Quick read on Yao vs Dwight debate. Didn't see it posted but if it has already lock it up. Thoughts? Link
[rquoter]Dwight Howard is better than Yao Ming? You can't be serious... [/rquoter] So I guess 90% of basketball observers outside the city of Houston are off their rocker. Dwight will be an All-NBA 1st Team selection this year, as he was a season ago. There are some good reasons for that. To the extent it makes sense to say one is "better" than the other, the arguments for Dwight Howard are no less compelling than the ones for Yao.
i think dwight is better than yao but i'm still very happy to have yao. it's like -- i'm sure jazz fans are happy with deron williams even though chris paul is better.
Except in head to head matchups. Howard does better against the more athletic but less powerful big men in the league. Yao does better against the bigger more classic post men. There are many more of the types Howard does well against than the ones Yao does well against. Hence, Howard has the better numbers.
And if they played eachother 82 games a year instead of merely 2, that would actually be a big deal. To me, the arguments for Yao should not rest on head to head matchups that we see twice a season. If those matchups reflect a larger truth, than that truth should show up elsewhere.
I've watched Rockets play Lakers at the Staples Center three times. I've got to admit that Rockets' performance last week was very disappointing. You might not get the feeling from TV broadcast, but it was like a match between a heavy-weigh and a light weight. Yao has been Yao. He still doesn't have the capability to take over the game when it is needed. I think I'd rather have DW instead of Yao.
Dwight is better than Yao in some areas and Yao is better than Dwight in some areas. Enough said. Just think about this. Final shot in the game who would you rather have taking the shot?? The only thing about Dwight Howard is that he basically has more potential than Yao. Dwight hasn't reached his true potential and that's scary. In Yao's case he is 28. Some say he is already peaked and may retire earlier than expected. They both are excellent centers.
I think the more important question is: Final possession of a game, who would you rather have on the floor? There's never a guarantee that you'll get Yao a quality shot at the end of a game when you need to.
IMO Yao is the more all around center. We all know his down falls, turnover prone, lack of aggressiveness, etc. I think in the long run Dwight Howard has all the tools to eventually be a more all around player, but he lacks the post moves that Yao has. Dwight scores a lot on put backs, and dunks, because he just plain and simple is one of the greatest athletes that play the game. Dwight has really surprised me how far he has come considering the MAgic almost took Okafor over him. Great move by them to take that risk of upside over a known commodity.
There is a possibility. It all depends on who is on the floor with him to set him up for that shot. This year's Portland game earlier in the season even though we lost which we should have won. Yao hit what was suppose to be the game winning shot. Basically if you have guys on the floor to set Yao up it is possible. McGrady and Yao's PnR was a dangerous combination for other teams to guard.
There's never a guarantee that you'll get Dwight a quality alley-oop at the end of a game when you need to.
Understood. That's why I'd never say a key question is who you'd rather see throw down an alley-oop at the end of a game.
Exactly. Yao surrounded by shooters is going to be a nightmare for other teams. Also, Orlando has a taller, longer team that should be able to get the ball to Yao easier. On the flipside, Houston would have the size/athleticism that it lacks against teams such as Utah and the Lakers. Dwight and Scola as a frontline would literally gobble up every rebound. If this team could get the ball to Yao enough for him to take more than 13 shots a game it might be a different story but if the Rockets are unwilling or unable to take advantage of Yao's skills more than 13 times a game the team would be better off with a defensive-minded/rebounding machine who gets his offense from his rebounding and from broken plays.
I've said this a million times. If you're playing a team that has undersized players manning the 5, you probably want Dwight. If you're playing a team that has a full-sized traditional center, or at least somebody who will play defense like one, you want Yao. Someone needs to tell Dwight not to swat the ball 30 feet. That's just stupid.
Why is having the ball for the last possession the be-all and end-all of which is the better player? When you score the ball is irrelevant compared to how much you actually score. I'd rather have someone who misses the last shot of the game but had 9-10 fgs prior that than someone who makes clutch shots but was 1-10 before. In the same way, this is a horrible way to judge Howard because he does his damage during the beginning and middle of the game, the same way that Shaq does. You telling me you'd rather have Yao than Shaq because Shaq is horrible at the clutch (can't make fts)?
One guy owns the best set of offensive post moves at center since Hakeem and consistently gets his teammates wide open 3s. One guy requires an alley-oop or his teammates to miss a shot so he can put it back for a dunk, while shooting 50% percent from the FT line, and doesn't get fronted because he has no post skills. No contest.
