Yi is not as tall, but he's stronger than Yao was in his rookie year. Look at his physique. He's strong. Yi has a natural advantage in that he's 7 footer, but he's quick. Quicker than Nowitzki. He's like a Kevin Garnett. In the NBA, speed kills.
Yi is very weak, even weaker than Yao was when he came to the US, and unlike with Yao adding muscle actually may hinder his quickness, which he needs, while Yao needed the extra strength to play in the post. That not dunking thing is pure bull. Yao said so himself in his book. Even when he wasn't aggressive enough, Yao still put up 18/9/2 numbers. Can't say the same for Yi, aggressive or not. Yao is one of the two best post players in the game (ask Shaq about this) and is the best center in the NBA. Yi might become Chris Bosh, if he turns out well? That can't compare to Yao. Yao is and will always be the better player.
Yao can say whatever he wants in his book, but the fact is, his mentality was weak in his rookie year. He's more aggressive now, but it took him several years to learn to be aggressive. Yi is already aggressive. You can tell by how he plays on the court. He's not afraid to dunk or block. And he's naturally a better rebounder than Yao Ming. You're talking about Yao as of today, but look at how he was in his rookie year. And even in his 2nd year. He was a timid guy. He could've done back then what he does today, but he didn't have a strong mentality.
Perhaps Yi is more aggressive. If getting owned by an out-of-shape Kenyon Martin coming off two knee surgeries and scrubs like Alexander Johnson is "being aggressive", then I'd rather not be aggressive. Yi will not match Yao's rookie year numbers, nor will he ever get to where Yao is now. I'm a fan of him but I see the truth. Yi is just not as good as Yao. Again, Yao put up 18/9/2 when he was "not aggressive". If Yi could put up those numbers ever in his career, he'd be considered a success.
Yi is very overhyped but he will eventually become a good player. I expect around 16 point/7.5 Rebounds per game at his prime.
He's got potential. But then there are bunch other players who got the potential and never did anything in the league. It's all about how hard you work at your game. Yao got where he is today by working his ass off everyday. If Yi can do the same, then he will become something great. Otherwise, he's just another waste of talent.
I saw him play utah last week or the week before. Actually, I came away impressed. He can shoot long range pretty well. Didn't strike me as overly athletic though. I wouldn't say he's going to be posterizing anyone any time soon. Kinda like a better Chinese version of AK-47. That was just my first impression.
You have to be out of your mind to say that Yi is going to become a better player than Yao Ming. Yao is a top tier Center in the league which is very rare these days. Well.. He is the best center in the league right now, including Shaq. So for Yi to become a better player than Yao, Yi must be able to become the top tier SF. This means he has to beat out 1. Carmelo Anthony 2. Paul Pierce 3. Josh Howard 4. Ron Artest 5. Shawn Marion Because Yao is a better player than the all the players listed above. Do you really believe that Yi could become a better player than the 5 players I have listed?
I agree with your assessment, but Yi is a PF, not SF. So Dirk, KG, Duncan, Boozer, etc (including our own Scola, no less ) are his peers. A pretty tall order if you ask me. Probably not fair to Yi, as Yao faces less competition at center postion.
Yi is better than Yao already??? ROFL...whoever says that needs a brain checkup as soon as possible. No one can tell what will happen in the future. But to say that he is better than Yao NOW is just crazy. The guy is making progress and yesterday he has just played his best game in NBA so far (15 pts (6/9) & 12 rbs) in 28 mins. Nice putback. But don't get carried away. No. he is not better than Yao, at least not now.
in terms of physical attributes, i'd say yao and yi are push. yao has the absolute height advantage over anybody in the NBA but yi has yao beat on just about everything else physically. but yao is light years ahead of yi in the terms of basketball skills. yao, despite his size and slowness, is much more smooth and coordinated. yi, on the other hand, is somewhat mechanical watching his moves i would draw the david robinson comparison. i doubt yi will ever attain the skill level of yao.
Comparing Yi and Yao's physical attributes is simply pointless. Yao is a consensus top 10 player in the NBA, regardless of position. Yi is simply a pick right out of the draft. Right now, even comparing Yi with Yao is utterly ridiculous. Maybe it won't be in a few years... but right now it is.
For those who said Yi has superior athleticism, yes, he is superior compared to asian players but when compared to african americans, his athleticism is only above average!
I think the only reason why Yi seems less timid than Yao now is because Yao practically paved the way. Yao broke barriers for Chinese players, he showed them that it's ok, and actually encouraged to dunk on your opponent's face. I'm sure Yi picked up a lot of things by watching Yao play in the NBA. And for the record, while I think he has the potential of being an above average player, he won't be as good as Yao in their primes.
Isn't it a little early to compare Yi to Yao considering they have completely different skillsets, play different positions and Yi hasn't played a single regular season game yet? Cut Yi little slack. Remember Yao's first couple of years compared to now? Even if Yi has a so-so rookie year it doesn't mean he won't get a lot better. This is his first taste of NBA action so let's hold off on any early judgments. So is he likely to be as good as Yao? No, and those who are prematurely putting him on that pedestal will likely be disappointed.
i don't know why people say chinese players are all timid. there are tons of players with real bad attitude and aggressive. you don't see them, cuz the teams don't let them in. even in cba, you'll see players play aggressive. heck, when i was in middle school, people get in fights all the time on basketball court. and for yi, i've seen him dunking like crazy for YEARS.
