We offered Dream a contract, he rejected it, then we facilitated a sign-and-trade to Toronto that got us some draft picks while they gave him a rediculous contract that he didn't come close to living up to. We hardly traded Dream, we just didn't agree to give him money for nothing.
25/10 is near MVP stats, and Dirk was dominant on lots of occasions, he just wasn't consistently enough. Anyway, Dirk's late spurts of growth is enough to illustrate that rapid late growth is possible, particularly for a player who hasn't had American basketball experience in his teen, and Yao is in the same bracket. Dirk didn't have to fight for the position down low all the time, and then get ignored without a feed at times. Yao, at a younger age and with less experience, is way better defensively than Dirk right now, sees the floor better than Dirk, has more post moves than Dirk right now with equally potent outside shooting, has much better size and strength Dirk can never have, and doesn't back down from physical play. In their second years, Yao averages about the same stats as Dirk at 22 while playing 5 less minutes per game, taking less shots, drawing more double teams, playing only half of his offensive game(post-up) and constantly getting mugged by the opponents and refs.
Panda, not even you can honestly say that Yao and Dirk have equally potent outside shooting. Dirk also runs the floor way more than Yao and has to guard much more mobile players. Offensively, even though he doesn't fight for position, he runs through and around a lot of picks. He's in much better condition than Yao. That's just a fact.
Dirk has his short comings, but even with them he is still one of the top 10 players in the league so I find the above post laughable. Let's not distort the facts to help your argument Juugie.
Juggie, do you actually watch any Rox games? The kind of impacts Yao is having on both ends of floor is in no way being reflected on a stat sheet. If you can't go to Toyota center, at least buy yourself a black/white TV set for your living room...
Just one question for Juugie: You do realize that this is Yao's second year of American style rugby b-ball, which is somthing that most the dominant big man in the NBA have been doing since high school??
Juugie: Do you have a comment: Yao Ming: FG: .532, FT .774, 32.8 min/game Jermaine O'Neal: FG: .435, FT .759, 36.4 min/game Yao Ming attempts 11.3 FG per game. J. O'Neal attempts 18.5 FG per game. Still, Ming only averages 4 points (2 baskets) less. Who is the far more efficient player? The one that needs 18.5 shots to average 20 points or the one that gets 16 points with 11.3 shots? Rebounds/minute are equal. When Jermaine O'Neal was averaging the exact same amount of minutes that Yao Ming is averaging now, during his 5th season in the league, after he came to Indiana, he averaged 12.9 pts/game. And, as someone else said, this is O'Neal's 8th year in the league. Yet, you just say O'Neal is a far better player than Yao Ming. If you do not think that Yao Ming can reach O'Neal's numbers before his 8th year in the league, combined with your previous derogatory posts about Yao, I have to doubt your motives and assume that you just hate Yao, for whatever reason.
Juugie is stuck. Almost everyone of his posts are about Yao. Now he's trapped. Even if Yao becomes very good, he can only post on days when Yao is not. He has developed the worst type of rep, a 1 dimensional poster with 0 depth. It's like a salesman representing a bad company or product. Even if facts are presented, he must defend the other side. It's inevitable. At this stage, he has no choice but to continue.
Yao Ming in a Bill Laimbeer kind of role? Hitting outside shots, rebounding and clogging the lane maybe but Laimbeer's game was all about thugishness and I don't see Yao getting that way even in JVG's dreams. I think I get what you mean but its an odd comparison.
agreed RIET... at this point..if he ever hopes to really be able to discuss anything Rockets related and be taken seriously, he needs to just go get a new moniker... oh wait.. registrations are disabled.. I guess you are stuck Juugie..with your history...the only pepople that will actually take you seriously arwe new people that have never reead your stuff. You are kind of like the anti-Yetti except of course, that Yetti was actully able to start making some decent posts before he dropped out of sight.. I believe you actually started this threead with decent intentions...but because of your past history, noone bought into it..and look at what your thread has become.. tough luck dude... even if you got over your Yao bashing phase...you wil still never be taken seriously. oh..btw...you should know that I have some of the same reservations about Yao...but at least I believe he will become great one day...unlike you. and as a life long Rockets fan...I will continue to support him as long as he wears Rocket red.
I post here to add to the conversation - for entertainment and debate. Whether some of the people want to take me seriously or not is really of little consequence. And I would dare say its not look at what my thread has become, it's look at what this BOARD has become. If any one dares put anything negative about Yao, the Yao defense team jumps out and takes over. I'm surprised no one has blamed Yao's poor performance tonight on the guards but you know it will happen. I support Yao, but unlike some people here, I'm less concerned with him becomming a superstar than I am with the team doing well. I also believe that a person can only be what his nature is and your nature cannot be changed. A big part of NBA basketball is the machismo of showing that other team and the rest of the league who the best player is and to let everyone know that they can't stop you. That's not in Yao's nature. And it never will be. That is the only point I bring out. So read my posts or not if you will. I do it for fun and enjoyment - basketball is after all a game. I promise if Riet, Panda, Yetti, and Fegwu don't read my posts or don't take me seriously, I really won't lose any sleep over it.
think so? It wasnt intended that way. As one of the few here that took Yetti to task for his outright hatred of the guards because of his love for Yao..Im in a position to be able to make that comparison.. I figgeredd that.. Yetti= loves Yao, hates guards Juugie= loves the rest of the team, hates Yao the comparison was kinda obvious..at least in my twisted mind. Juugie... the thing is...you can post all you want to..if it entertains you, fine...but you will get very littel debate from most...only flames...and the threads you post to become trash because for the next however many pages it lasts..it is all people b****ing at you..and you responding...if you call that debate... I wont argue about what the board has become...Im very well aware of it..like I said..Im not afraid to mention it when Yao screws up...and as a result have been labeled a Yao hater by more than a few here. the way I see it..I spend a lot of time defending the rest of the team from unwarranted bashing, and the same people that b**** and scream about the other players then turn around and claim that Yao is blameless, even if he did not play well......that i sthe only reason why I b**** about Yao, tryin to get others to see that if they are gonna b**** about the players messing up...they better include all the players that screwed up.. As for your point about the team loyalty...if you have ever read any of mine..you know that I am first and foremost a Rockets fan...I am a fan of the team..I dont care what players are on it...I always have supported the team and will always support the team. PLayers come and players go...but the team stays forever. and I do read your posts obviously...I have an extensive ignore list...and you arent on it...... yet
??? Juugie is probably the most vocal disser of yao but come on. at least he steps in to defend the guards every once in a while. the most anti-steve or anti-cuttino guys aren't considered trolls. Juugie has been a little of a one-note poster (or at least thread started, i don't know every post people make) but troll would be going a little far. he has the teams best interest in mind, just b/c he has a lesser view of ming's ceiling doesn't make him a troll imo.
SJC... Juugie at least seems to believe what he says..I find his opinions to be misguided at worst...hardly a troll. it seems that some around here call someone a troll if they constantly post opinions thye dont agree with.
