2 replies to this topic

[majik19]

If you consider yourself a Rockets fan and you have ESPN Insider, you need to read this article about how Yao compares to Hall of Famers:

 

http://espn.go.com/n...l-fame-path-nba

 

I don't have time right now, but I'll post some of the more interesting bits of the article later. 

[majik19]

Some of the more interesting tid-bits:

 

Because it's a cumulative stat, Yao doesn't quite come out looking quite like a Hall of Famer in the championships added metric I created to help analyze players for ESPN's all-time #NBArank. Looking at regular-season and playoff performance, Yao's 0.4 championships added rank him 130th all-time, behind players like Tim Hardaway and Chris Webber who didn't even crack the Hall's list of finalists this season.

 

On a per-game basis, Yao is in elite territory. Per 82 games, he posted 0.06 championships added, which puts him 26th all-time, alongside inner-circle Hall of Famers like Isiah Thomas and Clyde Drexler. Because Yao never went through a decline phase by playing into his 30s, this isn't a fair comparison.

 

 

So basically Pelton argues that he was on a Hall of Fame path, though never really reached that plateau. That being said, we all know he is in because of his international play and opening the NBA gates to China. There was never really a question on that. 

 

I think for Houston fans he was especially frustrating to watch because we kept hoping for Hakeem's silky smoothness in a 7'6 frame, but never saw it. His hook shot should have been unguardable, but he did a pretty good job of guarding himself on that. He brought the ball down too much, and couldn't really rebound outside of his arm-span. 

 

That being said, he was still a great player and something else to watch. Can anyone imagine him trying to fit into today's NBA? Sheesh. 

[thejohnnygold]

Some of the more interesting tid-bits:

 

Because it's a cumulative stat, Yao doesn't quite come out looking quite like a Hall of Famer in the championships added metric I created to help analyze players for ESPN's all-time #NBArank. Looking at regular-season and playoff performance, Yao's 0.4 championships added rank him 130th all-time, behind players like Tim Hardaway and Chris Webber who didn't even crack the Hall's list of finalists this season.

 

On a per-game basis, Yao is in elite territory. Per 82 games, he posted 0.06 championships added, which puts him 26th all-time, alongside inner-circle Hall of Famers like Isiah Thomas and Clyde Drexler. Because Yao never went through a decline phase by playing into his 30s, this isn't a fair comparison.

 

 

So basically Pelton argues that he was on a Hall of Fame path, though never really reached that plateau. That being said, we all know he is in because of his international play and opening the NBA gates to China. There was never really a question on that. 

 

I think for Houston fans he was especially frustrating to watch because we kept hoping for Hakeem's silky smoothness in a 7'6 frame, but never saw it. His hook shot should have been unguardable, but he did a pretty good job of guarding himself on that. He brought the ball down too much, and couldn't really rebound outside of his arm-span. 

 

That being said, he was still a great player and something else to watch. Can anyone imagine him trying to fit into today's NBA? Sheesh. 

 

I don't know much about this "championships added" business....seems weird since the number should be zero.

 

I think if Yao were on the Rockets today he would stand on the wing and launch 3's (efficiency!), or maybe at the top of the arc so he could get back on defense faster.  Speaking of defense, he would be unplayable as smaller, faster players would treat him like a practice dummy.  I believe it's called, "getting Boozer-ed".  

 

Caution: Slight depression may occur from re-visiting this Game 7 loss.  Proceed with caution.