Could Yao have been a top 5 center ever barring injuries?

[livinglegend]

Back surgery. Dwight isn't the same Dwight we have seen consistently so far. The biggest problem for him now is consistency and turnovers. Sadly, the league has completely taken out aggression in the post. If you try to overpower your man it's an automatic foul.

Are you going to use that excuse of the rest of his life?
It was the system.
Now he is healthy and he cant put up the same numbers.

[Bandito]

Are you going to use that excuse of the rest of his life?
It was the system.
Now he is healthy and he cant put up the same numbers.

because of:


Da system

[livinglegend]

How do those shooters get open without Dwight grabbing 6 offensive boards and drawing double teams? Dunce. Look at all those players Dwight played with in Orlando. Where are they now? He made them.

Nelson is still playing.
Two of them were using PEDs and now they are not, so they are irrelevant.

You can also say the shooters made Howard because since those times, Howard hasnt been the same.

[Railgun]

Are you going to use that excuse of the rest of his life?
It was the system.
Now he is healthy and he cant put up the same numbers.

Yeah you're going on the ignore list. ****ing moron.

[livinglegend]

Yeah you're going on the ignore list. ****ing moron.

as if I cared.
I dont give a shit.

[zoom17]

Yao dominates Howard.

[deja vu]

Yao is one of my favorite players ever. But I don't think he's top 5 all time even if he stayed healthy most of his career. He's one of the most skilled big men of all time especially on offense. I think what hurts his case is that he was just an above average rebounder for his size. His defense was very good but not elite. He would have been a top 10 center but Shaq, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Russell, Moses, Robinson, Ewing were better.

[Bandito]

Yao is one of my favorite players ever. But I don't think he's top 5 all time even if he stayed healthy most of his career. He's one of the most skilled big men of all time especially on offense. I think what hurts his case is that he was just an above average rebounder for his size. His defense was very good but not elite. He would have been a top 10 center but Shaq, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Russell, Moses, Robinson, Ewing were better.

That's 8 center you put above him, who are your other two?

[brantonli]

Who cares? 2 points are 2 points regardless of how you score them.
No one has debated why if Yao was so much better offensively why he only scored two points more on 8% less and 4 more attempts. No one.

Howard also shot 3 more FT per game, which effectively takes 1.5 attempts away, so you are looking at Yao taking (on average) an extra 2.2 shots per game, for 2 more points per game, which would be just below his average. team pace shouldn't be a factor, as both the 11'Magic and 07'Rockets played at fairly average page (91.2 and 90.7 respectively).

[Railgun]

Howard also shot 3 more FT per game, which effectively takes 1.5 attempts away, so you are looking at Yao taking (on average) an extra 2.2 shots per game, for 2 more points per game, which would be just below his average. team pace shouldn't be a factor, as both the 11'Magic and 07'Rockets played at fairly average page (91.2 and 90.7 respectively).

Howard's stats are still superior then.

[Soundwave]

He's not as good as David Robinson, let alone the players above DRob.

[Boarder Patrol]

Bottom line is this:
Howard: 23 on 59%

Yao: (this is his highest scoring year. I didn't even use the one where he played more games, but averaged less.) 25 on 51% on 4 more attempts
No one has debated this yet. No one has anything to say. These are facts, and not bullshit I created in my head like you guys are doing right now.

It's just that Dwight, for all these numbers, was an offensive liability in the 4th quarter because he can't shoot free throws. Clutch stats: 36.8 P48 for Yao, 13.8 P48 for Dwight, along with being a FT liability. Sometimes it goes beyond the numbers (where Yao wins too).

Defensively, Dwight is a better help defender and Yao has an edge in man defense IMO.

And also, just something I noticed from both sides here, you can't win an argument by saying "this isn't an argument" or "this isn't a discussion" or "not even close". It's dumb.