled. but as far as the question the thread is asking, in relation to a coaching staff for a team, i wouldn't want a former superstar anywhere near the scrubs on my team. that would ruin everything.
good argument. i saw your point in earlier posts, but this time you might have convinced me. i agree that when a guy is gifted with physical tools unlike other players he may not be able to teach them the game as they have to play it. however, i still think the more skill and IQ a player had the more he is able to teach.
