Who's Yao's biggest competition for Center Primacy?

turnovers and getting his shot blocked by guys like nate robinson

 

The last four are going down already.

 

For guys like Nate who want to block, Yao should dunk both the ball together with that tiny body into the rim. period.

 

With Tim Duncan playing more center than forward, it has to be him. He's the best player in the game, in my opinion. If Emeka Okafor could stay healthy, he'd deserve a mention. When he's on the court, he's the best defensive center in the game and good on offense, too.

Really, as much of a fan of rebounders as I am, I don't get the Dwight Howard love. He's a freakish rebounder and average help defender with no post moves and subpar position defense. Really mediocre offensive centers have huge games against Dwight.

 

I think his biggest competition right now is:
1. scoring 11, 12, and 14 points in 3 games out of 11 games this season
2. having FOUR 6+ turnover games out of 11 games this season..
3. having 2 games with NO blocks.. not a single one.. that's 2 games of the 11 this season..
4. having 5 games with single digit rebounding out of the 11 this season..
5. shooting LESS than 50% from the field in 7 games of 11 this season..

I I know that I am being hard on Yao, but it's just because I believe he can do much better if he wants to... I expect a lot from him because I want him to be the best player he can possibly be..

I don't know how you define "Primacy", but so far, it's not looking so bright for the BBS-proclaimed best center in the NBA..

P.S: YOFs, leave me alone

disclaimer:
I swear I am none of the following: MOF, FOF, SOF, BOF, COF, ROF, HOF, or anything pertaining to OF'hood

 

Okafor

 

If you put TD at center, he is the obvious choice. Watching Dwight Howard this season has been a joy. He now draws so much attention and energy from the other team he can now be considered elite. If you switched Jameer Nelson and Steve Nash, the whole NBA would see clearly that Howard has surpassed Amare. That is a no-brainer IMO. For rebounds, Howard is like a vacuum cleaner. And the kid won't even be 22 until December 8th.

I don't consider TD a center, so Howard is the closest challenger to knocking Yao off his throne. If you look at offensive stats, Howard has already passed Yao in both points and rebounds but in reality he ain't there yet. Maybe next year or the year after.

Shaq, who got benched after 1 minute against the Nets and has been called out by Wade and Riles, doesn't even belong in the discussion. Neither does Camby. Tyson Chandler, Emeka Okafor, and even the Caveman deserve mention.

 

For clarification, I don't think Okafor is near Yao's level. But he's at the same level as everyone in your poll except Duncan.

 

Am I the only one that thinks Dwight may have surpassed Yao already (disclaimer I am only looking at numbers and going by heresay….no league pass this season)? It just seems like if Yao isn’t scoring then he isn’t making that much of an impact. He isn’t dominating the glass. He isn’t scaring people from penetrating.

Sometimes I feel like we have the best scoring option at center but not necessarily the best one in the league. I guess it depends on what your team needs….

 

He might have. Yao has struggled this season while Dwight has torn it up. But it is telling that with Yao struggling and Dwight tearing it up their stats are still very close, and there are 82 games in a season. I remember Dwight won Player of the Month for November and was really never heard of again the rest of the season.

 

Dwight Howard is his only real competition....unless yao can overcome the fronting.

if Howard ever develops a go-to move, yao could be second fiddle again. but it close as it is.

 

Wait a while. I haven't forgotten the Orlando tank job last season after the good start. While it's likely the new coach and revamped roster will prevent that from happening again, let's see how they and Howard are doing after 30-35 games. Also consider Yao is going through a dramatic change in offensive philosophy with Adelman and this high-post stuff, which may or may not last. It may be a long time before we see the best of Yao on a consistent basis. He is far from finding his comfort zone under the new coach.

 

Tank job? Doesn't it imply losing on purpose? How so?

On the topic, Caveman has been a stud so far this season. Don't know how long he'll last, though.

 

dwight, and when dwight develops a shot, its over.

 

You completely misunderstand me. Last season, the Magic blazed out to a roaring 14-5 start before finishing the season with a losing record. Howard's performance didn't drop that much, but IMO, much of his luster was lost because their team was below average. If the Magic finish as a top team in the East and Howard is still at 22/14 or 25/15, then the debate about him overtaking Yao is on even terms.

While it can sometimes, the term "tank job" doesn't necessarily imply losing on purpose. The Lakers also tanked when Luke Walton got hurt. The Wizards tanked in the worst way when Caron Butler and Gilbert got hurt. Etc.

Agree with you on Caveman. Don't know if he can keep up the energy level all season. The couple of times I've watched him play he's hustling all over the place. Nice to see a guy play up to his contract after "tanking" his first year after signing it.

 

other than tim duncan, it's dwight howard.

i saw his last 2 games, and he has developed a very good hook shot now and a few great post moves (one is a very quick spin move) and plus his athleticism allows him to finish everything around the rim.

he's putting up 22 and 14 nightly now. pure talent/skill wise, yao is BY FAR the better player. but b/c fronting defenses can neutralize yao, impact wise, howard is getting there.

but i still take yao for the next 2 yrs. in 3 yrs, if howard continues his post game development, he's going to be scary.

 

truth.

i sat right behind the basket last year when we played the magic, and all it took was one dunk and myself watching in amazement how far the basket swayed back and forth to realize how powerful this man really is. he's always been strong and a beast on the boards. whoever said he has no post moves is entirely wrong. his footwork has come a long way and he doesn't hesitate to take spin moves and hook shots within 12 feet. if he could extend his range to 15 then he would be a real nightmare to guard.