Shaq could guard the pick and roll just fine when he wanted to guard it. He's always been physically capable of guarding it, unlike Yao who simply does not have the quickness or lateral movement to guard it. It's only when Shaq gets lazy or got old that he didn't guard it well. I'm sure you never probably saw a 25 year old Shaq play basketball. You said this... All said and done, Yao Ming is still the best center in the world. Dwight Howard has sub-par post defense, while Yao Ming has elite. Now you say this... You fail to make it quite simple and no, Yao is not a better defender than the DPOY. Stop putting words in my mouth. Make up your mind.
I agree. This is not a diss at Yao, but I have to say, the more I watch Howard, the more impressed I am with what he has and IS doing. When DH first came into the league, he was about as raw as the fish at a sushi bar. Rebounding and dunks. That was pretty much it. Outstanding rebounding and dunks at that, but very little in the way of polished goods. Today, I see a much improved DH. And scarily, further upside potential. I know people poo-pooed Ewing when he was an assistant coach here, but I think he's done magic (no pun intended) with DH. I can see shades of Ewing's moves in DH, inasmuch as I saw Yao add shades too (e.g. the fadeawy jumper her added in his 2nd or 3rd season). And I see NO REASON why DH couldn't add more shots to his repetoire, not least of which, new post moves. Yao kind of came in more polished than I think people gave hiim credit for. Yes, he had trouble keeping up with the speed that was the NBA in the early years, but he's come a long way. Shooting touch, free throw shooting - all that I honestly think he came well polished. But the other aspects of the game like boxing out, rebounding, taking the ball strong, seem to be less intuitive. Which makes it really interesting, b/c I wonder if Yao had less polish, less shooting talent, if he'd be more raw in his ability and instinct to use his body to fight, crash, bump, bruise etc. Perhaps Yao going backwards in getting "more raw" is harder than DH in adding polish. theSAGE
Since when was post defense and general defense the same? Dwight's a lot closer to Yao's post defense than Yao is to Dwight's shot blocking. And you are still wrong. Anybody who watches basketball knows Shaq could not guard the pick n roll. You fail to make it quite simple.
did u just say u want yao to dribble and drive in the lane for hook shot? hmm lol i dunno about that...thats like almost a gurantee turnover...you gotta understand yao has his strengths and weakness being so tall and big. he is not a normal size human, cant do what normal size players do like quickness and mobility. and yao upper body is not as strong as howard. cant power his way up.
Like I said in another thread, Yao and Dwight aren't really comparable as much as Amar'e and Dwight. Yao can't really learn anything from Dwight, because he isn't as athletic and quick. Amar'e is one player could learn the most from Dwight, as Dwight could learn from Stoudemire. As strong as Dwight is, he certainly struggles against bigger or sometimes more physical players, like Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, Yao Ming, and others. Which is why if he had a game like Amare's, he wouldn't be as limited offense as he is now. Yao Ming is more in the class with Shaq, Duncan, Bynum, Big Z, and Andrew Bogut. Being 7 foot +, back to the basket, and somewhat slower than most other players. If Yao watched anyone on film, it would probably need to be Shaq, Duncan, Mourning, or Ewing.
Yao is not in a class with Shaq or Duncan. I think Yao is more in a class with Sabonis and Rick Smits sigh... although a few years ago that would have sucked but with the amount of decent centers out there having a center like Yao is just fine right now. Dwight had some problems against those guys but they still weren't able to really stop him. He's a monster in the paint and I truly believe is not even close to hitting the prime of his career yet. If Dwight is able to get a premiere wing man that can create ala Kobe or Lebron or wade or roy by his side it will definitely become a different ball game when we play against them. There are definitely little tidbits I wish Yao could pick up from Dwight. Dwight definitely has that natural gift that Hakeem and Mutumbo had of just dominating the paint by block and rebounding. They guard that rim well and make it alot more difficult for opposing teams to drive the ball in. If there is something I want Yao to learn from Mutumbo it is he needs to swat the ball. Bruise the opposing teams big man and driving wing man and make them rely on their outside shooting. It's been 3-4 years of training for Yao though under Mutumbo and it still seems like he's not picking any of that up. Sigh....
Style-wise my friend. Yao is capable of using his upper body to bully people over and use some of the same techniques as Duncan. Besides, at this point, I think Yao is a better NBA center than Shaq and definitely as effective as aging Tim Duncan. Also, it won't improve Yao's game whole lot, if he tries to emulate Dwight Howard. Most of what Dwight does is athleticism and natural skill, you can't learn that type of thing. Again, Yao should watch Tim Duncan and Shaq more than anyone else.
I have been an avid fan of Yao over the years, and feel like I have pretty good insight to his value as a player. However, after watching Dwight throughout the playoffs, there is no doubt in my mind that Howard is clearly the best center in the NBA. In fact, it's not even close. Howard does everything that you want a big man to do: defend the paint, rebound, finish, get opposing bigs in foul trouble, and most importantly demand double/triple teams. The argument for Yao over the years has been that he is a far more polished post player whom you can go to end of games because of his touch and free throw ability. With the way teams have taken Yao completely out and his weakness in defending the pick and roll, Yao's strengths are negated. I'm not saying Yao is garbage or anything... he has taken great strides especially this post season in terms of a leadership and toughness standpoint. Even the biggest haters can no longer question these aspects about Yao. Also, in previous head-to-head encounters, Yao has outplayed Howard consistently. But other than Yao, Howard dominates every other team's center. Even Yao has several matchups that are not very favorable for him (Okur, Gasol, etc...) Anyways, my observations aside, the main reason I bring this up is because of its relevance to the direction that the rockets and Daryl Morey want to look at in the future. If and when the Cavs lose to Dwight and the Magic this year, Lebron will realize that Dwight is his biggest hurdle, not just this year, but for the next decade or so. In terms of our championship aspirations, let's face it, we are not going to win one with Yao as our #1 player. The rockets NEED Yao to be the robin to some other batman. As most of us know, McGrady is not that player. I think that there are only about 5-7 players that are good enough to lead a team to a championship. If we cannot bring in one of those players, even if it means gutting our beloved young core (sans Yao), the Rockets are never going to be a true contender. Unless Yao demands a trade elsewhere, Les is never going to let him go. So... that leaves Morey with the daunting task of bringing in one of the 5-7 top tier players before Yao's window closes. I'm reiterating some of these points because 1) There should be no more debates about who is the best center in the NBA. 2) To build a true contender, we need to bring in a top tier player at all costs. If that is not possible within 2-3 years, we should really consider doing the unthinkable "gasp" trading Yao. I digress.
And i'm sorry but I really can't say Yao is better than Howard at this point. Howard is just so dominant. I swear if yao learned how to use alley oops and putbacks more often he's be the best, but that is not the case.
That statement puzzles me. Obviously, a team that adds Lebron, Wade, Kobe, or Roy would be a completely different team - even ours.
I think the most needed thing Yao should to do is, to figure out how keeping his energy until nba finals. If Yao would be out of season again, he really need to learn another English word "black sheep".
Yao's problem is he is too d@mn respectful and honorable. If he could learn lay out for half a season, like Shaquille O'Neal, Roger Clemens, and any other superstars who feel the regular season is important enough to risk hairline fractures and knee injuries for. Take couple of plays off, like Randy Moss used to (why good full speed ahead on the play, when it is obvious they are not going to pass you the ball). And, give ref a Rodman-like head butt or kick to the leg or shove-punch a ref like Nick Van Exel, then those little r****ded b@stards, like Crawford and Violet Palmer will have little motivation for him the next time they give him phantom offensive foul.
At this point of his career, Yao is who he is. DHoward has surpassed him this season to become the best center in the game. I just hope Yao can stay healthy IN THE PLAYOFF and we are ready to contend the title.
Agreed. However, I think it's impossible for Yao to headbutt any referee. Even if Crawfird is standing on a chair, Yao will only graze Crawford's forehead with his chin.
Well....I guess he can just fall on him and give him a pro wrestling body (or back) press (without the top rope, though) and pretend that he's just too damn clumsy.
