Yes, softness is a huge factor, unfortunately.

It's why players like Shareef, Antawn, Yao, and (like you said) Brad Miller can't carry a team. Unfortunate, because they're all so talented, but true.

Yao Ming has superstar potential but he is far from what he can be! I don't reckon the Rockets have any chance at a champiomship until Yao becomes a proper star. His number are good but not great and it's his fourth season, he should be much better by now

Yes... I recall the same argument being made for a guy named Shawn Bradley... freakishly tall players, while they don't always deliver, will always have a home in the NBA.

But Bradley is not the same kind of player as Yao. Yao knows how to play basketball and is a talented center, able to grab boards, score in many ways and is also a great passer for his position.

Shawn Bradley was... tall, for lack of a better attribute.

It's not fair comparing those two. The only thing they've in common is that both are tall.

Yao is far better but he has not become a superstar yet and it has already been 3 years! He should have gotten better and there is even a chance that he may never be a superstar

The only reason Yao's better than Shawn Bradley is because he can rebound (not as good as he should, but he still can) and he has a jumper. Everything else is exactly the same (except Shawn could block shots better).

Shawn Bradley never had the impact that Yao has! It is just that Yao should be better by now

Never had the impact? What impact? What has Yao done besides get 2 billion Asian people to vote for him in the All-Star game every year? Yao Ming hasn't made an impact in the NBA!

Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming are basically the same player. They are popular because they are both freakishly tall. The only difference is that Yao can score 18 points a game, so Houston hasn't given up on him yet. He's making money on potential in his 4th year after being nothing spectacular besides a fan-drawing spectacle his first 3 seasons. Nothing screams Shawn Bradley at me like that!

#32 wrote:Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming are basically the same player. They are popular because they are both freakishly tall. The only difference is that Yao can score 18 points a game, so Houston hasn't given up on him yet. He's making money on potential in his 4th year after being nothing spectacular besides a fan-drawing spectacle his first 3 seasons. Nothing screams Shawn Bradley at me like that!

So they're not the same kind of player. Bradley at his best needed a week to score 18 points.

Well, the point I'm trying to make is that they are incredibly similar. Bradley was a league-feared shot-blocker in his time (undeniable). Yao doesn't block as many shots, but he scores more.

In Bradley's career season (his 4th), he averaged 13.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks a game with 45% from the field and 65% from the FT line. Bradley was kept in an average of 31.3 minutes a game (31, if you round to the nearest minute).

In Yao's best season so far (his 4th), he's currently averaging 19.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, with 49% from the field and 82% from the FT line. He does all of this in 33.8 minutes a game (34, if you round to the nearest minute).

The minute advantage goes to Yao by 3 minutes. In 3 more minutes, he gets 6 more points, 0.5 more rebounds, 2 less blocks, and better %'s. I'd say that his numbers (aside from %'s) are extremely close to Bradley's, especially when you notice how close every stat is. Yao's a better scorer, Bradley's a better shot-blocking. Other than that, it's pretty much a toss up.

If you can't acknolwedge that these players are beyond similar, then you're buying into ESPN, SI, and the NBA's commercialism of foreign players. Yao is the most popular foreign player to date. Even though players like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowistki, and Manu Ginobli are obviously better, Yao remains the most popular. It's not unlike how Shawn Bradley used his mutantly tall appearence to stay in the public's eye, even when he was only in the game for a few moments. Yao Ming's biggest trait thus far is popularity. You can't say that about many players (so far, I can only think of Grant Hill and Penny... both were horrifically injured and have has-been careers now).

What I mean is that Yao has more ways to score, and also is a much better passer than Bradley. Are they similar?, yes, to a certain extent. But Yao is the improved version (minus the blocks).

#32 wrote:Never had the impact? What impact? What has Yao done besides get 2 billion Asian people to vote for him in the All-Star game every year? Yao Ming hasn't made an impact in the NBA!

Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming are basically the same player. They are popular because they are both freakishly tall. The only difference is that Yao can score 18 points a game, so Houston hasn't given up on him yet. He's making money on potential in his 4th year after being nothing spectacular besides a fan-drawing spectacle his first 3 seasons. Nothing screams Shawn Bradley at me like that!

No impact........ A guy who is the second major piece of his team making the playoffs has impact! A man who can score 18pts (though not great) has some impact! The Rockets wouldn't stand a chance of being even a good team without Yao Ming!

Shawn Bradley was a tall freak, that's it! His career was ver disappointing and he never was anything great! He will never be remembered as anything but a very tall man!

Yao Ming will only get better and will be remembered, at the very least, as a good player who was one of the best centers in the nba in his time and as the best Chinese player ever!

#32 wrote:In Bradley's career season (his 4th), he averaged 13.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks a game with 45% from the field and 65% from the FT line. Bradley was kept in an average of 31.3 minutes a game (31, if you round to the nearest minute).

In Yao's best season so far (his 4th), he's currently averaging 19.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, with 49% from the field and 82% from the FT line. He does all of this in 33.8 minutes a game (34, if you round to the nearest minute).

If you can't acknolwedge that these players are beyond similar, then you're buying into ESPN, SI, and the NBA's commercialism of foreign players. Yao is the most popular foreign player to date. Even though players like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowistki, and Manu Ginobli are obviously better, Yao remains the most popular. It's not unlike how Shawn Bradley used his mutantly tall appearence to stay in the public's eye, even when he was only in the game for a few moments. Yao Ming's biggest trait thus far is popularity. You can't say that about many players (so far, I can only think of Grant Hill and Penny... both were horrifically injured and have has-been careers now).

This is ridiculous man! You can't use Bradley's one and only good season as a signification of his career! The guy did quite awful every other season and was a near forgotten player in the Mavs!

Yao Ming, unless he gets a major injury, will get better or at the very least stay at his current level for a few years, if not for the rest of his career!

Yeah Yao is popular but that's not what we're talking about. We are talking about basketball ability and performance and Yao Ming is at a completely higher level to Bradley. Yes, they are both tall but as basketball players they are quite different. I don't think anyone would ever want Bradley on their team over Yao Ming!!!!!

migya, by saying Yao "WILL" only get better, you've proved my point because thats what EVERYONE thought about Shawn Bradley. That's all I'm saying; the players are unbelievably similar at this stage in their careers.

And, no, Yao hasn't had any more of an impact than the next rookie who didn't suck. Does it look like he's helping Houston get to the playoffs now? NO! And he's having his best season to date! Yao Ming is like Shareef; soft players don't further their team. He's made no impact.

There is really no comparison, whether you see it or not. Yao Ming is an allstar who is a major piece of his team - Something Bradley never was