so far yao exceed all my wildest imagination, I will no be surprised if he beat shaq to ill next time they meet. In chinese martial arts, the best master always not the one who has the most strength but one can beat others use their own power. Yao is a kungfu master in this respect.
There's no time for discussion right now. If you're building, you want Yao. If you want to win this year or next, you want Shaq. Shaq is not light years ahead of Yao, but he's well ahead. But then again, Yao is well ahead of everyone else in the league. Right now, there are 2 important things: 1) Vote at least once a day. AT LEAST. There's still time, next ballots are Jauary 12 I think, final ballots are Jan 23. 2) FOR THE PEOPLE IN CHINA, SPREAD THE MESSAGE IN CHINA AND ON CHINESE BOARDS TO VOTE MORE. IF THE VOTTERS SPEAK ENGLISH, ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE ON THE ENGLISH WEBSITE! COMMON guys, Yao's gotta get in.
BUT the playoffs don't start today ! Ask us this question at the end of the year. The all-star game is nothing more than a popularity contest.The fans vote for who they want to see,not who they think is the best. To say that we shouldn't vote for Yao Ming because Shaq may retaliate against him is one of the craziest things I've ever read. Maybe it will be Yao who puts the smack down on Shaq-nofu ...have you seen the guy fight
I suggest we have a Yao Ming vote drive day the day before the final ballots. We don't want to do it too early-- if he's that far ahead on the Jan. 12 update, the Lakers fans might unite and get Shaq back to the top. As long as its close, or Yao has a slight lead, I suggest we go all out the day before it's finished and try to get in 100 votes a piece. (I'm sure someone can give you instructions on how to vote multiple times per day) We've got to have Yao starting!!! Also, the Chinese vote "not being counted" might have merit. I'm sure the internet vote is tallied, but if the NBA has actual paper ballots over there the way they do here, they may not have counted all of them.
Sorry but I don't think this question is related to this topic, fans are voting their favorite player not the team. Nice try though buddy.
I posed the question because people are saying that Yao is better than Shaq right now. If the playoffs started today, who would you rather have? The end of the year is irrelevant. Then who cares about any of this? If that is the case, I'm voting for Avery Johnson as the starting center in the West. He may not be very good against Shaq, but he works hard and I really like the guy. One way or another, being dissed badly has a way of bringing out the best in a player. I seem to recall a series against San Antonio where Hakeem wasted the league MVP.
Shaq is irrelevant to this group of fans but if you want to vote for him,Avery Johnson or BoBo the chimp than feel free. Oh Ok from now on lets all tip toe around and try not to piss off shaq
Things that are true and shouldn't even need to be discussed: 1) You should vote for who you believe is the best player at each position. There would be no point to the all-star game if it were any other way. Therefore Shaq is very relevant. 2) You should vote once for that player. Anything else is cheating and takes away from the validity of the voting. Forget I said anything about pissing Shaq off. It doesn't matter to the point I was actually trying to make, and is just an excuse for bickering.
3) Because Yao has a fan base in the largest country in the world doesn't mean that he should be voted into the all-star game. The vote will likely be skewed because of this.
I didn't vote either for Yao or for Shark yet. I guess the point of the voting thing is: what kind of all-star weekend do you want to see ? Do you want to see how a foreign overall first pick, a so-labled-bust, a rookie, a player bringing surprise after surprise, play with bunch of guys like Kobe, Nash? Or you are such an old-fashioned guy that you'd prefer the more familiar play which takes place once a year? The reason I didn't vote for Yao is I didn't think he is ready. But with games passing, I have more belief in him and feel he will bring us such fun when getting teamed with the best players on the planet. BTW. I'm from China. so who is Shaquille?
No I don't think that YM should start over Shaq, but as the second best center in the West, he should definately be on the team. For God sakes, I'm no YM fanboy, but if he keeps playing at his current level, he's obviously one of the 12 best players in the Western conferance. I'd feel that way, even if I was a Lakers fan. BTW: if YM is not voted in a starter, then he has to be selected by the coach correct? I mean, how does that work? Does anyone seriously believe that Don Nelson would select YM over his boy Dirk. Raven
is it possible for YM to play in the rookie and all star game?? HEHE. that thought just occured to me.
You took the words right out of my mouth.... I am a true Rocket fan and will vote for Yao another 30 times before the counting is over... And Doctor Robert, if you are a true NBA fan, you should vote for Yao. How can you vote for Shaq who has been injured all year and hasn't done anything but help lose games for the Lakers this season. Finally, the All Star game is not about selecting the best player, it's about selecting the most entertaining players...the most fun to watch...spare us the Much Better player comments, because Shaq is clearly not fun to watch for a Rocket fan...
Here's what NBA.com had in its recap of the Lakers getting routed by 20 points last night: He is clearly better then Yao at this time...
i hope Yao Ming wil play in the all star game. but i do not think he should start. not yet. next year he might. Shaq is the best. and should start.
The all star game is not necessarily about the absolute BEST player at each position. It's about who the fan wants to see at each position. Right or wrong, that's the way it is. It's a game for the fans. We can debate the merits of who is better (Shaq vs. Yao) when Yao wins the MVP over Shaq!
So Vince Carter and Grant Hill are the best forwards in the East? Regardless of how you vote, there are going to be undeserving players on this team! It's only a matter of would you want undeserving Rockets, or undeserving players from other teams. If Orlando can get Grant Hill as a starter over Jermaine O'Neal, then I damn sure want Yao as a starter. You really don't seem to understand the concept of fan voting. It is who the fans want to see, not who's the best!!! And the league knows it. If the league really wanted to see the "objective" top players, they would do it like the NFL and have 1/3 go to the fans, 1/3 to the players, and 1/3 to the coaches. However, they don't. And as for Yao prompting such a change, don't count on it. Two years ago, Grant Hill and Alonzo Mourning were voted in as starters despite never playing a game. If they wouldn't change it after that, I wouldn't count on them changing it if a rookie sensation center makes it in. Hell, Yao's a lot better right now than Kobe was when he was voted in as a starter in his second season, when he didn't even starter on his own team.
You're sounding like a broken record DR and you're not even listening to what everyone else is trying to make you understand. 1. "You should vote for who you believe is the best player at each position." Okay, Why should any 'true fan' do that? A 'Fanatic' isn't going to do what's righteous, they are going to stick by their guy...that shouldn't be tough to understand. Everyone is voting for their guy!...thats why Vlade has votes, thats why Kandi has votes, etc., etc. Should we stand up and say "No I'm voting for Shaq instead of Yao because Shaq is better...even though his team is doing a lot worse than ours, he's slower, lazier, and usually doesn't play in the allstar game because he likes to sit back and relax...but I'm voting for him because its the 'right' thing to do." Cmon bro, quit with all this righteous BS. How has the all-star game had anything to do with what's 'right'? VC? half a million votes? He has barely played this year! and when he did he he was horrible! (19pts on 18 fg attempts per!) And Grant Hill? Sure he's been pretty good in games(when he does play) but an Allstar? No way. I don't get the Avery Johnson argument. Are you saying that Yao is SOOOOOOO much worse than Shaq that its painfully obvious that Yao shouldn't be voted in? I think you're exaggerating a little much. Great players are voted to the positions, not just for the 'hell of it'. Yao is a great player, and I want to see him at the all star game instead of shaq, period. Shaq doesn't want to be there...I voted for him quite a few times in the past years just to see him no show. If you think I'm not a true rockets fan for voting the way I am, well you're severely wrong.
