two totally different methods to play the same position. you just can't compare how they approach the gam and how they produce to each other. it is like mike tyson vs. ali both great.....vs each other maybe not so much...
"I think" doesn't work Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys: 1. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics 2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 4. Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets 5. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets 6. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns 7. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 8. Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix Suns 9. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 10. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards 11. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks 12. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic 13. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 14. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics 15. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/brendan_gallagher/blog/2008/06/14/top_15_most_popular_nba_jerseys
Did you guys forget the arguments of Camby VS Yao one or two years ago? Who is better? or several years ago Stoudemire VS Yao. Why do you so called rocket fan can not love rocket player?
yao has more experience than dwight, and dwight has more talent than yao.today,yao defeated dwight,and tomorrow ,dwight will defeat yao .this is basketball and life.yao and dwight have to accpet and face this.
No post-season success is what hurting Yao's reputation. Also D-Howard is more versatile against most of the teams and most important, he hasn't missed "Two" game since 1st year.
When Yao is old enough Dwight may defeat Yao. At present Dwight can not even defeat Motumbo when he attack the rim. Without mid-range shoot, he can only defeat some small size center.
Fair enough, but Dwight Howard has quickly garnered the adoration and praise of nearly every sports journalist, and he hasn't really achieved any great feats or postseason success either... not the kind of success that would shoot him above Yao Ming in the "best center" debate amongst most NBA fans and media types anyway. And durvasa, you have some good points, and I do agree it isn't really an issue of race, but I have to think a lot of the praise heaped on D-Howard has to do with his being more in line with the type of star the media and advertisers like to get behind. Just because there are more Yao jerseys sold and more people total recognize Yao that doesn't mean he gets the proper recognition from the NBA establishment and sports writers. Not that Yao isn't marketable, but D-Howard fits the mold of your classic superstar better than Yao, and as far as the US goes I really think Howard's persona is a major deciding factor in people being quick to champion him and name him "best center". It's not really racism, just different basketball and national customs and preferences. All the flashy blocks and dunks, plus the fun yet aggressive attitude Howard exudes... it brings him attention that his talent alone could not. In contrast, Yao's lack of explosive dunks and non-Americanized attitude sets him apart and costs him a lot of coverage since flashy plays and aggression are what make headlines and highlights-Yao's style does not grab attention the way Howard's does. Thus, his talents and accomplishments are more overlooked than Howard's... but that's just what I think-everyone has made some good points.
Fair enough. I thought Yao was more popular amongst fans, but I guess not. But Tim Duncan is widely recognized by the sports media as the greatest PF of all time. Where is he on this list? Perhaps its racism against Virgin Islanders? Evidently, this isn't a good index for lack of respect a player gets from the sports media. It's simple. Yao is not going to be considered a better center by most of the sports media if his stats aren't as impressive and/or he doesn't win more in meaningful playoff games. That's just how it goes. Saying its primarily a race thing really makes no sense.
Dwight has better rebounding and shot blocking skills.He can handle fronting, his quick reflexes and hands help him to hold on to the ball better. His stamina is superior too,however Yao is more skilled than him on offense and has improved on defense.(Howard is still better on that end though). Right now I would give Yao the edge partly because of greater experience,but Howard can surpass him in the future.
I think that's attributed to how often Dwight puts up freakish numbers. How often do you see Yao grab over 20 rebounds a game? Bottom line 21.1 pts, 14 rbs, and 3blks vs 19.6 pts, 9.9 rbs, and 2blks
It sounds like you're saying that Yao should keep the title of "best center" until Dwight proves he's better. But what exactly has Yao proved? Neither player deserves to be considered "best center" by default. The fact is, neither of them have accomplished much in their career in terms of winning. Dwight has won a single playoff series against a cream puff opponent (Toronto). Yao hasn't won a series yet. In terms of individual accolades, Dwight has his 1st Team All-NBA, Rookie of the Year, and he'll probably be Defensive Player of the Year this season. Yao's got a few accomplishments also. Basically, what it comes down to is Dwight is considered better because most of the criteria people use to judge centers he seems to excel at. He's a very strong, athletic finisher at the basket. He's a good shot blocker, and an excellent rebounder. By the numbers, he appears more impressive. We don't need to break it down any further than that to explain why the media considers him the best at his position.
You still get the concepts mixed up. Yao is popular alright. If you want to pitch an ipod, apple products, GPS, to tech savvy nerds who watches sports, Yao MIng is a great pitchman. But, to kids who want to grow up playing basketball, it's totally another matter. A YM would be nice, but most of them would rater think growing up to be like the superman. I'm not getting into this silly argument of who is better. But on the other hand, Tim would have been hyped way more if he was actually as marketable. And to think the marketability doesn't play some into this "best center" hype machine is plain naive. P.S. it's prob due to this "Yao Fan" syndrome. But you are more "objective" and "critical" towards Yao than to most other Rockets. That's all.
Lol so much for all that eh? I think their head to head games prove that Dwight is not a true center. Just a really athletic taller power forward.
So Tim Duncan isn't marketable, and he's considered the best ever at his position. Doesn't that tell you that, perhaps, there might be something that'a at play here that's more important than the marketability of Dwight Howard and Yao Ming? I mean, sure, its naive to say that marketability plays no role in these perceptions. But clearly even more naive would be treating marketability as the primary factor, when much more obvious indicators (team success, individual numbers usually cited on the stats sheet) are also in Dwight's favor.
If you have observed their two games against each other this season- One would, rationally speaking, come to the conclusion that Yao was the better player of the two.
yeh, except that people don't need to prove the claim is baseless, or say, marketability is the primary factor when they day the media is biased. They only need to show, alas, the media is biased. DH has some pretty stats, we all see that, the contention was: is that enough to put him as the best? So, basically, I don't know what you are arguing about.
