Yao Ming the "Great Wall" <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">YAO Ming has long been called the "Great Wall," not so much because he was great, but because he was big, Chinese and good. The reality of Yao's first three-plus years in the NBA was that he was more the Above Average Wall. He was widely recognized as the second-best center in basketball and a regular All-Star, but clearly the gap between Yao and Shaquille O'Neal was as expansive as Secretariat and the field in the 1973 Belmont. Yao had the numbers and could command double teams, but he was less than a dominant figure. That's why the league always knew the secret to exploiting Yao. Get to him early with high screens, leading to foul trouble, or wear him down late with big bodies taking a toll. Pacers test Yao Indiana coach Rick Carlisle's Pacers came to town Wednesday, like they always do, with sleeves rolled up and elbows extended. Carlisle ran one bruiser after another at Yao like so many teams do, hoping to chip away at the big man's stamina and the so-called Great Wall. They hacked. They pulled Yao to the floor. They chopped and scratched and shoved. No one has defended and frustrated Yao more than the Pacers over the years, which is why Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy called Wednesday's game a great test and Yao's biggest challenge. But Carlisle must realize, and so must the rest of us, that Yao finally has tapped into a deeper well within himself than even the deepest NBA bench. This is not the same Yao we saw earlier this season, much less a year ago or two years ago. The Yao we have seen since he returned from toe surgery Jan. 30, but especially over the past three weeks, is the Yao the rest of the league wished could have just stayed wrapped up in potential and gentlemanly deference.</div> Source
Great article. If Yao can keep this form up for the rest of the season, the playoffs will no longer be a pipe dream and his stats at the end of the season would be around 23/11. Good enough for Most Improved Player?
David West or Boris Diaw are gaurantteed that spot. Yao might be considered, but Yao always had an impact on the the team while West became an impact this season alone.
I wouldn't give him Most Improved, just because he's following a natural progression. If you buy into the media hype and criticism, its easy to forget that he's only 25 and, as a center, was naturally going to take a while to take that next step.
