Is Yao The Real Deal?

NBA Stars Agree That Yao Is A Tall Order
The players on this year’s USA World Championships squad think so. Yao dropped 13 points on this year’s low rent version of the Dream Team. He also blocked 6 shots and grabbed 11 boards in 34 minutes of action. Should we be as impressed as Reggie Miller, Jay Williams, Ben Wallace, and Antonio Davis are?

In a word, Yes. Yes because no athlete has received this much attention from fans and the media since the Sidd Finch. The difference, of course, is that Finch wasn’t real and didn’t have 1.4 billion fans (1 billion Chinese and 4 million Houstonians nee Enronians) scrutinizing his every move. Lets be honest, China is not a good ball club right now. The best Chinese player, ZhiZhi Wang, won’t be playing because Chinese Hoops officials want him to be at their beck and call for games against the likes of Bhutan and Turkmenistan, while Wang wants to work on his game in the USA (anyone spot him at Rucker this summer?). Hence, China has no hope of advancing and may come away with a victory only because Algeria probably couldn’t beat a team in an Irish CYO league let alone in the World Championships. Those 1 billion fans — they know that China can’t advance. They’ll be tuning in to watch Yao.

Considering the media crush and international attention, Yao’s performance is an even more impressive. There was very little doubt that Yao had the talent to play with NBA players. Hell, if he played in the Eastern Conference he’d already be the best center. The question was whether he had the confidence, poise, and toughness for the NBA game. That question has been answered in the affirmative.

The only question that remains is how good will he become? Yao has the upside of an internet stock during the late 90s. This much is already clear: Yao is no Shawn Bradley, Gheorge Muresan, Mark Eaton, or Manute Bol. Is he a taller Arvydas Sabonis — A gifted passer and marksmen disguised as a lumbering oaf? Or is he another Rik Smits — a 7 footer with a nice touch from 15-feet but nothing else? Or could he be another Shaq — redefining the center position with his soft jumper, court vision, and toughness?

I don’t know but I do know that I can’t wait to find out…

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts