Yao Ming is a bust

[Blunt91]

Okay Yao has had 3solid years to prove his worth and he hasn't lived up to his billing. Yeah he can give you 18ppg but his rpg are laughable for a bigman(8RPG). He also doesn't block shots much for a guy 7'6 due to his slow lateral movement and his short wingspan. Believe it or not I could see Houston trying to move Yao in the mext 2years. Someteam will be willing to overpay him,but I think I will pass. He just doesn't seem like a franchise player to me he is just too passive and soft in the paint.

[Brxa]

Hey, he's still second best center in the league. It's just he doesn't have the intensity, and the aggression that the top players have, to be able to dominate. He's got all the skills and gifts, but he's just too tame.

He's still prolly gonna be at 18 ppg, 9 rebs, and around 2 blocks for the next 7-8 years, tho.

[Plainview1981]

I thought he was supposed to be a good passer? The problem

is yao Ming lacks endurance. He only averages 8RPG, but

he only plays 30MPG or so... Also, I think playing in

China, playing in the regular season and in the playoffs

takes it's toll.

[cyman3]

i wouldnt say hes a BUST. but i do agree w/ u, ud expect more for a guy so gifted when it comes to size and talent.

but, i dont see HOUSTON giving up YAO MING for ANY REASON. while hes not as dominating as u'd want him to be, hes still the 2nd best center in the league w/o much debate.

even in the next 5 years, he'd still be a top 5 center in the league. i personally dont see him going anywhere anytime soon.

[sfg4gsw]

yao ming isn't a bust. kwame brown is a bust. michael olowokandi is a bust. joe smith is a bust. but yao ming isn't. sure he isn't dominating like some people expect him to, but he is only 24. if you look past all the hype, yao ming is one of the best pure centers in the league still with some upside. if he does 18-8 for the rest of his career, he'll be regarded as a good, solid nba center. if he takes his game to the next level which is quite possible since he's only 24, then who knows how good he'll be.

but to call him a bust is harsh. not living up to the hype (warrented or not)? yeah, maybe. but i know i would want to have yao on my team.

and yes, he has to stop playing in china and rest in the offseason. the nba season is grueling enough, but to play year round is killer.

[chillzatl]

how can an 18/8 guy be considered a bust? The only way anyone could consider him a bust is if they expected him to put up 25/10. He's far from a bust. Shaq is the only center in the league that I would take over him.

His biggest problem is his conditioning. If his conditioning allowed him to play 38mpg, as opposed to 30, he would average about 20/10. His build is a real factor in his conditioning. They just can't get him over that hump.

[Wretch]

On a live broadcast, wearing a pink Mousecateer hat, waving a rainbow flag.

Rathbun: "Uh, why did you run your 6', 225lb, naked, black ass through Phillips with a pink hat and waving a rainbow flag???"

Wretch: "Well Bob, I did it for the team. I did it for Yao. Houston said they'd give him to us if I did."

Grant Long: "Bob, wait...no. Stop that...Bob don't take your... Oh man."

...

...and in Local news, famous Hawks analyst Bob Rathbun and some big sexy Haws fan were both arressted today for streaking slap naked like treasure trolls through Phillips Arena singing the Yao Ming song.

[chillzatl]

[cyman3]

hahahaha... the hawks make the news, big time!

but i agree w/ u guys. I dont think HOUSTON regrets taking YAO #1 in the draft. Other #1 picks arent even at YAO's level. Im talking KENYON MARTIN, MICHAEL OLOWAKANDI, KWAME BROWN, and the list goes on.

[Blunt91]

I don't see what is so absurd about it. Yeah he should be averaging 20ppg and 12rpg not 8rebounds. Josh Smith and Al Harrington can give you 8rebounds perr game. How do you let someone like Dwight Howard who is about 7inches shorter than you come in the paint and score easily? You don't make a play for the ball you just try to hope the refs will call a foul in your favor. I don't need my center shooting 20foot jumpers I need him cleaning up the glass and intimidating guys who come in the lane thinking they will get a easy baskiet?

[Plainview1981]

yao Ming will be alright... Basketball is a soft mans

game anyway with a few exceptions.

[chillzatl]

Your perception of centers, especially one of his size, is that they should be rebounding monsters who dominate the paint. The reality is much different than that though. The reality is that there is ONLY one center in the league that fits that bill and his name is Shaq. The reality is that there aren't any other centers in the GAME that can do it either.

There haven't been many that fit your perception in the modern history of the game. Ewing - 21/9, Hakeem - 21/11, Moses - 20/12. Those are greats of the game, GREATS. The ones all others are measured against, and their stats aren't exceptionally higher than Mings are today.

Is he MVP caliber? no. Is he very good by histories standards for Centers, especially one of his age/experience? yes.

[Weez]

He's an allstar. With a dearth of big men in the league...or guys that in general average 18 and 9...he's an all-star. But he's shown that he simply doesn't have that 'killer' mentality of a superstar.

But I ask you this ~ who's he supposed to pass to? To be a passing center, you'd have to run the offense through him...more often than not, he's utilized as a 'dump man' once he's already gained position down low. He doesn't get the ball that often 'on the outer portion of the block' (where SAR prefered the ball), thus his passing options are limited...you put him in a triangle offense and I think he'd surprise you greatly.

Bust as a superstar, game changer...but he's no Joe Smith either...

[Wretch]

Why does everybody try to measure centers against Shaq? That's like trying to compare 2 guards against Jordan. Shaq is an anomaly. There are plenty of 7 footers that can score and board, but none as big as Shaq. For all the talk about how he just bullies his way in the lane, he's like a big cat down there - he's so agile and fast for his size and that's what REALLY makes him dangerous.

But Yao is not atheletic and agile like Shaq, nor is he light like the rest of the 7 footers around the league. Yao is like 7 foot 50 zillion and over 300 lbs. If Shaq weren't so agile his numbers would probably more closely resemble Yao.

The rest of these big guys that average all these points and boards...Stoudmire, Garnett, Duncan, Dirk, etc...they are 6 - 8 inches shorter and 30 to 50 lbs. lighter.

That's the difference. And the greatest centers of all time...? Same thing...

Ewing, 7'0"/250lbs

Olajuwon, 7'0"/255lbs

Russell, 6'10"/220lbs

Abdul-Jabbar, 7'1"/265lbs

Walton, 6'11"/235lbs

Wilt, 7'1/275lbs

Shaq is 7'1 and 325lbs.

Yao is 7'6 and 310lbs.

Bottom line, Shaq is an anomaly. Centers are never that big and if they are, they are not as mobile. Yao is exactly that. But I'd take him at a max contract right now.

[Diesel]

I agree with some of what you say chillz... But you use bad examples..

First off a Career stat is not that telling especially with these guys who all played too long. I mean what were those last 2 years in Toronto for Hakeem but 20 million.

Moses Played 20 years. You said his career average was 20/12..

However, in his prime..

He average:

26.8/14.5

31.1/14.7

24.5/15.3

In hakeems prime, he was putting up 28/13 type numbers.

And Ewings best year was a 29/11 year.

The point is that these guys all played too long and their stats paid for it...

I agree that dominance is a preception for tall players.. And if I were Shaq's Manager I would play this up...

But Yao should be better. He's still young but he doesn't make anybody afraid to challenge. Even Marginal offensive guys like Mutombo and Wallace were able to effect the game with good defense and rebounding. I think that is what people expect from a 7'5" Center. Otherwise, we get memories of Shwn Bradley.

[chillzatl]

Were doing much more than Yao is doing now. Both scored a little more (3-4ppg) and Hakeem was a better rebounder. But ther isn't a big enough gap to label one great and the other a bust. He's only been in the league for 3 years.

I think because scoring centers have been non-existant, apart from Shaq, for the last 5 years, people think that being a scoring void who gets a bunch of rebounds is what a center should be.

From a purely statistical standpoint, it's impossible to call a guy who puts up 18/8, shoots over 50%, shoots almost 80% from the line and ranks top 10 in blocks, a bust. Regardless of the position, those are upper echelon stats. WHen you narrow it to only centers, they are exceptional. When compared to averages for centers over the last 20 years, they are star level stats, just not SUPERSTAR level.

[sfg4gsw]

we'll see if yao gets that killer instinct. sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. i believe he has the ability to take over games, when will he start to do it, who knows.

i think van gundy isn't maximizing yao. he isn't like most centers. in a sense he is also an anomaly. he's 7'5" with good range and good passing abilities. if he was on a team that ran their offense through him like the kings with vlade, yao would really begin to shine.

yeah he's never gonna bang like the other centers or power forwards, but he does have skills that present matchup problems. it would be much better if he was paired up with a banging, rebounding power forward to complement yao's skills.

[Traceman]

like Yao. A 7'5" Center who gives 18.3 pts and 8.5 rbs while shooting 53% from the field and blocking close to 2 shots per game in around 32 mpg. He's nowhere near Shaq but that's not fair. No one else is either. He's still the 2nd best true Center in the NBA and I'd GLADLY give him a max deal to come here.

[Diesel]

I wouldn't call him a Bust... I think it's ridiculous to do so. I think that there's a lot more hype than substance right now... but that's subject to change.

[Eeeee]

The difference is, when Moses, Hakeem, Ewing, Kareem, Wilt etc played, there was a league of legit big guys, I think generally above the average of what centres are today. Who do we have at centre? Shaq, Dirk (who is a perimeter oriented player), maybe Brad Miller and then who? O'Neal, TD, KG all play forwards. Not like in the late 80- early 90's when you had at one stage, Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson, Shaq, Brad Daugherty, Parish, Laimbeer and Vlade (who is IMO perhaps one of the best passeing centres the game has seen) even a healthy Roy Tarpley as a 2nd tier centre was a better player. Back then the centre position was way tougher than it is now.

I dont think Yaos numbers are good enough to be considered an All-Star, but you have to consider the loss of talent at the centre position generally and that the all star selection is only on fan favourite, and based on that, even if he averaged 10 ppg, China would still manage to vote him in by a million more than the next player.