Some respected members on this board seem to think Yao is soft. Others don't agree. Here is my thought. My main point is Yao is tough inside. But he might lack the experience/training to handle rough situation (fights) skillfully. If he can learn some tricks, he can "show" more toughness to spectators. In general Chinese tend to try hard to avoid violent confrontation. The flip side is that if an issue has been built up too much and eventually a fight breaks out, it will be very serious and severe, sometimes bloody with long lasting effect. This "no fight" or "serious bloody fight" approach is dangerous in NBA, where matches are rough all the time and many players are armed with attitude and hot temper. In NBA, the right thing to do should be to show toughness constantly while at the same time don't be stupid to actually kill someone or sth. serious. To achieve this ideal result, players needs to know how to "fight", to know what to do and what not to do subconsciously in a situation. Fortunately, most of them have the skills thanks to years of steetballing/college or whatever experience they have went through. I am not saying NBA players are pretentious softies. It's just that most of these millionaires remember it's just a game. Yao, on the other hand, has a lot to learn in the "fighting" department. If he can acquire some of the skills it would be great. It maybe too late to learn and internalize these things though. But I hope he at least try, in part because I have a terrible feeling that if thing builds up too much one day, he might snap and actually get into a bloody melee, he could break some leg or neck, or get injured.
There's no need for Yao to get violent. The only purpose that would serve would be to give him some more respect among the other players, which is not the problem. He's come a long way from his first season, when players around the league were all trying to dunk on him, to today, when players generally admit he's good. The problem with Yao is that he's too clean. A good contrast is a guy like Bruce Bowen, who is not afraid to kick you in the groin when the ref is not looking, or do weird stuff like tickle your elbow, to get you off your game. While these tactics may seem cheap to some people, there's no question that doing a little of it can pay off. Another great example of a guy who knew how to get dirty was Dennis Rodman. He knew exactly when to pull on your jersey to get position, while rarely getting called for fouls. Unfortunately, it seems that Yao either can't or won't learn these skills. Part of it may be cultural, but in any case it's a problem. I'm not saying Yao needs to be a cheater, but every great player has pushed at the limits of the rules. If Yao doesn't do so, he puts his fate in the refs making the perfect call everytime. And, as we all know, the refs turn into headless chickens every time they have to call a play involving Yao.
Actually, I changed my mind. Next time there's some pushing, Yao should bust out the Drunken Fighting technique. Combine that with Tiger Crane style and he will be invincible!
not really. The "skill" I was talking about is how to "show" toughness while refrain oneself from getting violent. I don't mean kung fu moves or boxing skills etc at all. For example, in the Mason incident, Yao could have "show" him or others that he is not afraid of throwing punches here or there. But instead, Yao was standing still without visible attempt to move forward (yes, he was holding back by two teammates, but still I didn't see Yao display his attempt), while Mason was all in rage. Anyway, I think a star needs to protect his image, for the benefit of his career on and off court. We all know Yao will be hacked in games, sometimes viciously, for the rest of his career. The task for him is to learn the "skill" to deal with it.
Yao is not soft, he's a finesse player, but people confuse that with being soft. Yao is a hard worker and a warrior on the court, and you don't need to play like Shaq to be "tough", they just have different styles. Let's quit buying into the ESPN/TNT crap, those guys don't know what Yao is all about, just ask McGrady...
Even if Yao learned some of the borderline dirty tactics of Rodman and Malone, I still don't think he'd be able to use it in a game. He's so big, the refs will focus on him and call fouls, whereas a smaller guy like Ben Wallace, Theo Ratliff, or Danny Fortson will get away with it.
