BalloonKnots

He makes Yao Ming look short! At 350lbs, he's no Manute Bol.
Check out the grip on this guy, he makes the basketball look like a grapefruit!

Sun Ming Ming

Spartak

Wow, fuck Bogut, I'd take this guy first overral!

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kutulu

Holy shit those are big assed hands!

Coppertop

That is one large mammal.

degrawj

that's sweet. i'd love to see this guy in the NBA. it sounds like he needs a lot of work, but i think it would be worth it.

Nimbletoe

Christ, that guy next to him is 7 feet tall. If that guy has ANY aggression or passion to win... I hope he ends up in the western conference.

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crewsor

He's gotta be able to slam dunk standing flat footed at 7' 9". Tough to defend that.

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Coppertop

I'm convinced the Chinese government is breeding an army of these guys in a bunker under a mountain in western China. Woe to the nation that next receives their ire.

Ilow

probably almost, wasn't George "Sky" Bell 7'8" and able to put the ballon the rim flatfooted?

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BalloonKnots

Let's just say he wouldn't have to leave the ground....tip toeing should do the job.

How would you defend someone like that?! I guess just stop him from standing near the rim!!!

Nimbletoe

Right, but if he isn't right next to the rim, he could just... jump. Yikes.

EDIT: What in the hell would you do if the Rockets drafted him and put him out there with Yao? Ahhhhhh!

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healer

I'd love to see Shaq defend this guy! If he does end up in the NBA, I wanna see him get blocked, just once - but by some short 6 foot nothing dude

aswo

sounds like a chinese George Muresan except slower and bigger which i would have never thought possible

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dlish

i just pictured myself (5'10) blocking him in the dying seconds (playing for the spurs of course) of an NBA championship..game 7.. awww..that fuzzy feeling!

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Palamidian

Hopefully he is nothing like Yao...if he is tough and has the will to win he could be really good.

God I wish i was that tall, I'm convinced I'd be the best ball player ever...

BalloonKnots

Anybody from Greensboro seen him play/practice? I just hope he doesn't turn out to be a dud with all that height. That would be such a waste!

Nimbletoe

I bet I could whoop him at bowling though.

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Daoust

So am I. That's the first thing I thought of when I read that article. I mean, the Chinese are taking over everything. The entire free world, and the NBA.

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sashime76

Yao Ming is from Shanghai and Sun Ming Ming is from Harbin, neither "in a bunker under a moutain in western China." Northeastern China is known to have taller population. Guys are well over 6' and gals at 5'9" or taller.

"the Chinese are taking over everything. The entire free world, and the NBA." First blame the Japan, then Taiwan, now China, who is next? Korea? Let's not forget at one time it was "Made in USA" label that dominated the world.

Coppertop

Dude, relax. It's a joke.

Cowman

calm it there sashime
highly doubt either one of them was serious

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Chuckles

chill pill.

sashime76

I'm cool guys. But it does get old to keep hearing comments like that. I lived in Southern Cal. for over 20 years, I think I'm pretty lay back. I'll skip the chill pill.

jorgelito

You know, there is a "NBA" camp for 7-footers under the age of 21 in China. Numerically, there is a fair amount ( a few dozen), I mean it does make sense probability wise. What they really need is a dynamic point-guard with "game" to come out. They are definitely working on it as b-ball is THE urban sport (football or soccer of course, is still the most popular)in China.

Nike has invested in playgrounds to encourage players to develop their "street skills". A lot of Chinese talent has been stifled by stiff, regimented sports academy style training. The main areas of focus: conditioning, mental, and creativity. The last one is clutch.

China had a huge dunk-slam contest last summer that went over very well.

The youth are catching on. By the way, Yao Ming is NOT the favorite player per se. As a measure of national pride, yes, Yao is very important to the Chinese (symbolically) but on an individual level (key word, individual) the most popular players are Vince Carter (this may have changed), Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson. Tracy McGrady is now popular in China. I will post an analysis/explanation if anyone is curious why.

China has quite a few prospects coming out in the next few years. All very young and most over 7-feet tall! (yikes!) Many have NBA potential. Potential. It needs to be nurtured and developed. That is why they are starting to be sent here, to work on their game.

Incidentally, Taiwan has a couple of "worthy" players that may, may break through. Sean Chen may have one last shot, a long shot, but there could be others. The advantage is they play a lot with foreign players and are more in tune with "Western" culture (necessary for the mental and creative aspects of the game).

On Yao, you know, I still can't decide if he's great or not. I mean, I like him, I'm a fan but admittredly, I'm a bit underwhelmed. What am I missing? MAybe I should stop comparing him to Shaq and Amare etc. But when you think about it and look at the numbers, he's really not that bad. He's only the beginning, you heard it here first on the TFP folks! If that Sun Ming Ming kid can "dance" like Shaq, rebound like Wallace, block like TDuncan AND make his free throws...

Personally, I think Yao needs to shave his head, get some tatoos, grow a goatee, form a posse/entourage (maybe the axe gang from Kung Fu Hustle is available) put out a rap album and maybe have a brush with the law. Then, he needs to eat more McDonald's. I mean a lot more. Maybe then, he'll "fit in". I'm thinking maybe a body slam of Dampier would have "sent a message". Whatever that means LOL!

We're all basketball lovers here and can see that it indeed transends race, nationality, ethnicity etc.

I love this game!

dlish

i agree..yao def needs to have a brush ins with the law... a few drive bys, drug charges and arm hold ups would get him well on his way.

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gov135

You've got to be a certain amount of mean to be a successful NBA player - sometimes these big freeks of nature come along and everyone starts talking about how they will dominate.

Then you find out they aren't a post presence because they lack the attitude, heart, etc.

Cross-Over

Yao's problem is defense. He tries to take a charge instead of contesting a shot, is foul prone, is an average shot blocker for his size, and is an average rebounder. Part of that is a mentality, but part of that is just skills. He doesn't have quick footed and he is not a great leaper.

Offensively, he is superb. He shoots an excellent field goal percentage, is a good free throw shooter (great for a big man), and has good post skills. What Van Gundy says is right, Yao is refereed different. Guys literally throw both arms in his back all the time, but he is starting to get more calls in the post. Lebron, Wade, and Amare are getting to the line more often. Much of that can be attributed to being more aggressive, but part of that also includes establishment in the league and respect from the officials.

This 7 foot 9 guy is gigantic; I would like to see some video of him. Two other big men from China in the NBA, Mengke Bateer and Wang Zhizhi, are just bench players. Actually, Bateer was out of the league this year.

jorgelito

I think Wang is on his way out of Miami: playing behind Shaq, Alonzo, Doleac, and even Laetner.

Tim Duncan isn't mean but he's had some success in the post. Maybe Yao will "get it" one of these days. Amare is a stud and has done very well at center. Aside from physical attributes, I do think there's a bit of the cultural aspect. Maybe if Yao was Asian American instead of Asian it would of made a difference in "mental aptitude".

On defense, Yao also suffers from a smaller wingspan. I think even Tracy McGrady has a wider wingspan. AK-47, Elton Brand all have really long wingspans (relative to height). Yao comes up a bit , um..short. His lateral speed is bad. Most guards are just too quick and can get around him with relative ease. But many "big men" or centers have the same problem. The perimeter defense should have done more.

With the Rockets, Van Gundy has Yao do alot more than most big men do. Yao has to pop out to help out with defense on the guards then roll back to the low post when the other teams big guy rolls. He ofetn gets caught in the middle giving up the easy bucket. We've all seen how ugly it gets when Yao has to waddle out to the guard them amble awkwardly back to defend the hoop (ouch). so some of it is the system he plays in too. I think he would do better with a good power forward so he doesn't always have to pull double duty.

I thought Yao did pretty well in the playoffs (and T-Mac of course!!). But playing 2 on 5 won't get you to the second round. Maybe the summer off will be good for Yao.

Cross-Over

Excellent point, I think the Rockets deserve a ton of credit for their success this year.

Much to my surprise, the trade for Wesley was beneficial. Sura played great and Barry was effective in the system. The trade for James was a definite bonus, and Mutumbo gave them everything Yao didn't. Even with a Juwan Howard, the talent on that team outside of the big two just doesn't match up with the rest of the league. The Rockets maximized their potential and really should have swept a much deeper and more talented Mavericks team.

James is a great spark plug off the bench, but they need a pass-first point guard to alleviate some of the stress off McGrady.

cameroncrazy822

A bit touchy eh?