[SI] The Evolution of Yao

TECH · Apr 14, 2007

tsunami said:

The part that confuses me is that the article claims there are about 30% of Chinese fans don't support Yao or HATE Yao. That's horrible!!! :

Nearly an hour after the end of the Pacers game, almost midnight, Yao arrives at his locker to meet the media. Immediately after every game, while his teammates shower, he heads to the weight room with Falsone to lift for 40 minutes. Despite the late hour and early deadlines, 17 journalists remain around his locker. Nine are from Chinese outlets, including Wang (Rock) Meng, a Shanghai writer who has covered Yao since his first NBA game. Wang files 6,000 words on Yao three times a week for Titan Media. At first, much of the material was about Yao's life off the court. Now, Wang estimates, only 10% is about Yao's life, and the rest covers Yao's play and the Rockets. "There are now lots of Yao haters in China," says Wang, who nonetheless estimates that 70% of Chinese fans support Yao. "In my opinion, it is because they do not like centers because they are sort of slow and cannot do the fantasy moves that Kobe or McGrady do."
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Maybe they just wish that they could visit the USA too.

TECH · Apr 14, 2007

SonKhan said:

Great article! The work by Falsone and Thibodeua is unbelieveble. Those 2 deserve major kudos.
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I think Thibodeau was a better influence than Pat Ewing....at least that's my perception. When Yao really started to get more consistent and dominant, you'd hear Bill Worrell mention the work that Thibodeau was putting in with Yao.....never hear much about Ewing....although I'm sure he helped a lot.
But as far as FOOTWORK was mentioned, it was Thibodeau that got the mentioning.

MandM's · Apr 14, 2007

TECH said:

I think Thibodeau was a better influence than Pat Ewing....at least that's my perception. When Yao really started to get more consistent and dominant, you'd hear Bill Worrell mention the work that Thibodeau was putting in with Yao.....never hear much about Ewing....although I'm sure he helped a lot.
But as far as FOOTWORK was mentioned, it was Thibodeau that got the mentioning.
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Ok...your point exactly?

BobbyLI · Apr 15, 2007

Yao is those once in a 50-100 years players . A player whose skills and size will be similiar to someone 50-100 years from now . By the way , on www.nbadraft.net it said Yao was similiar to Rik Smits on his scouting profile

Yakapo · Apr 15, 2007

does anyone have yao's stats for this season before the injury? (not including the day he was injured)

thumbs · Apr 15, 2007

Hayesfan said:

Really good article about our man in the middle. I don't want to copy it all, but here's the beginning and yall can hit the link to read the rest.

Link

The Evolution of Yao

No longer a novelty, Yao Ming has arrived as the first dominating supersized player in NBA history -- picking up a driver's license, some U2 CDs and a dry sense of humor along the way ...Not because of his nationality, as most assumed, but because he had evolved into the first truly dominating "supersized" player, that breed of NBA behemoth who is 7'4" or taller.

As such, Yao was the centerpiece of a grand experiment by the Rockets. Never before had there been a supersized player who wasn't a specialist or injury-prone. Mark Eaton (7'4") and Manute Bol (7'6") were one-dimensional, useful only as shot blockers. Shawn Bradley (7'6") couldn't adapt to the pace or the physicality of the league. Gheorghe Muresan (7'7") was skilled, but he played only three full seasons; the same was true for Ralph Sampson (7'4"). None of those players were asked to log 35 minutes a night and carry a team. But now, in his fifth season, Yao was doing just that. Finally comfortable with both American culture and the NBA game, he had reached the third step in his evolution. No longer a novelty or an emblem, he had become the best big man in the NBA.
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There was a precedent for Yao -- 7'4" Rick Smits. Yao is a much better player, but SI should have acknowledged Smits.

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[SI] The Evolution of Yao

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