With Shaq probably leaving in a few years, with those numbers Ming should be the best center in the NBA.
it's so hard to say. i think talent-wise he can easily eclipse all those numbers. but, like you said, we're fairly stacked and he won't be relied on too heavily. another "concern" is exactly how tired is this kid gonna be come training camp or even mid-way through the season. mentally he's very tough but not too many players, let alone a rookie, could get through that schedule running. imo, his shooting touch alone will get him double-digit scoring. maybe 12 points, i'm factoring in some huge games and the ones where he's just tired out. he will eventually pull down 10+ boards but adjusting his first year, i say 7-8. also he can definitely be in the top 5 in blocks next year, maybe eddie too. now that would be awesome. by his 3rd year or sooner: 20 ppg 9 rpg 3 bpg 3 apg
not related with Rockets. I am curious why Bradley had such low fg, 40%?? How could he miss his shots? I heard he was not a jump shooter. He played inside. He is freaking tall............. It seems I have no chance to watch him play...........
Bradley's not any kind of shooter for that matter. He plays inside cause he takes up half the court. I've seen him get blocked a lot thought. Once by Ricky Davis and alot of times that god awful rim gets in the way.
Personally , if Yao starts, he should put up at least Eddie Griffin rookie starters numbers which is 12.9 pt 7.7 rebs and 2.39 blks. Looking at the center position and his skill level, he should be able to put up those kind numbers. Looking at Griffin playing against the strongest position in the nba and Yao playing against the weakest, should be a huge difference. 13pts 8.5 rebs and 2.5 blks is where i would expect him to be.
As long as the Rockets are winning, I wouldn't care what his stats would be, but I think those stats would leave a sour taste for many.
Look at the centers in this US team........... If Yao starts and play wisely, averaged double double is no question.
In six games in the WBC Ming is shooting %76. It is well documented by all the press that he has been totally swarmed by the defense in every game he has played, and he still shot better from the field than most NBA players do from the line. And all you hatas who are about to say that it's against international scrubs, well, team USA isn't even going to medal in this tourny. When a star player has a perfect shooting game, that makes headlines. When Ming does it, he's just shooting better than average. He had perfect shooting in the exhibition game vs. USA, he did it just last night vs. New Zealand (8/8 fg 11/11 ft,) he did it in already well-touted championship series when he lead his team to the CBC title. Now, I'm glad I'm seeing conservative estimates of 13 and 14 ppg, because I do think we're putting too much pressure on the guy. But it's hard not to get excited. Let's just look at it in a real game-situation. Look at the starting centers in the NBA. Who is going to slow this guy down defensively? Shaq, maybe. Maybe Garnett. Perhaps Mutombo. Who is going to block his hook shot, his fadeaway? Nobody. Who can stop this guy one-on-one? Nobody, really. In most games, he will have to be double teamed in order to be contained on offense. In my opinion, this guy is ready to have 20 point games right out of the damn gate. He will be fouling out opposing big men. I think Ming's offensive game is underestimated. I think he will average at least 18 ppg, and if he averages less, I guarantee Steve and Cat will be averaging over 23. Now, he might be foul-prone, might get pushed around on defense, might have to learn how to box out. But as far as blocks and fg% are concerned, Ming will be among the league leaders in his rookie season.
Ron had said he didn't care what Ming's stats are as long as the Rockets are winning. I think even if Mings stats are very poor, his impact will be tremendous. Why? The Rockets lost alot of close games. We now have a presence in the middle we did not have last year, and by having Ming in the middle, teams will have a more difficult time scoring high percentage shoots in the middle, and force opposing teams into more lower percentage outside shots. It make a big difference when you have fewer options during the closing minutes of close games. That makes it more difficult for other teams to come from behind or closing the rockets out of close game. That in itself should translate into a few more wins. Mings presence also allows everyone else to play a more pressure type gambling defence. Anyway, I would be very content if Ming had the following stats: 12 points, 10 rebounds 3.5 blocks 3 assists. And you can't count the shoots that were altered or were not taken.
