LOL ... maybe the best way to keep Yao from bad company is to tell his mama to do something about it.
LOL. One year ago, comparing Yao to Olajuwon was an insult to the legend....how things have changed...
I was watching the Clippers broadcast yesterday, and the play-by-play guy mentioned Yao's 23 points in the 4th-quarter against the Wizards was the 2nd most points scored in the 4th quarter by a Rocket in the Franchise history, which I thought was pretty interesting. It probably does not relate to this topic directly, but I did not want to start a new thread..
Just look at the way Yao keeps improving. This season, he started scoring and then his rebounding lagged, now hes getting +10 boards consistantly. He has started getting more blocks as of late and now he is working on getting his turnovers down. Not to mention he is getting more assists now. I dont think he'll ever be 100% satisfied with his game and thats what makes him great.
5th year comparison:- ..............pts FG% FT% RBS APG StPG BlPG TO Hakeem 24.8 50.7 69.83 13.48 1.82 2.60 3.44 3.44 Yao......26.7 .52.0.. 85.9 . 9.9.. 2.3 . .38 2.21..4.0 When you consider it this way it is possible that Yao Ming is on the right track
I'm actually pretty surprised Hakeem wasn't dishing it out more, even at that point in his career. Still, though, with the exception of overall scoring and FT shooting, Hakeem is still the best. But the comparison can now finally be made.
I think a couple of years ago when Yao was at 18-9, some people asked whether Yao has peaked. Now the expectation is too much.
YOu can't compare players from different era's. Hakeem's time was pre-zone defense and pre-defensive 3-seconds. So Yao may have have gotten more blocks and had an easier time back then. However; Hakeem also played in a time of the big man....with Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, even Kareem. He played against Sabonis and Mutombo in their prime. He played and bested them all. Yao doesn't have to do that. Yao has bested an aging Shaq. There's no one left to best. I think Hakeem might be the best big man pound for pound, inch for inch, to ever play the game. But again, we can only look at the era he played in. Yao has to be the best in his era, and we can consider his legacy really only after his career comes to an end.
Top turnover list: 1. Allen Iverson 4.4 2.Dwyane Wade 4.3 3.Yao Ming 4.0 4.Carmelo Anthony 3.8 5.Paul Pierce BOS 3.8 6.Gilbert Arenas 3.7 7.Steve Nash 3.7 8.Lamar Odom 3.7 9.Monta Ellis 3.6 10.Dwight Howard 3.5 11.LeBron James 3.5 12.Kobe Bryant 3.5 Not a bad list,
Something seemingly contradictory in your statements is that "you can't compare players from different era's" and then "hakeem also played in the time of the big man" Not that I wanna rile you up NY.. but either way there is extenuating circumstances, Hakeem was beating players that were "just like him" or closer to what his stature and abilities were, whereas Yao has to beat players that can jump higher than he and move just a little bit faster than he. (though to be honest recently he has been moving pretty swiftly down in the paint so that second statement might not be valid anymore) Even if he continues to be top three in those categories, it seems that in the NBA doesn't matter how well you play during the season, only how you perform in the playoffs.
Hakeem was quicker. I don't think the guys Yao faces night in and night out are tremendously quicker then in 1995. Yao doesn't have the quickness of an Hakeem. But again, it's just so hard to compare across era's. The rules were different back then...and it was the age of the center. Today's game is just not the same. And I don't think Kaman is a good example of today's players who jump higher and are quicker.
get on your knees cause i started this thread before you guys had dreams of yao in the top 10. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=119871&page=1&pp=20
I don't think Yao will ever quite achieve the status of Hakeem. He might be Patrick Ewing, though, and that's not bad at all.
