Is this season Yao's breakout year?-?
912019
I am a very tall person living in a world full of tiny people so I can  relate with how Yao feels.\nHe is currently and clearly the best center in the league right now. He has a very good stroke with the ball so he is virtually unguardable once he gets the ball with his back to the basket within 10 feet of the rim. The only way people can guard him is to force him off the block before he gets the ball. \nI am tired of people dogging Yao and saying that the only reason he is good is because he is 7'6''. All they need to do is compare his stats and impact to other 7'6'' NBA players like Sean Bradley, Manute Bol etc. The difference is clear.\nPlus, we all know the NBA refs favor shorter players when making calls. Whenever a shooting guard or small forward goes for a dunk against a bigger guy, any incidental body contact usually initiated by the dunker is called a blocking foul, on the other hand, if a center goes for a dunk over a smaller guy, the contact is usually intepreted as a charge. Go figure!! I call it Vertically Challenged induced HATING!!! :D
1038285
Well sure, one pair has a championship and the other doesn't.  But in the future that could change, since Yao is on his way up and Shaq on the way down.  Nobody can beat Wade at the moment, though.
759357
I'm not a Laker fan, but it's not the time to put too much pressure on him. He's an incredible talent whose ceiling is through the roof!  Still, he's done what he's done against teams that don't have much in the way of centers (Seattle twice...Johan Petro; Minnesota...Mark Blount; and Golden State...Troy Murphy).  And, he only played 10 minutes against GS. \n\nSo, I'm not trying to kill a buzz here, because I really like the kid's game and the Lakers have a lot to be excited about, but let's see what he does over a longer stretch and against better centers. The good news is that there aren't many better centers in the league. \n\nThe kid has a bright future.
694242
I never saw it, but I believe it (only cause it's Yao though).  That's why I hate Yao.  He's only made the all star team like 1,000 times because: #1 the chinese people vote for him because he's chinese.  #2 There are no good centers in the west #3 just because he's the tallest player in the league
932671
Tough choice.....but i don't think you should.\n\nMarion is definitely the #1 fantasy player, but you won't find a center that can give you the numbers that Yao can.  It's hard to fill that position so I don't think you should give him up.
1169065
Hell YES it is.  Tracy McGrady is one of the most overrated players out there.  He has never made it past the 1st round.  Ever.  He even spoke about how he was looking forward to the 2nd round against the Pistons in '01 when they were up 3 games to 1.  OOPS!  Pistons won 3 in a row and his legacy continues.\nThere are a lot more good SG's in the league, then PF's.  Especially PF's that can shoot from anywhere, rebound, rack up assists, and play a team game.  KG doesn't need to be on the post like Yao and would guarantee neither KG or Yao would get double teamed.\nIf I were a Rockets fan, I would be giddy at the thought of getting KG straight up for T-Mac.  It would probably be a good trade for both teams as both guys could use a new situation.\nAlso, since the Rockets have the 8th pick, there will be plenty of PG's, SG's, and SF's available at that spot compared to the top 3 picks, which will be big men.\n\nYou can never have enough quality big men.  Especially when they are Yao and KG
794622
Do it, if you get Ming that will help your team greatly. He is the best center in the league for a couple of scrubs you are going to give up.
734800
Neither is outstanding from beyond the arc, but stats give the nod to T-Mac (barely)...He has hit 34.3% of his 3's for his career, and is just under 30% this year...Kobe has hit 33.5% for his career, and is a little under 27% this season
126599
The way Kobe scored in January it probably will be him, unless Chauncey Billups really steps up his game in the second half. He has had a better year overall, so if his averages increase as the half goes on, it will then likely be Billups.
534905
i think he's great, in my opinion he's better than O'neil. i also think he will have a great career and he will become one of the top centers of all time. Wallace and Ming Yao (Yao Ming in america) are the best centers right now.
1098469
That depends on how they improve during the off season. If they can upgrade at PG and get an inside presence (if Kwame or Bynum improves) - then they will make some noise post season. There really isn't a dominant team right now (I thought the Pistons & Spurs were, but both fell apart in the playoffs) - it's an open field right now, so the Lakers can go far with the right pieces.
203592
NO!!!\n\nduring the off-season Lakers will definitely be ahead of the line. Already trade rumors and talks been initated and so far everyone know KG is good friends with Kobe Bryant.
265282
According to TNT, Shaq is averaging about 8 points and 3 rebounds more than Yao out of all the times they've met. They are about even in blocks, steals, and assists. Shaq has about an 8% Field goal advantage also.
779442
I agree with the first post that his inconsistency has been a huge downfall of his.  But he has the potential of being a great scorer along the lines of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Redd (in the future).  He's only in his third year, so I'd expect him to get much better, along with Kirk Hinrich too.
755313
As long as you have a strong players to fill in your C positions this season I would definitely take this trade.  \n\nI am pretty sure poster is referring to Rafer Alston based upon his statement about "a game with 14" assists. Alston had a 12 AST game Saturday against Dallas. Felton has maxed out at 8 I believe.\n\nIn my opinion, Curry isn't going to do any better than he has so far, and likely will do worse. He's realy a one category player: Points. He doesn't rebound as much as you would like. He's gotten around 8 a game this season but that is not typical. His contribution in peripherals is not overwhelming either. Furthermore, Channing Frye is underperforming for NY right now. Once Frye comes around, which will happen, I predict Curry's value takes a hit. I could be wrong on this, it's not an exact science, but I'm also fairly sure there are some Cs on your waiver wire right now who will pan out better than Curry for the season.\n\nAs for Alston, he's in a great position for assists. He averaged just under 7 for last year and I think it's entirely reasonable for him to hover right around 7 a game this season as well. He's at best the fourth scoring option on Houston, but with T-Mac, Yao, and Battier around him he will have plenty of opportunities to dish out assists. Plus what really sets him apart are the peripherals. He's a 1.5+ steal per game guy easy and the same with 3PTM (he's outperforming these averages so far this season).\n\nIf someone will actually do this trade, you MUST go for it. It is clearly in your favor!
1109677
I think he will do very good his first season. You gotta look at the whole thing he's got a good solid center. He's got Lebron who as we've seen can dish the ball averaging 6.5 assists last year. And that opens up Brown who was drafted by the Cav's so he can score. Be last season the Cav's had the worst back court scoring in the whole NBA with only 17.3 ppg combine. Oh and he'll probably average 9 or 10 points.
1015625
Yo, Darko is amazing he will own everyone next season. Him and Howard will dominate. They couldn't do it this season cause the Magic screwed up in the beginning of the season but Milicic isn't a bad player at all. The only reason ppl think that is because he never started a game in Detroit, however he was behind Big Ben in the lineup and they chose Ben cause he has more experience in the league. The only reason Darko didn't start this year was because the coach for the Magic wanted to let T. Battie finish the season for his perfect attendance. But Batties getting old so Darko will start next year. And I don't think that the same thing wil happen to Bargnani because every team in the top ten (except for the Rockets) needs a big man.