Could an 8-footer survive in the NBA?

[HarlemHeat37]

if I was a GM, I'd give an 8-footer a try for the right price..what`s the harm? there are plenty of bad players in the NBA right now with less potential than an 8 footer..****, look at all the wasted #1 draft picks that haven't panned out and are getting paid all that money..

no harm in trying it out..

[Guy986]

-= original quote snipped =-




tim duncan is a good example of a size + skill guy, wouldnt u say? so whats yaos problem?

Whats Yaos problem? The guy averages 20/10 year in and year out. You have other guys at 7'7 who can barely score double digit in a ball game and this guy averages superstar number. Shawn Bradly was twice the athlete Yao is(in terms of foot speed and vertical) and he was nothing but a dunk target. The only advantage Yao has over other 7'6 players is that he has a stronger lower body. If he wasn't such a hardworker, he would've been nothing but a laughingstock like the other giants.

If anything, this thread shows how special a player Yao is. People expect him to average 30/10 just because of his sheer size advantage. Yao is special because he is a hardworker not because he is 7'6.

[superLuigi21]

-= original quote snipped =-



Whats Yaos problem? The guy averages 20/10 year in and year out. You have other guys at 7'7 who can barely score double digit in a ball game and this guy averages superstar number. Shawn Bradly was twice the athlete Yao is(in terms of foot speed and vertical) and he was nothing but a dunk target. The only advantage Yao has over other 7'6 players is that he has a stronger lower body. If he wasn't such a hardworker, he would've been nothing but a laughingstock like the other giants.

If anything, this thread shows how special a player Yao is. People expect him to average 30/10 just because of his sheer size advantage. Yao is special because he is a hardworker not because he is 7'6.

ok i was in agreement w/u until the very last sentence. yao does put up good numbers, i know that.. im just curious as to why he cant win more than he does when hes healthy... as far as why u think hes special, its far and away because hes 7'6", not cuz of his work ethic, plenty of players have great work ethic, and plenty have skill.. .not many are 7'6

[ponder276]

I think one of the big questions about Yao is "why doesn't he block more shots?" He's never averaged more than 2.0 bpg over a season. I think there are three reasons:

1) Atheticism (jumping ability, timing, and ability to stay with a driving opponent)
2) Mostly stays on his feet and just tries to alter shots, instead of blocking them
3) T-rex arms. Yao is 7'6" but his wingspan is listed as anywhere from 7'3" to 7'5". In contrast, Kevin Durant, at "only" 6'9", has a wingspan of between 7'5" and 7'6".

[A.J.]

An 8 footer can not keep up with the speed in the NBA

[teamny1]

-= original quote snipped =-




ok i was in agreement w/u until the very last sentence. yao does put up good numbers, i know that.. im just curious as to why he cant win more than he does when hes healthy... as far as why u think hes special, its far and away because hes 7'6", not cuz of his work ethic, plenty of players have great work ethic, and plenty have skill.. .not many are 7'6

The reason why Yao (and Tracy McGrady) can't win more is because out of their entire team, they 3 players who are bonafide starter material and 3 players who can come off the bench. The supporting cast for those two are absolutely terrible compared to what it takes to do well in the West. If they were in the East they'd be a top 4 team every year easily, but in the West their talent level is arguably not even in the top 10.

[HarlemHeat37]

there isn't anything wrong with Yao..half the people expected him to be a bust, but he's turned out to be a top 10 player in the NBA, no question about it..

[tk76]

If I remember correctly, Yao came by his height naturally- both his parents are super tall. This is why he moves somewhat normally. he may not be as athletic and fluid as most NBA players, but he is not as stiff as Muresan, Bol or Eaton were.

Guys who are that tall for medical reasons (acromegally, pituitary tumors) have complex medical problems and will always have problems.

So basically, if two "normal" tall people have an baby that grows to be 8ft (lets say Shaq has a kid with Grace Jones) then that player could dominate. Just like Shaq was a sominant 7 footer.

If someone is 8 ft as part of a disease state then they will never amount to much in the NBA- at least on the offensive end.

[pillwenney]

If I remember correctly, Yao came by his height naturally- both his parents are super tall. This is why he moves somewhat normally. he may not be as athletic and fluid as most NBA players, but he is not as stiff as Muresan, Bol or Eaton were.

Guys who are that tall for medical reasons (acromegally, pituitary tumors) have complex medical problems and will always have problems.

So basically, if two "normal" tall people have an baby that grows to be 8ft (lets say Shaq has a kid with Grace Jones) then that player could dominate. Just like Shaq was a sominant 7 footer.

If someone is 8 ft as part of a disease state then they will never amount to much in the NBA- at least on the offensive end.

Pretty much. It would have to be a guy that is "naturally" that way (probably the wrong word for that, but whatever). And he'd have to have freak athleticism for his height--by that I don't mean like Shaq+a foot. Freak athleticism for somebody that tall entails basically being able to move like a 7 footer. Otherwise, Shadenfreude's point was dead on--with 3 second rules, he wouldn't be able to use his height much because he would be so stationary.

[AgEnT50]

Kinda looks like Eli Manning, only less awkward.

[Boognish]

An 8-footer couldn't make it to the scorer's table without falling down

[Guy986]

-= original quote snipped =-




ok i was in agreement w/u until the very last sentence. yao does put up good numbers, i know that.. im just curious as to why he cant win more than he does when hes healthy... as far as why u think hes special, its far and away because hes 7'6", not cuz of his work ethic, plenty of players have great work ethic, and plenty have skill.. .not many are 7'6

Then tell me why Shawn Bradly, Kenny George, Sun Ming Ming, Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol can't/didnt average 20/10 in the NBA. Yao has skill over the other giants, no doubt. But Yao wasn't born with a low post game or a mid range J. He worked on his game and he worked on his body.

And before you comment on Yao's physical advantage over the others.


Yao was just as skinny as Shawn Bradly in his rookie year. And according to http://www.freewebs.com/nbagiants/, Yao has the shortest wing span among all the 7'6- 7'7 players.

[Joseph17]

We need to get Margo Dydek to have has many babies as possible with Shawn Bradley and see if any of them end up being 8 feet tall.

Does Dydek have giantism or is she just naturally tall? If she's just naturally tall, she should definitely have babies with Bradley.

[Blame Rasho]

No, an 8th footer would not be able to survive in the NBA.

[NO-KG-AI]

I think one of the big questions about Yao is "why doesn't he block more shots?" He's never averaged more than 2.0 bpg over a season. I think there are three reasons:

1) Atheticism (jumping ability, timing, and ability to stay with a driving opponent)
2) Mostly stays on his feet and just tries to alter shots, instead of blocking them
3) T-rex arms. Yao is 7'6" but his wingspan is listed as anywhere from 7'3" to 7'5". In contrast, Kevin Durant, at "only" 6'9", has a wingspan of between 7'5" and 7'6".

Actually, his wingspan is 7'4.75, exactly the same as Durant's.

Yao blocks enough shots... It's not about how many you block, it's about how many you change, and some guys are just flat out more intimidating.

Think about it, Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler both have low BPG, both are super athletic 7 footers, with wonderful instincts, timing, and wingspan... so why don't they block more shots? In both cases, a lot of the time, they send one or two into the stands early in the game, and the rest of the game, the other team will pull up for jumpers, or try to arch everything over them.

Yao is an intimidating force in the paint, guys aren't that willing to challenge him. There is a reason the Rockets are always a top defensive team, and it's because of Yao, though they don't really drop off without him, because Mutumbo fills the defensive void flawlessly.

Also, Yao doesn't get backed into the post often, so guys are forced to pass back out, or shoot something fading away from the basket.

[tk76]

Many of the leaders in BPG get their blocks off the ball. Josh Smith, AK47 get almost all of their blocks off the ball. Mobile bigs like Camby, Howard and Dalembert get some blocks on the ball, but a fair share off the ball as help defenders.

All of the leaders are both long, agaile and quick off their feet. A guy like Yao is not likely to be able to rotate to get as many off the ball blocks and their are only so many opportunities to block the man you are guarding.