Take a look at the first 1:25 of this video to refresh your memory. There is no shot in today's NBA that Hakeem could/would not block. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q1sS_wiIfL4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q1sS_wiIfL4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
This is a silly post. No one knows the real answer. You are actually asking which one people like more.
I dont think you give Yao enough credit. 1 on 1 I dont think they can stop each other. Yao is too big too tall for Hakeem to guard except for weakside blocks, Hakeem is too quick too athletic for Yao to stop. However, defensively Yao reminds me of Eaton too slow to bite on all of Hakeems fakes and that would work to his advantage. So we are already saying Yao > Ewing maybe even Robinson. I think it would be closer than you guys think Yao would be an unstoppable scorer in the paint. J
While those are valid points, you kind of make it sounds like Yao is helpless against quicker players (ie. everybody in the league). Yao has done pretty well against the Amare Stoudemires and Ben Wallaces of the league. No those guys are not at Hakeem's level defensively (especially Amare) but their inability to shutdown Yao would seem to indicate that Hakeem would not shut him down either. Make him work more and shoot more for his 25 points? Definitely. But I don't think anyone can really shut him down.
Fronting Yao is not going to work unless there is a 2nd player coming to help. In that sense, Dream also had trouble against seatles illegal defense. Yao has been blocked by players when he's doing soft lay ups. blocking lay ups is also what dream was great at. But you rarely see Yao gets blocked while he's shooting fadeaways and hook shots. Those are basicly unblockable, even for dream.
Maybe if you can show us where exactly in this video clip Hakeem blocked fadeaway and hook shots by somebody that was close to Yao's height -- which was the point of choujie's post, then your argument is more convincing.
Thanks for the video and still enjoy to watch it. Hakeem is the possibly best shot blocker in NBA history. But those shots are not nearly as unblockable as Yao's fadaway shots. and some of those actually was goal tening using current rule. Hakeem blocked those shots doesn't mean he could regularly block Yao's fadeaway or hook shots. Ewing gets his 20-30 points against Dream, Shaq gets his 20-30 points aganist Dream, so it's not a far stretch to say Yao would get his points against Dream too. BTW, unblockable shot doesn't mean it can never been blocked. KAJ's sky hook got blocked before, but it's still considered unblockable because it happens so rare. So is Yao's fadaway.
It was right about at this part: <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rqlaN31OzDs"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rqlaN31OzDs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Yao gets lazy on those fadeaways just like he does going to the basket. If he'd just play above everyone else all the time, stuff like this wouldn't happen and even Hakeem couldn't block his shot.
Guys, don't get your panties in a wad. Damn lol. The video was just for fun because some of those blocks are just ridiculous. That said, I still think Hakeem would send Yao's hooks and fade aways back at him now and again. Even an aging Shaq blocked Yao's fade away twice in one game this year. Plus Yao would get worn out playing a guy as agile and active as Hakeem, and he would get tired pretty quickly. We all know he doesn't have the greatest elevation in the world, and when Yao is tired he can hardly get off the ground at all. It wouldn't be easy, but Hakeem could get to his shots, in my opinion. I agree that the Nate video is irrelevant though.
Irrelevant statement. I already placed relevance on the video by using it to demonstrate how Yao would end up being lazy and getting blocked on a fadeaway, hook, etc. in the post you quoted. Lighten up.
I'm not talking about how Dream would be fair against today's zone/help defense, because I really don't know. I know fronting Yao is not that easy, but if you remember the game against the Suns earlier, where Marion pretty much played the fronting defense, and Yao hardly be able to touch the ball. Yes, it's better to have a defensive helper come over, but Dream is fast enough, and athletic enough to challenge the over-the-top pass. Based on Yao's limited success against Marion's fronting, I just don't see him doing much when Dream front him. As for Yao's fade away and hook shot, those have been blocked quite a few times. I particularly remember Shaq blocked his fade away twice in ONE game, I'm sure Dream can do much better than Shaq giving his quicker reaction/jumping. Remember that Yao has VERY SHOT arms, I read somewhere that his total reach is about someone with a height of 7'1" to 7'2". That is evident from him always losing jump ball. Plus he is slow, which will give the defender time to react to challenge his shoot. It sounds like I paint a picture of a hopeless Yao vs Dream, but anyone has been around long enough knows that I'm a big Yao fan, would love to see him to be the best. But there is a difference between WISH and REALITY.
Irrelevant response as your first one. The discussion was never on Yao's laziness vs Hakeem's supermanhood. EDIT: I forgot the smilie. Feel free to pick one from the panel for your taste.
Shaq blockes Yao twice in a pre-season game this year on exactly same plays, a normal turn around jumper before yao even got the ball over his shoulder. Not the real fadaway and hookshots Yao was using against him in the first Rox-Heat game. In pre season, Yao tried a lot different new stuff and his shooting was like 40% or something. I actually notieced Yao used left hand very often and had higher percentage than those new moves. So it really shouldn't count. Compare to last year, Yao's fadeway realease point is several inch higher than last year, which makes it even more unblockable.
See my reply above. Yao's fadaway in regular season is a different kind from what you saw in pre season. His release is a lot higher. Losing jump ball has nothing to do with his fadaway. You can jump before Yao on jump balls to get there first, but you can't jump before Yao shoots. And Yao is not fading away on jump balls, just like he's not fading away on lay ups.
I think Hakeem outplays Yao but I don't think either of them shut each other down. Hakeem's athleticism and defensize timing will stymie Yao and rather than blocking a lot of Yao's shots I see Hakeem taking Yao of out of position a lot and stealing the ball from Yao when he tries to bring it low to drive. OTOH if Yao can get the ball within 2 feet of the basket Yao's height and power will allow him to take it in. Also if Yao can get the ball in the midrange of of a pick and roll he's a better outside shooter than Hakeem. Hakeem's athleticism will allow him to drive and spin past Yao. Hakeem's ability to block out and hops will probably mean he pulls down more rebounds and get more put backs than Yao. Yao does have one big advantage is that he's long studied Hakeem and is aware of the Dream shake. If he can use his height and not bite on Hakeem's fakes he might be able to block a few shots or force Hakeem into shots out of his comfort zone. The biggest difference between a Yao v Dream matchup is who is getting them the ball. If Yao can get his passes in good spots so that he can dunk or take set outside shots that will make a huge difference. Hakeem's athleticism and moves gives him more of an advantage getting the ball in not so good of a spot.
reality check lets revisit this topic after yao has two rings. as it is, he's putting up monster numbers, but we are losing to trashy teams.
Damn man, what's in it for you? The initial "discussion" was whether Yao would have a fadeaway or hook shot blocked by Hakeem. Your statement regarding the Hakeem video not showing a blocked fadeaway also implied that Yao was too tall to have that happen to him. I posted a video as a corresponding example to my belief that Yao's laziness would lead his fadeaway or hook shot to be vulnerable to an Olajuwon shot-block. Try not to take personal offense to any of this.
