If Yao were healthy would anyone be able to stop him?

VC-INJURY · Post #1 » by **VC-INJURY** » Fri May 17, 2013 1:10 pm

With small ball being utilized by many teams these past few seasons (i.e. Melo starting at the 4 now) and many the large decrease in quality big men, how would Yao fair in today's game?

Would small ball allow him to dominate or would the game be too fast and make him less effective?

cs hauser · Post #2 » by **cs hauser** » Fri May 17, 2013 1:31 pm

VC-INJURY wrote:If Yao were healthy would anyone be able to stop him?

The refs.

And I'm not even kidding. The refs will let him get mugged all game long, because otherwise he would be unstoppable in the post. Tyson Chandler as "defensive player of the year"? LOL... Yao would've eaten him for breakfast.

Post #3 » by **tsherkin** » Fri May 17, 2013 1:36 pm

His passing game could have been better and he always seemed most effective in a more limited role.

Still, neat to watch.

OscarMayer · Post #4 » by **OscarMayer** » Fri May 17, 2013 1:41 pm

He was always overrated. Tell me what he did in his prime when nobody had a center with his size and skills in the West. He was never a dominant player, and he wouldnt be now either.

GeneralNbaFan · Post #5 » by **GeneralNbaFan** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:19 pm

I think top 3-10 player

Dagameplaya PnG · Post #6 » by **Dagameplaya PnG** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:19 pm

Yao would be the best Center in the game right now, and it wouldn't even be a question. If he can go toe to toe with Prime Shaq, he can go at it with anyone. lol at overrated.

Spurtatcus · Post #7 » by **Spurtatcus** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:33 pm

OscarMayer wrote:. He was never a dominant player, and he wouldnt be now either.

When he was healthy on his game, he definitely was. I remember one year he was averaging 25+ for most of the season until he got injured, he was look real special until his issues

LarsV8 · Post #8 » by **LarsV8** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:38 pm

He had a great post game, probably better than anyone in the game right now. Also his defensive impact was outstanding.

He was always weak to being fronted, so there are still ways to limit him, but he would still be a dominant player in the NBA.

Also, no hack-a-Yao.

martypython · Post #9 » by **martypython** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:43 pm

A guy with his height and skills is a rare combination. How many 7 footers who can also shoot and pass as well as Yao?

Don Draper · Post #10 » by **Don Draper** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:47 pm

LarsV8 wrote:He was always weak to being fronted, so there are still ways to limit him, but he would still be a dominant player in the NBA.

This. Yao also struggled when teams played at a high pace.

moses22 · Post #11 » by **moses22** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:47 pm

I love Yao! But he is overrated...he struggled against fronting type defenses,couldn't punish smaller defenders(I remember al Harrington giving him fits when he was on the warriors),he was soft on the boards AND I remember Carlos boozer dominating him in that 7 game series vs the jazz in 07 that series still bothers me

bledredwine · Post #12 » by **bledredwine** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:01 pm

OscarMayer wrote:He was always overrated. Tell me what he did in his prime when nobody had a center with his size and skills in the West. He was never a dominant player, and he wouldnt be now either.

lol.

MVP's are typically dominant :wink:

Heat fan06 · Post #13 » by **Heat fan06** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:03 pm

Really miss Yao:(

cs hauser · Post #14 » by **cs hauser** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:04 pm

OscarMayer wrote:He was never a dominant player, and he wouldnt be now either.

WUT? A player who averaged 25.0 ppg 9.4 rpg and 2.0 bpg against constant double-and-triple teams was never dominant? And doing it in less than 34 mpg per game?

Most players averaging that many points play nearly 40 minutes per game. On a PER36 basis, Yao was scoring as many points as Kobe, who was the leading scorer in the league that year.

OscarMayer wrote:He was always overrated.

Oh really? How many true centers from 2005-7 were better than him? Prime Yao avaraged 23/10/2 in that 3-year span. And don't make me laugh by saying Dwight. Yao obliterated him in all their career head-to-head match ups. He made Dwight look like a little boy every time. It was ridiculous.

OscarMayer wrote:Tell me what he did in his prime when nobody had a center with his size and skills in the West.

Now you're just being idiotic. Yao may not have been the best center in NBA history, but he was certainly one-of-a-kind. How many centers with "his size and skills" even existed in the history of the NBA? Shawn Bradley? Manute Bol? Gheorge Muresan?

LOL.

rockmanslim · Post #15 » by **rockmanslim** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:15 pm

If Yao was still healthy, Kirk Goldsberry's paper on interior defense would have been titled "The Yao Effect" instead of "The Dwight Effect."

Vader · Post #16 » by **Vader** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:15 pm

overrated and achieved nothing.

WVSArtist · Post #17 » by **WVSArtist** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:18 pm

cs hauser wrote:
OscarMayer wrote:He was never a dominant player, and he wouldnt be now either.

WUT? A player who averaged 25.0 ppg 9.4 rpg and 2.0 bpg against constant double-and-triple teams was never dominant? And doing it in less than 34 mpg per game?

Most players averaging that many points play nearly 40 minutes per game. On a PER36 basis, Yao was scoring as many points as Kobe, who was the leading scorer in the league that year.

OscarMayer wrote:He was always overrated.

Oh really? How many true centers from 2005-7 were better than him? Prime Yao avaraged 23/10/2 in that 3-year span. And don't make me laugh by saying Dwight. Yao obliterated him in all their career head-to-head match ups. He made Dwight look like a little boy every time. It was ridiculous.

OscarMayer wrote:Tell me what he did in his prime when nobody had a center with his size and skills in the West.

Now you're just being idiotic. Yao may not have been the best center in NBA history, but he was certainly one-of-a-kind. How many centers with "his size and skills" even existed in the history of the NBA? Shawn Bradley? Manute Bol? Gheorge Muresan?

LOL.

/thread

WVSArtist · Post #18 » by **WVSArtist** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:18 pm

Vader wrote:overrated and achieved nothing.

overhater

Mirjalovic · Post #19 » by **Mirjalovic** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:21 pm

lol at overrated. How the hell hes overrated when teams double/triple teamed him in every single possesion ?

He was a really rare specimen.

Ive · Post #20 » by **Ive** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:31 pm

He achieved a whole lot of nothing. People point to one season in 2006 and say that was his career. In reality, he struggled in a lot of ways where his height could not help him. Even where his height could help him, he didn't excel. Best example: He averaged over 10 rebound per game in a season twice throughout his career.

Way too overrated. He was a great physical specimen, but is not even a career 20/10 player.