A way one can rate a player is by his trade value. I think it's fair to say that Yao has more trade value right now than the Flying Dutchman at any point of his career. Probably much more so. It's not hard to imagine a team trading a top tier player, like T-Mac or J O'Neal, for Yao and think they got the better end of the trade. But no way any team would trade a star for Smits. That said, a lot of Yao's value has to do with his potential. If he remains at his 2nd year level for the rest of his career, then a Rik Smits comparison might be more apt.
The real question to ask is Yao > Smits, or Yao >> Smits. I would be very disappointed if the answer is the former.
i cannot believe this thread is still alive. Come'n guys, a laker fan came here and post a BS thread and got so many replies? Go to hell laker fans
Is that Chinese 24 , you know, where your 1 when your born? Question: Has Yao ever been on a team that has won anything?
Yao's Shanghai team won the champs in China's basketball league. The Chinese national team won the Asian Games and the Asian basketball Champs.
Well, the fact that the Shanghai Sharks won the CBA in Yao's final year with them has been pretty well documented. We also know that the Chinese national team won the Asian Championships.
