reminiscing yao ming's rookie year. how mobile was this beast?

[dgaras]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrHizFV34yU

at 1:52 you see him pulling a move like a PF:bowdown:

[played0ut]

it was more hilarious how he'd be the one shooting the techs. :lol



And this is the only play you need to see of Yao Ming's. JUST THIS ONE.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohHoK4-LeuY

[FKAri]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pctMowuZik

[Meticode]

Yao was special. It's a damn shame his feet couldn't support his body. One of the softest touches if not the softest shooting touch ever for someone 7'2"+.

[Cocaine80s]

damn i remmber he used to make dwight his bitch. injuries ****ing suck man

[Meticode]

damn i remmber he used to make dwight his bitch. injuries ****ing suck man
I know, he was special and a rare breed. He wasn't a banger, but that's what made him so rare. 7'5", 300 pounds and could hit the 20 foot jumper as wet as an artic seal. Gives me shivers.

Yao Mind Fadeaway Game-Tying Jumper vs. Blazers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpJRB3MjI4)

[sick_brah07]

he was OK

[Meticode]

he was OK
:coleman:

[sick_brah07]

:coleman:

:biggums:

[JimmyMcAdocious]

I know, he was special and a rare breed. He wasn't a banger, but that's what made him so rare. 7'5", 300 pounds and could hit the 20 foot jumper as wet as an artic seal. Gives me shivers.

Yao Mind Fadeaway Game-Tying Jumper vs. Blazers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpJRB3MjI4)

Amazing game and two players we lost too early (at the two least talented positions in the NBA). iirc, there were 3 potential game winners in the last 2 seconds of the game. Roy hit a fadeaway before that Yao shot. Then Roy answers back with the high arching 3 at the buzzer.

What I loved about Yao was that he could be an offensive force. A lot of these talented centers nowadays are defense with offense potential. Even someone like Dwight who ended up realizing his offensive potential to an extent. Yao was naturally an offensive beast at the center position. Only Cousins comes to mind of recent centers like that.

[sejoon101]

Ugh. Yao's potential... Top 5 offensive game in a C in his peak of all time, and IMO just as fun to watch if not sometimes more entertaining than Shaq and Kareem... Too bad nikka's Asian genetic legs withheld him from playing long enough to be considered one of the greats. Truly special though...

[ShaqAttack3234]

I can't think of Yao without thinking back to what he was doing first 1/3 of the season in '06-'07. Yao was still mobile, but had bulked up, was really strong in the low post, overpowering guys and nobody could stop the fadeaways and hooks. That was also the last year T-Mac was close to prime form, but at the very least, I wish we would have gotten to see what Yao could have done that year without his season being interrupted by the freak injury vs the Clippers in late December. It's even worse because while his later injuries were chronic, this one was just bad luck. He was only 26 and in his 5th season, yet dominating offensively in a way no other post player outside of Shaq has from the 2000s on. Would have at least like seeing how good he could have been with 2 more seasons. Yao was legit, but it was a combination of him being so big, playing too much basketball and some bad luck mixed in. Really one of the most talented, and unique players I've witnessed, and OP is right, while Yao looked slow compared to smaller players, his mobility was extremely unusual when you compare him to the few other players with comparable size.

Oh yeah, this also brings me back to how hyped Shaq vs Yao was. Could have been a fun rivalry except both started breaking down at the same time. Young Yao was able to hold his own against a slightly past-prime Shaq.

[RoseCity07]

Why is there a random highlight of Kobe missing a shot to end the quarter?

Yao was a beast.

[deja vu]

I remembered his fastbreak behind-the-back dribble and then dunk. I was like "holy shit".

[Timmy D for MVP]

I know, he was special and a rare breed. He wasn't a banger, but that's what made him so rare. 7'5", 300 pounds and could hit the 20 foot jumper as wet as an artic seal. Gives me shivers.

Yao Mind Fadeaway Game-Tying Jumper vs. Blazers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpJRB3MjI4)

That Blazers play will be the one I remember more than any others I think. He had to have the bucket and it didn't matter that 2 defenders were draped all over him.

One of the saddest injury stories imo. Thankfully unlike Bowie and Oden we got to see Yao have a career and play to his abilities, but it was all too short. I wanted to see old, even craftier Yao Ming.

[inclinerator]

dude was special

[Myth]

Laker fans rooting for the Rockets? You won't see that with the Rockets' current center.

[I<3NBA]

I remember Yao being crossed over by Marbury early in his career. commentators were like, "Yao isn't ready for the NBA."

[FKAri]

I remember Yao being crossed over by Marbury early in his career. commentators were like, "Yao isn't ready for the NBA."

Funny how Marbury was the one who ended up in China :oldlol:

[SamuraiSWISH]

He was good, but not great. In totality.

[Roundball_Rock]

Funny how Marbury was the one who ended up in China :oldlol:

:roll:

Isn't Marbury the GOAT in China?

[Smook A.]

I always wonder what the outcome of the 2009 WCSF would've been if Kobe didn't accidentally run into Yao's knee giving him that stress fracture which made him miss the rest of the series and all of the 2009-10 season. Can't believe the Rockets took the Lakers to 7 games without Yao playing majority of the series. It's a damn shame, man. Very sad stuff and it still hurts whenever I think back about it. Obviously as a Rockets fan I got to see Yao play ever since he got drafted back in 2002. I'm not afraid to admit it, but I was one of the fans who thought Yao was going to be a bust.

His NBA career started off pretty slow. In his first few game he was really struggling and honestly didn't look like he knew what he was doing out there. Yeah I was disappointed. Then came the Lakers game where Yao went 9-9 and scored 20 points. That's when my thoughts about him changed. After that I had some hope about him becoming a good player one day, and I was damn right. Unfortunately his career was cut short from those horrible injuries. When Yao played his best... boy was he unstoppable. His offensive game was so nice. A 7'6 dude who could make tough fadeaways, and mid-range jumpers is very impressive. Sometimes I think back and wonder how successful the Rockets would have been if T-Mac and Yao never had injury problems.

[dreamwarrior]

Him and Shaq were the last two true centers.

[dgaras]

tears :cry:

this game sucks sometimes because of all the injuries. we were robbed of so many players throughout the decades.

[riseagainst]

Yao Ming is a dam legend. Incredible footwork and shooting skills.

[Eat Like A Bosh]

Don't forget, he was a pretty good passer as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4KLsY84AE

[Meticode]

Him and Shaq were the last two true centers.
Andrew Bynum was the last true center.

[Meticode]

Don't forget, he was a pretty good passer as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4KLsY84AE
That fake jumpshot on the second one was great. Totally fooled Duncan.

[I<3NBA]

Andrew Bynum was the last true center.
:yaohappy:

[IamRAMBO24]

Prime Yao would dominate the NBA today. He would make every team look like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rVH0uqeYJc

[Meticode]

:yaohappy:
I know it's funny. I giggled when I typed it, but it's true. His last great season was 11-12 averaging 19/12 on 56% shooting with the best post-moves in the league.

[Meticode]

Prime Yao would dominate the NBA today. He would make every team look like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rVH0uqeYJc
That Pacers team sucked. :lol

[IamRAMBO24]

That Pacers team sucked. :lol

Yea no big today can defend him. There's dwight and duncan, but time and time again he totally destroyed them in their prime. He would eat them for lunch today. Davis is too skinny and Demarcus is too short. There is no big today that can stop him, so that's why I posted that Pacers video. When there is a mismatch, Yao can dominate. In today's league, every game would be a mismatch for him.

[dgaras]

i cant believe posters here used to say that dwight was better than yao. i used to have heated arguments with some people here. :facepalm

[dannywpt]

A somewhat healthy Yao would be the best center today during most of his career.

A truly healthy prime Yao over many years would be one of the greatest of all time