So, it's a question of accomplishments in China, as far as who is considered "better." And being on the right team. And, probably, being older. Combine the three, toss in a bit of Asian deference, and there you have it.
Yao is taller and a better passer. Wang is more athletic and a better shooter. As a 5, Ming is probably better. Wang can be a decent 4. Both of them have some brain. I really like them both. I've visited two BBS sites of Dallas Mavs. None of them is even close to this BBS. As the two teams go, Mavs had a better record, but Rockets owns Mavs. Steve and Cuttio had so much fun playing the Mavs. I hope Ming will have equal amount of fun playing Bradley.
Maybe the writer meant that they were without "one of its top player" and just worded it wrong. Anyways, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. I was more fascinated by the pics of the fine looking Chinese cheerleaders than the article itself.