I've been arguing with a lot of Laker fans recently about Yao's all star ballot numbers. They all say he's only on the team because of the chinese votes.. however, I heard on ESPN that the chinese voting numbers were very small in comparison to the US.. and that Yao beat Shaq by a landslide in the USA votes alone too.. does anyone have the final figures on this?
I'm not sure what the numbers were, but it's been reported several places that Yao beat Shaq in the US paper votes.
I hope the real numbers are revealed during the AS game and that the Chinese vote is shown to be much less of a factor than thought. This would mean that Shaq will be sitting on the bench at the ASG for the forseeable future!
this is stupid..just plain stupid..how may time i gotta tell people..IF the chinese votes from china REALLY did count..wouldn't you guys think that Yao would have more than 1,500,000 votes?..come on now..there's 1.5 billion people...at least 350 million people know about the NBA at least 30 million people watch the rockets and yao...let's say a small percentage of that 30 million people go and vote..wouldn't you guys think that Yao SHOULD have the highest vote getter ? ..by the way..Charles Barkley said on espn today that he agrees with mark cuban that it wasn't fair to dirk because the voting was not in german..and it was in chinese...that's B'S 3/4 of the people in germany know good enough english to speak it just like us anyways...what a sore loser...
Did the NBA count the dimpled and pregnant chads? What about the hanging chads? Was every voted counted according to the constitution of the Association? On behalf of Team Shaq I demand a RECOUNT!
If Shaq wouldn't have been hurt at the beginning of the year, Yao wouldn't be starting. Shaq has way outplayed Yao in the time he has been back. Yao won't be starting next year unless he drastically improves. 13 and 8 won't cut it next year. Shaq has never ended a season with less that 23 points a game and 11 rebounds a game.
If people didn't vote for Shaq because he was hurt, then why didn't they? He averages ten more points a game than Yao and is more important to his team. With him they've won championships three years in a row. Without him they weren't even a .500 team. So do you care to tell me exactly why Yao is starting this year? If it isn't because he was hurt, this is just another example of what a crock the All Star Game has become.
Vince Carter anyone? And just why should fans only vote for players who put up better stats or who won championships? In case you don't know, NBA asked the voters to vote for their favourite players, not the best players. You can like a player because he has the great skills, fantastic haircut or best commercials bascially everything you see fit. Yao's starting this year because more people for whatever reasons like him more than Shaq simple as this. And that's nothing wrong with it.
I always thought the All Star Game was a showcase of the league's best players... That's how they hype it at least. To me it's one thing for the fans to vote between a handful of players who put up similar numbers. Shaq blows Yao out of the water.
In the spirit of fairness, maybe every two votes from China should be counted only as one, just like what F-1 plans to do to poor Schumacher.
I am a Chinese in Shanghai and watched Yao's game over six years. Yao is a great boy with the typical Chinese character and I appreciate him. However, I never vote Yao for ASG. IMO, Shaq is more voluable to a team without doubt but Yao is more mysterious than Shaq.
I just happened across this article on MSNBC, and besides the part on the Chinese vote, it pretty well sums up my feelings on this issue. Not that anyone here cares. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link Yao over Shaq? Don’t be foolish Laker, not Rockets’ rookie, should start All-Star game ATLANTA, Feb. 7 — I know, this is the NBA All-Star Game. It’s more hype than hoops. It’s a basketball game that has become so insignificant next to the parties, stars, and cars that one of these days somebody will actually forget to bring a basketball to this thing. So I shouldn’t care Yao Ming starts over Shaquille O’Neal, right? WELL, I DO. It’s really stupid. Ask 10 right-thinking basketball people to pick one player to build a team around and eight would pick Shaq. Imagine. The most dominant player in the NBA isn’t starting in one of the league’s showcase events. Nobody cares, I guess, because this has become the Michael Jordan Retirement Party All-Star Game. But I care. It’s like Barry Bonds being on the bench in the first inning of the baseball All-Star Game. It’s like Tiger Woods teeing off with the first group instead of the last group. Yao over Shaq? Please. Do I really have to show you the numbers? Shaq is averaging more than 26 points per game, Yao under 13. Shaq gets nearly 11 rebounds a game, Yao 8. Shaq shoots a higher percentage (56 to 52). Isaiah Thomas, the coach of the East, was asked if Shaq should start. “Most definitely,” Thomas said. “He’s the dominant player in the game.” Shawn Marion of the Suns said, “Hands down, Shaq should start.” But Shaq isn’t starting. Part of it is a backlash, of course. He’s been there so many times, a rival like Yao, a novelty, was bound to grab some votes. Well, it’s not right. But it’s the All-Star Game and nobody cares. Shaq, of course, stays mum. What can he say? If he gripes, he’s a racist. He’s already gotten in trouble once by the Yao police for having some fun with Chinese. This way, Shaq gets to show some class by keeping quiet. He can be gracious and bow to Yao. Not me. It’s a rip-off. Mainland China got involved in the voting and stuffed the ballot box. No one is quite sure how much of the flood of votes came from China via internet, or via the Chinese language ballot, but Yao was fourth in the voting ahead of Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, among others. A rookie, averaging 10 points a game, fourth in the voting? The NBA, of course, is not at all unhappy. China is a merchandise bonanza with millions upon millions of consumers. Just look at the Chinese media granted access to the NBA interview session here Friday. Half of them weren’t working; they had small video cameras and were having fun. The NBA didn’t care. They were with Yao. Unfortunately, some players are already afraid of the perception they will be labeled racist if they state a simple view. Vince Carter, who has people taking enough bites out of him as it is, quickly threw up his hands and said, “No way” when asked to weigh in about Shaq vs. Yao. It’s not all Yao’s fault that I think he should have taken the weekend off. His Houston teammates treated him like a hood ornament most of the first half of the season (he averages just nine shots a game). I watched one game on TV and was begging for somebody to jump out of the crowd and paint Yao orange so his teammates could see him. Throw him the damn ball I kept yelling. Eventually, Yao will get the ball more. His numbers will go up. He will be very special. Watch him pass now and it’s a taller version of Bill Walton. But Yao isn’t special now; not Shaq special. I’m not trying to say Yao Ming isn’t a viable player. He’s pretty good, more physical than I thought he would be. You saw him block Shaq’s first three shots in their first matchup Jan. 17 didn’t you? I guess you also saw Shaq go for 31 and Yao go missing (10 points). Eventually, Yao will become the best center in the NBA. He better be. If he doesn’t, he’s going to cause some trouble with fan balloting because Chinese fans will keep voting him into the game, even when he’s injured (of course that happens with Americans, too. Just ask Vince Carter). Indeed, two years after he is out of the NBA Yao might be leading the vote for starting center. It’s the All-Star Game, though. Nobody will care.
Arkoe, whatever. You have your opinion. I have mine. I just know that I will vote for Yao, Francis and Mobley next year and will continue to do so unless they leave the Rockets. This is my right and I will take advantage of it.
If you ain't happy with Yao starting ASG, go root for Lakers. Someone will lend you a shoulder to cry a river
I'll lend you a foot to stick up your ass. Yao's a great asset to our team, but he doesn't deserve to be starting in the All Star Game, unless you take into account the fact that Shaq was injured at the beginning of the year.
