Yao Ming just dropped 27 on Duncan, Robinson and the Spurs

[Phantom]

LOL... u can't say that, the season started a month ago!!!

Of course I can.

Any Center that is 7'5", can shoot like he does, can dominate on the paint like he does, and can be happy playing alongside the "Whine-Man" himself, is certainly a much better prospect than a PG that averages more boards than assists...

I don't know if he will amount to anything in the long run (after all, I do not have a crystal ball). But I certainly would rather invest my money on him than on Francis, no matter the outcome.

[Gaucho]

well u have a 1,000 million ppl market almost entirely focusing on yer franchise player, I guess that would pay more interests for my money (that besides the current NBA market who s crazy bout Ming too)
I still want to see a game vs harder D who will push him out of the paint, and the health question, if he can surpas those 2 items, hell I'd give everything I have to invest on him.

[unstoppable]

San Antonio is the 2nd biggest challenge for any big man in the NBA. Ming passed the test with absolute ease. Dominating Shaq is all that remains.

This whole Ming story reminds me of ALI. Young Clay, has all the tools, all the hype, yet remains the underdog (vs Liston/Shaq) - he is the outsider (African/Chinamen). Clay knew he would win all along, as does Ming. Mainstream America reluctantly bows to the new King.

[air gordon]

i think facing the spurs is one of the toughest challenges for any player, especially a big man: if you get passed one 7-footer, there's a big chance another 7-footer is waiting for you in the paint.

Gaucho- i think that Ming's offensive game doesn't rely mostly on points in the paint. he has shown he can make jumpers from outside (facing up & the turnaround variety).

i'm not sure about this ali/ming comparison, so no comment

[Rens]

Looks like New Orleans was a bigger challenge. I think their big men are better defensively than at least LA, the Spurs with Robinson now are better but when he gets injured it's a close one.

[Gaucho]

unstoppable- i was referring to that game alone, they didn't put yn pressure on Yao, only Willis did a good job IMO.

limpdilznik- as I posted before his shot is good and is almost impossible to block, but again, if u keep him away from the paint u have a better edge, as vs any C that's 6-7 inches taller than the rest (lots of PF at C in today's NBA) except few ones.

[Phantom]

Looks like New Orleans was a bigger challenge. I think their big men are better defensively than at least LA, the Spurs with Robinson now are better but when he gets injured it's a close one.

I didn't catch that game...did P.J. Brown play? He is probably the single most underrated defensive player in the league...

[Clinton]

Good game for Yao today. In a big win for the Rockets he had 17 points, 15 boards and 4 blocks. Divac had no answer, Yao is to tall and quick for him.

[Glyyde]

the scoop pass from Yao to Francis after Griffin pass a low ball to him is damn sweet!!! that was one of the best pass I ever see in NBA!!!

[Rens]

Houston Rockets will be the champ soon!!! but not for the next few years....

So if someone says "C ya soon" you don't expect to see them for another few years?

[unstoppable]

from NBA.com:

Who is the best NBA player in Texas?

Yao Ming

31%

Dirk Nowitzki

26%

Tim Duncan

24%

Steve Francis

11%

Steve Nash

5%

Michael Finley

2%

Other

1%

Total Responses: 159514

[:digerati:]

I'm glad the media has no influence on anyones decisions in voting on polls on the propaganda machine that is nba.com.

Tim Duncan should have no less than half the votes. I mean, if you're the second best player in the NBA, you're the best in Texas since Kevin Garnett is currently in Minnesota.

Yes, I am saying KG has leap-frogged Tim again. Those two jump back and forth so much. Done it for the last 3 years. A silent competition I enjoy watching. Tim should jump back in front in a few weeks and then KG will overtake him and then Tim and then...

[Clinton]

Those are way off at the moment. Duncan and Nowitzki are sharing about 35% each, Nash should be about 10, Francis at 10 and Yao and Finley at 5%. Ming has shown signs of great things to come, but isn't showing the consistency that Duncan, KG, Dirk and Stevie have got. He will have that soon. Those numbers on nba.com will be true in about a year or two.

[:digerati:]

Those are way off at the moment. Duncan and Garnett are sharing about 35% each, Nowitzki should be about 15, Francis at 10 and Yao at 5%. Ming has shown signs of great things to come, but isn't showing the consistency that Duncan, KG, Dirk and Stevie have got. He will have that soon. Those numbers on nba.com will be true in about a year or two.

Garnett doesn't play for a Texas team therefore Duncan has 70%.

[Clinton]

Well that was a very stupid mistake. Let me change that.

[unstoppable]

Those are way off at the moment. Duncan and Garnett are sharing about 35% each, Nowitzki should be about 15, Francis at 10 and Yao at 5%. Ming has shown signs of great things to come, but isn't showing the consistency that Duncan, KG, Dirk and Stevie have got. He will have that soon. Those numbers on nba.com will be true in about a year or two.

Actually, the numbers on nba.com are not way off, they are REALITY. Greatness is in the eye of the beholder. That large majority that voted for Ming is THE WORLD. This is the same WORLD that always hailed Jordan as the greatest in the game. And check the last 5 games Ming, Duncan, Garnett played; Ming is the best right now.

[Nick]

Pahahaha!

You think Ming is better than Garnett and Duncan at the moment? ...

i'm not going to waste my time...

[:digerati:]

By that logic, if everyone that can click a dot and a button said that shooting yourself in the face was a good idea. We'd all be dead.

A poll on nba.com is not the end-all be-all definition of reality. That's a limited poll, that is voted on the propaganda machine that is nba.com. The fans who like dunking and threes. They think you don't need any sort of plan to win games, you don't need to play as a team, Darius Miles is improving over his career despite stats showing otherwise, Wilt was slow, un-athletic, had no post moves and simply played against 5 foot 8 white guys, etc.

NEVER take any poll as proof of a claim as a fact.

[Andrew]

Exactly. Polls only show the opinions of a group of people. They're useful in showing what a group of people think about a certain topic, but beyond that, they are not reliable evidence that can be used to prove a point.

On the subject of Ming, his latest game was an 18 point, 15 rebound performance in 36 minutes, though the Grizzlies defeated the Rockets 114-109 in OT. 6 turnovers and 5 fouls, but apart from that, another game in which he more or less played up to expectations.

[Clinton]

Great game for Yao in the Rockets win against the Pacers. He had 29 points (10 of 15 fgs), 10 boards and 6 blocks in 38 minutes.

[champ]

MING will b an absolute legend of the game.

[Jeffx]

...because I was totally wrong about Yao. I thought he was a stiff like Bradley, but the kid has skills. The thing that impresses me is his foot-work(did you all see his scoop layup against Indiana a few nights ago?). He moves very well for a guy his size. He can pass, shoot free throws and seems to enjoy the game. When he finally gets it, look out. I'm not saying he'll be a Hall-of-Famer like Jabbar or Hakeem, but a very good 10-12 year pro.

[champ]

i think Ming will be the greatest center of all-time. and no, i'm not chinese and i'm not a rockets fan. i simply have no doubt he has more skills than any center ever to play the game, plus an outstanding attitude to match. he also has a lot more weight he will eventually add to his frame and an awful lot more experience he will gain, which leads me to believe he could average 30ppg and 20rpg in future, plus with his obvious passing skillz perhaps over 5 assists per game. however, he could be doing a lot more right now if francis played like a pg should. ming shoots 60% from the field, yet has games where he only attempts 9 shots. something has to be done about this.

[Rens]

Ming will never become the player he can be if the Rockets continue to play like this. They need to trade Francis in a package for Kidd or Nash or something if they want to completely benefit from Ming. Francis is too Iversonesque to exploit Ming's pros. I mean, you have a guy who's 7'5 and shoots 60% standing in the post, and you keep on shooting jump shots?

[champ]

maybe trade Francis to Sacramento for Bibby and some spare parts.