No, in fact Robinson's PER was better than Hakeem's in 1994 and 1995 - however PER breaks down at the margins when you're dealing with small numbers and isn't a great predictor. Obviously, it didn't predict anything in 1995.
I'm not trying to take anything away from Hakeem's greatness, just wanted to point out that 6 games may not be the norm between Hakeem and DRob, like that 6 games are not the norm of Bonzi Wells.
I agree with you 100%. Yao is unproven in playoffs and Dream's performance from 94-96 is difficult for Yao to attain. Basically playoffs make one's name. We all hope Yao can do well
Hakeem did play in Toronto when the zone was implemented. I remember one game where he had 9 blocks. The zone would have helped Hakeem, not hurt him. Akeem was also a block shot artist in college where they play zone.
Just to add to this. Numbers don't directly measure tough points on offense and intimidation on defense. You have to witness it over several seasons. I believe the best scorer in NBA history considering the competition 2 feet and in is Shaq. I don't need numbers to tell me this.
No, numbers don't tell the whole story. At least you understand this. If one were to go strictly by the numbers, for his size and athleticism, it could be argued that Yao is not a great shot blocker. It's true... Yao isn't a great shot blocker, but what the stats don't tell you are the number of shots altered by his presence in the low block. Yao is a game changer. He is an intimidator. Going by the numbers? Not so much. Of course, our 6'10" Hakeem, the record holder for blocks, altered countless shots by his mere presence as well. As anyone can tell, while I love to read stats, I'm not a huge fan of going by them to measure a player's impact on a game. Yes, you can infer a lot from them, but they don't tell the whole story. Not by a long shot.
The initial discussion was not about if Hakeem would block A fadeaway or hook shot by Yao. No single instance can be indicative of the likelihood of similar events of ample sample size. You are mistaken in assuming both choujie and I were making taunting and sweeping statements that Hakeem would be NOT able to block ONE fadeaway or hook shot by Yao in series of hypothetical head-to-head matchups within the context of team rivalries. Given that the video clip posted by ClutchCityReturns is an example of anecdotal evidence at best, I invited CCR to show us, in case we had missed, some circumstantial evidence, which, despite still being indirect evidence, is a vast improvement over anecdotal evidence. I can imagine, if a video clip is shown in which Hakeem blocked mutiple times Kareem's skyhooks or some skilled 7'+ player's fadeaway jumpers, a lot of, if not all, Yao fans would be more than convinced. I hate to break it for you, but the discussion is of course based on the assumption that both Yao and Hakeem are playing at their best. Even the greatest players in their prime can have moments of laziness, carelessness, and/or lapse of concentration. Nevermind that Yao is known to raise his level to the occasion of playing against the best centers in the league. The video clip of Nate Robinson blocking Yao's layup is irrelevant to the specific discussion on the "blockablity" of Yao's fadeaway jumpers and hook shots. It's much like me posting a video clip of Kevin Johnson dunking ferociously on Hakeem to make a case that Hakeem's blocking ability is overrated since Hakeem virtually let a 6'1" PG embarrass him in front of the millions of viewers. That's red herring and pathetically lame attempt to divert a discussion. I apologize for the unpleasant wording if you didn't do it intentionally.
Yao has never led the Rockets deep in the POs, let alone championships. Advantage: Dream Agree. Yao plays in an era of weak centers while Dream was playing against some of the best centers night in and night out. Advantage: Dream Not necessarily. Shaq and TD didn't become more dominant when there were all "weak centers" left. In fact they became less dominant after the rule change. Yao's stats are inflated and Dreams' was undervalued. See above. Advantage: Dream Why? Yao played against double triple teams every game and all his stats are the result of hard fight against multiple 260lbers. Yao wouldn't be that tired if he only faces half of the double teams. Yao is not Marion or Amare, who gets easy layups from Nash all day long. I don't see where the inflated stats come from. Dream is the best defensive player in the history of NBA. Yao is not even top 50. Advantage: Dream OK. Yao has better supporting cast including one of the best swingman in the games. Advantage: Dream I don't think so. When Dream was sidelined, Smith stepped in and Rockets went on a winning streak. You wanna take the current Yao of Rockets and see what happens? Yao has only had 4 1/2 years legacy with the Rockets. Advantage: Dream Advantage for popularity among Rockets fans? Then yes. I'm not saying Yao is better, because he isn't. But just can't agree with some of these reasons.
Just commenting on this...Rocket fans know Hakeem had 5 fouls on KJ's dunk. It was a smart basketball move not to go for the block and possibly foul out. Context is so often missing when highlights are shown.
One on one Yao may not lose much, and probably it's a close fight. But Yao has a long way to go before winning that reputation and love for Hakeem inside the heart of Houston fans. There is always sth. precious in the depth of your heart, which other people didn't have or experience, don't touch that part baby wherever you are from. Here is the clutch city.
YOF - pay your respects to one of the greatest centers to have ever played the game: HAKEEM OLAJUWON. basketball existed before yao ming. if yao ever wins a championship, this will be a nice argument to consider. until then, no dice baby. hakeem was the man, and he bested a slew of other centers his entire career. true basketball fans know stats aren't everything. and stats don't win or lose arguments either. can i get an AMEN
yeah i've seen the replay plenty of times. he had 5 fouls and brings his arm back down as to not draw a foul. good call.
No problem with any of that here. I'm glad you took the time to explain to me where you were coming from - my original intent was of jest, and your earlier quips that elicited my anger are certainly justifiable in that context.
yao is the great white hope we have all talked about for some time... Its funny to me that in the end he happens to be asian 7 ' 6 and bad a$$. That part was from outta left field. crazy. We have all been waiting for this white hope aka ( G-W-H ) and as a team and fans we have prognosticated this since the day we started watching NBA. the yao to jordans ying.. literally. We are a team of destiny as before with Hakeem. Thats why its been cool to be a rocket for a long time and today is no different. In the end yao will prove to have been better than Hakeem but he still has the road in front of him... and friends it is a beautiful road!!
Either both players will have a nice high scoring game against each other... or Both will foul out in a quarter just because the refs don't seem to respect them much..
Yao stats are against: Zach Randolph Chris Kaman Joe Smith Nazr Mohommad insert any stiff playing today Hakeem: David Robinson Patrick Ewing Shaq Kareem Abdul Jabbar Alonzo Mourning even Karl Malone use common sense.
As far as Hakeem being able to block Yao's fade, you can't jump with a big body on you(see Shaq against Mutombo 2001 Finals.) Zo is averaging 3 blocks in 24 min, yet how many of Yao's shots did he block? If Yao was playing in the 90's, where defenders are not allowed to sag back to deny the entry pass, he would just sealed Hakeem under the basket every time. It's FAR more likely that Yao would get Hakeem into foul trouble, than vice versa. As far as Hakeem outplaying Shaq in the 94 Finals. Ask some experts(or even Shaq himself) and they will tell you that it was because Shaq had too much respect for Hakeem. In addition, Shaq didn't learn to use his strength back then. If he did, no contest. Shaq, if he had cared more about basketball, was the only guy that could have considerably outplayed Yao.
