Both Shaq and Duncan took their teams to the Finals within a year of joining the NBA. Shaq was 21 or 22 when he did it. Duncan would have been about 23? I really don't understand why people think Howard is going to be on that level. This is his 6th season in the NBA and he hasn't improved dramatically in any facet of his game. He is what he is. I honestly think he's a whole lot closer to that Shawn Kemp level (minus the drug and alcohol abuse) than the level of the Duncans, Shaq's and Dream's of the world.
I think Bargnani has the most potential in that almost-bust group. He is actually really polished offensively and damn quick for a 7 footer. But he's a confidence player, when he gets frustrated, he refuses to touch the paint and chucks threes. I think he has the ability to be in that top group, but iunno if he'll ever get there
And Duncan had a top 50 player of all time alongside him still putting up decent numbers. I can understand why people dislike Howard, I too can't stand the ESPN puppet generation players like Howard, LBJ, Wade etc. but don't let that fool you that he still a decent player...sure his skill set doesn't get within a mile of TD's but neither did Shaq's. I got some hate in here for sticking up for Howard and all I said is he COULD be that good, not that he was. I don't see how you can disagree that Howard COULD get better than he already is, because he has a ton of areas he can improve in.
At least they have to defend Dwight. Yao Ming is always sitting on the sideline so all teams have to prepare for are Chuck Hayes and Mutombo. Dwight Howard is the clear cut no. 2 pick behind LBJ. And you know what, I'd also have Derrick Rose as the number 3 before Yao Ming. Yao Ming is a great talent but because of his injuries he's never really led the Rockets anywhere. You can't disregard Yao's health that he's better than DH when healthy, its a major stumbling block and every game he doesn't play is a setback for the entire franchise.
At this point there is no way you can put Rose above Yao. Rose's play has almost declined this year and his team is woeful...at least Yao got his team to the playoffs a few times. Yao still had a decent amount of games played early on in his career, for all we know Rose could end up having career derailing injuries... don't think you can use health as an issue when comparing someone against a 2nd year player.
He can get better and probably will. Shaq was not only huge,but he had better footwork down in the low post than Howard. Howard works harder than Shaq on defense.
IMHO last year already showed that Rose will be a great player in this league, its only a matter of time. His slump this year has to do with the second year wall and his team and coach sucking. The roster IMHO needs overhauling, Ben Gordon was their only legit scoring threat last year, and he's gone now. I doubt Rose is gonna have the career dealing injuries that Yao has. For one thing his body is totally proportional, he's not fighting against gravity with every step he takes like Yao. Yao wasn't really all that great in his second year, he was just an average NBA player his first few seasons. He really stepped up his game when JVG and Tom Thib arrived, but the time he started dominating was also the time he started breaking down. Yao got his team to the playoffs, but he always had help, and he always disappeared during playoff time. In fact, in his earlier years Tmac did most of the lifting, and when he passed the 1st round last year it was more a team effort than anything else. He never really led his team the way Rose did last year, everytime Yao showed signs of leading he ends up with a broken foot a few games later. Even with his slump any team right now would take 2nd year Rose over Yao Ming, I think that's a fairly good indication on what ranking they should get.
Dunking != killer mindset. Dunking more often != dominant player. Blocking more shots != better defensive player. On a side note: screaming & chest pounding != passion
Shaq faced the best crop of big men of all time. Who does dwight face? A one legged yao (and he still gets rocked) and a grandpa shaq?
i challenged you to name them. let's see, there is the candy man, the undersize stoudmire in phoenix, the all-time great flopper Divac, the under-size Wallace, the under-rated Brad Miller, the sharp shoot Ric Smits, the legit HoF D Rob, the lazy Ostertag----hardly the best crop of big men.
you said that he could *easily* be at the level of Duncan or Shaq. you're obviously not in the right mind when you say that. Duncan will be ranked possibly as the greatest PF that has ever played the game of basketball. Shaq, unfortunately, is unlucky that so many great players have come before him at the 5-spot. But he will undoubtedly be inducted into the hall of fame as one of the greatest Cs to ever play basketball. and, IMO, Yao is a better player than Dwight. Dwight is dominant in the paint, has insane shot-blocking and throw-down skills (with huge air). but Yao is an insane threat anywhere inside the arc. the only real advantage i give to Dwight is his more "convenient" size (packaged with his build) as compared to Yao. Dwight's explosive and athletic build allows him to be a more speedy transition player, less prone to injuries, and utilizing huge, explosive jumps. while i do realize that this advantage makes Dwight a better player than Yao in many people's eyes, you have to realize that Yao dominates Dwight most of the time they play together. it's just extremely unfortunate that Yao has never had a chance to carry his team like the other superstars.
The problem with yao other than the injuries are his rebounding and his pick and roll defense. Yao can be pretty easily stopped by fronting him, and dwight just isn't that good of an offensive player. However on the defense end I think dwight is a monster. The Magic were the no.1 defensive team despite starting lewis, hedo, and nelson starting. While yao is also a very good defender he does have some match up problems.
Anyone who thinks Yao Ming is a better player than DH is a homer. There's no reason to think that someone who's injured 5 of the last 6 years is better than a 24 year old who compiles 20-20s on a semi-regular basis. So what if DH always ends up losing to Yao Ming one on one? How many times do they meet in a year? And besides, how many times will Yao Ming miss their meeting due to injury? Yao Ming can score anywhere but in recent years his weakness to fronting is ridiculous. People front and he magically disappears. What's the point of beating a single person every single time if normal guys like a 19 year old Perkins, Maxiell, Okur and even Dampier eat your lunch whenever they front? I remember the Dallas game we were leading the entire first half then they started fronting and Yao Ming didn't score for the rest of the game. I'd rather have DH who loses to Yao Ming 100% of the time but beats everyone else than Yao Ming who beats DH 100% of the time, and loses to everyone else. And he's injury prone to boot.
I like Yao as much as anybody, and his skill-set is amazing for his size, but these injuries have gotten ridiculous. Personally, I think that a player like Dwight would do absolute wonders for this current Houston team, even more than Ming will make when he comes back. I'm not sure who would dispute that. For one, he's a much faster player, which allows him to play offense in transition, and he's also a better rebounder. Sure Ming might be a more heady player for the most part, but come on people, give Howard his due. Yes, he's been in the league six years, and he's still one hell of an impact athlete on the court. This one-on-one business is missing the point. It's like saying that Boozer's better than Yao because he eats his lunch all the time. I wouldn't agree.
In terms of defense...it's a matter of taste Do you prefer a leaping ninja guarding your door.....or a mountain?
