From this article, which will convince you it is worth the risk to take Yao after you read it: http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol3no26ming.html He just seems like a quality human being. Add that to the fact that he is 7' 6", has blocked 17 shots in a single game, can shoot the three, and comes from a culture where ego and attitude are secondary to team and showing humility, this guy is going to be the real deal. Mark my words. The <b>REAL</b> deal. <b>He will dominate in the NBA. Period.</b> This is NOT Shawn Bradley, this is NOT Manute Bol. This is a kid who comes from a basketball family, from the most cosmopolitan city in mainland China. It may take one to two years for him to get up to speed. But, once he learns the NBA game, forget it. Can you say "Ming dynasty"?
You are right though. Although I know him from 1999, he still surprises from time to time during his games. Sometimes I just marvel, how come such a big guy do this and after a period, I see something even surprising. He is full of surprising moves and skills. Very, very talented. Trade the pick? You think I am a bonehead?
Nowadays people are stopping just short of calling him Shawn Bradley. Say no to Yao Ming. btw- I was right about Marc Jackson, Mo Taylor and Baron Davis being every bit as good as Steve Francis.
Yao Ming is 7ft. 5 inches tall, he can shoot, rebound, block, and pass, you can't ask for anything more than that. We have a good team, all we need is someone like Ming to put it all together. No team can stop Ming, Francis, Mobley, and Griffin. Period.
And your point is??? Axeman told everyone at the beginning of last year that the Rockets would end up in the lottery and he was slaughtered by posters. We've all been right and wrong and I doubt you or anyone else has any monopoly on the truth. Besides, two of your predictions areinconclusive at best. <li>You can't say Mo is a bust until after he recovers from his injury and we see him play healthy for an extended period of time. <li>We have no way of knowing how effective Jackson would have been as a Rocket. For all we know, he would have excelled as a part of our team. Everyone's opinions here are pure speculation, particularly in reference to Yao Ming because we simply cannot predict the outcome of this situation.
Exactly, Jeff....how anyone could say that they know today that Yao Ming will dominate the NBA is beyond me. Hell, who's actually really seen this guy play against NBA caliber competition??? Everything is uncertain in any draft...it's made even more uncertain when you really don't have much of a sample size of play to judge from. An hour-long workout ain't exactly my idea of full disclosure!
No one has seen anyone in the draft play against NBA caliber competition. No one saw Jordan, Hakeem, and any other NBA great play against NBA caliber competition before they were drafted. You take the best person available in the draft, everyone is a risk. We could have gotten a veteran for Hakeem in the 84' draft, but we didn't, and look where he took us. He was also considered a risk.
No one has seen anyone in the draft play against NBA caliber competition. No one saw Jordan, Hakeem, and any other NBA great play against NBA caliber competition before they were drafted. You take the best person available in the draft, everyone is a risk. We could have gotten a veteran for Hakeem in the 84' draft, but we didn't, and look where he took us. He was also considered a risk. Yao Ming has played against the best basketball teams in the world (olympics), that is a lot more expierence than some kid from college. I'm not saying that is worth nothing, but in the draft, in my opinion, Ming is the best bet
1. Ming is an entirely different kind of risk than Hakeem...Nigeria didn't maintain control over Hakeem's career 2. We saw Jordan play against players who ultimately were NBA players...that is how we've judged draftees for years. We saw Hakeem go to the Final Four and play against Ewing. It was clear that these guys were going to be players, though to what degree was somewhat uncertain (as it always is!) 3. There is risk in every draftee...Ming carries all that risk plus the risk of never being seen and the dealings with the Chinese govt
Those are good points, but did Jordan and Hakeem play in the Olympics when they were 21, I know they were not allowed to, but honestly, do you think they could have competed at their age and experience.
