NBA / Dec 1, 2008 / 9:54 am

Ten Softest Players in the NBA

YaoLook yourself in the mirror and admit it!

Why weren’t the Rockets able to come away with a win against the Nuggets last night? Well you could attribute it to the fact that T-Mac was out and Houston’s backcourt looked like they’d never played together. You could attribute it to Luther Head’s 1-7 night from the floor for 3 points. Or, if you were as anti-Yao as I am, you’d just blame it on him.

Nene outworked him, grabbing five offensive boards throughout the night as the Nuggets claimed a 42-38 edge on the glass to help push them over the edge. That was one night after he played 28 minutes against the Spurs and only managed one rebound for the entire game. There’s only one explanation for that: he’s soft. As reader Big Shot BOB put it recently, “Soft is his middle name: “Ming Soft Yao.”

With Yao right at the top of my list of the Ten Softest Players in the NBA, here are my other nine guys:

* Yao
* Eddy Curry
* Jerome James
* Channing Frye
* Roy Hibbert
* Walter Hermann
* Yi
* Kyle Korver
* T-Mac
* Dirk

82 Responses to “Ten Softest Players in the NBA”

  1. AK47 says:

    Walter Hermann?? Any explanation for that? The guy is like a charging bull in a china shop!

  2. Craig says:

    damn andrew

    its hard to grab rebounds when your 7-6, with cement shoes and all those athletic people half a foot shorter are jumping around all the time…

  3. the_don_mega says:

    i dunno AK… but i think Hermann is a lil more tougher than you think…

  4. the_don_mega says:

    i mean u Andrew Katz… how bout Bargnani??? dude is way too soft…

  5. Dime Magazine says:

    Hermann is averse to rebounding. He’s 6-9, 225 and averaged 2.2 rebounds per game. That’s soft.

    That being said, Bargnani is right up there – undoubtedly honorable mention.

    - AK

  6. Dime Magazine says:

    Hermann’s career best rebounding game was a 7-board night against Milwaukee.

    - AK

  7. Amar says:

    what about a disproportionally ‘hard/tough’ list of guys? like nate rob and ronnie price?

  8. AK47 says:

    Yeah and after all what happened to him off court (the death of his relatives), I don’t think you can call him soft for the way he responded on the court especially when he played for Argentina in 2004 against the States.

  9. goonther says:

    that pic of korver is priceless ….. bbwwwwwwwahahahahhahahaha – what a puss

  10. Dime Magazine says:

    ak47 – now I feel terrible about putting him there…
    But in all fairness, you can’t take off court stuff into the equation when the numbers are there.

  11. maddskizzle says:

    I saw bargs play against the lakers last night and he don’t look soft at all, he was physicalon defense blocking and altering many shots while not being afraid to dunk on people, he wasn’t soft.

    Yao is soft but its expected, he’s 7′6 and graceful which is crazy and what makes him good. Any other person his size could bang the hell away but brick every shot like a taller reggie evans. Just appreciate peoples games and stop hating. I can’t even imagine doing the stuff he does at that height, you can’t expect him to be amare at 7′6

  12. For Three says:

    TO those of you who say Bargnani is soft havent seen him this year. He may seriously be one of the best post defenders in the East. Check his BPG too.

  13. rangerjohn says:

    how about an all dirk and yao team? the 2 softest imo.

    with a kevin martin added in for good measure.

  14. Ansonious says:

    Kyle Korver should have to wear a skirt whenever he steps on to the court that picture has forever been burned into the back of my skull like a tumor or that one time you walked in on your parents getting it on or like watching passion of the christ on a regular basis without looking away just wrong. I’m out like Kyle Korver having a set of testicles peace!

  15. it aint easy being green says:

    pau should be on this list, he’s softer than eddie curry’s titties haha.

    btw, that pic of korver was great

  16. asmaticasiatic says:

    People always used to say Yao was soft because of the chinese culture but with all the years he’s been in the league, he should have adapted by now. One rebound in a game is terrible for a center….

  17. Chaos says:

    i dunno. hermann aint that soft but what about Darko…Korver….Barngani….Corey Blount!!! that muthaf**** dont go nowhere near the damn basket. he killing the heat right now

  18. Sweet English says:

    Hell Yes at Yi and Yao.

    Watching them together at the olympics like like watching two newborn dear trying to waltz.

  19. Amar says:

    let’s not forget that same season korver blocked 23 shots in 50 games with the jazz. so if he has to wear a skirt the guys he blocked have to wear thongs.

  20. AK47 says:

    I’ve got to admit that the numbers aren’t there for Hermann. Still I can’t call him soft. My 2 cent.

  21. MoxWestCoastRep says:

    T-Mac is the captain of the softies…fo sho

  22. jay says:

    haha.. walter hermann included in the list is funny.. seems like you’re sleeping on walter?.. that guy is a hustle player.. he’s just not getting any minutes..

  23. jay says:

    yeah, mark blount should be up there..

  24. the_don_mega says:

    LMFAO at the Korver pic as well!!! well i gotta agree with AK47 on this… Hermann is as tough as nails as his other Argentine buddies like Noncioni and Manu… BTW.. what about Rashard Lewis??? ya’ll think the cat is soft???

  25. SayItAintSo says:

    Amar is all over the Korver nuts this morning.

  26. Thanatos says:

    whoever said that Hermann is soft never watched him play, especially with the Argentine national team. So watch a player play before you say something about him. And about Andrea Bargnani….this year he doesn’t seen to be soft at all…last night he blocked shots against the Lakers

  27. yoda says:

    curry and james are not soft. they are just lazy and fat.

  28. AK47 says:

    Thanatos, read again, we said he wasn’t… ;)

  29. Sweet English says:

    @ Amar!

    Wow. 23 Blocks? Seeing as he finished the season averaging 0.2 blocks that must have been every block he made that season and the guy is 6′7 and 212 lb so a line like that puts him in the ‘pussy’ category.

  30. Guitar Hero says:

    DIRK??
    Man, that was weak.

  31. Crazy says:

    Yeah, show me any 7′3+ Center that played in the NBA that is as good as Yao Ming. Go ahead, google it……..Ok, I thought so. Yao is one of the best low post players in the NBA. You don’t bang down low if you are soft. You shoot mid and long range jumpers like Dirk.

  32. doc says:

    Pau should be up here just because KG still in the league.

  33. Sweet English says:

    Bang down low? The dude has done less banging down low this season than rafer. He’s the laziest, softest (except Yi maybe) and most downright boring player to watch in the NBA right now.

  34. CitizenB says:

    Dirk!

    Shooting fadeaways over 6-7 James Posey in the 2006 Finals when your 7 feet.

    Vince!

    Coming hard until the 4th quarter.

  35. Sweet English says:

    And to everyone saying about how good Yao is, NO ONE has said anything about the fact that he’s not a good baller. He’s one of the most efficient centres in the L but there is no denying that the dude is frustratingly soft. Soft doesn’t mean he can’t ball. It means he’s soft.

    Pay attention Kiddo’s.

  36. Eduardo says:

    Man,you really don’t know Herrman, that guy is the opposite of soft, I really don’t agree.I know him from the time he was playing in Spain, and he was like the Ron Artest of the League..

  37. Amar says:

    lol I didn’t say Korver was Josh Smith, just that the 23 blocks in a jazz uni were more than kopono and mike miller put up combined all last season. so in the white boys who don’t play defense and shoot the ball category — korver is the only guy who even pretends to play nba defense in the bunch.

    and i’m not on his nuts, i don’t even think he should be getting the minutes he does in utah that he does.

  38. Dagomar says:

    Bargnani isn’t soft this year. He’s improved his game by a factor of ten in terms of defense and driving to the net. How many blocks did he have last night? And that’s against LA. Still, he does have to improve his rebounding, but that’s more a matter of positioning than anything.

    Crazy, Yao is 7′6″. Just saying. At that height he should be dominating.

    Other soft players: Z, Anthony Parker, Kwame Brown, Rasho “can’t dunk” Nesterovic, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Andrew Bogut (though looks like that’s changing), Luke “Mousey” Ridnour, Adam Morrison, Nazr Mohammed, Rashard Lewis, J.J. Redick, Carmelo “run like a bitch” Anthony, Mike Miller, Pau Gasol, Rafer “I ran out of an arena crying” Alston, Peja Stojakovic.

  39. Dagomar says:

    How did I miss Vince Carter?

  40. Flip says:

    Mr. Katz…. how can you call Dirk soft? There isn’t anybody in the NBA that comes back as quick as he does from injuries. Plus, he plays through pain all the time and outrebounds tons of guys that are stronger than him. Soft? Same goes for Hermann, who doesn’t belong on this list either. But I guess you had to go with the cliché and put some foreign guys on there….

    Better pick up would have been Carmelo “Hit and Run” Anthony

  41. rocky lobs says:

    werd dagomar.

    werd.

    ive seen vince cower from contact like korver in that pic countless times. one of my fav players too, but hes babywipes soft.

  42. karizmatic says:

    Yao
    Vince
    Rasheed
    KG
    Bargnani
    Vujacic
    Lamar Odom
    Dirk
    Peja
    Kwame Brown

  43. Big Shot BOB says:

    Thanks for the shot out AK…you know what’s up!!!!

  44. andy w says:

    Putting Walter Hermann on that list is just silly. Show me one person who can still get his ass to the NBA after defending his country (succesfully!) in the Olympics with what he’s been through… that’s just ridiculous man.

  45. p says:

    dirk soft?
    you guys better stop popping them pills!

  46. GEE...All ya heard was poppa don't hit me no more says:

    I ain’t bringin nothing to the table. You got to get the rules for what is soft befo you just throw that out there and then start listing cats.

  47. Ned says:

    Please. You gotta give my man Mark Blount some love. His name is pronounced “blunt” for goodness’ sake.

  48. Ian says:

    dime
    yall talkin outta ass with the walter pic switch him up for sheed then we can talk

  49. Merger Ned says:

    why aren’t there any jews in the nba? guess jews are soft?

  50. dagwaller says:

    Dirk: 245 pounds, 8.8 rpg.
    Damp: 265 pounds, 7.6 rpg.

    I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin.

  51. tom says:

    First of all you moron…You don’t put a second year player in your list. You show how stupid you are and how much credibility you have. He is not star of his team and he is making around 2 million a year. You just don’t you moron. If you do that you should put all the soft rookies in there too.

  52. tom says:

    First you need to define the word “soft” you idiot. A guy that can get you 20/10 a game or a guy that pushes people around? Then you go make your list you idiot. God damn, I don’t know how a moron like you are allow to write in here. You are one of the dumbest idiot in here that doesn’t know jack about basketball. I bet you are just one fat white loser that probably couldn’t even pick up a ball.

  53. TJ says:

    Just because Hermann doesn’t average a lot of rebound doesn’t mean he’s soft. It just means he’s not good enough to get a lot of tick. He only plays 10 minutes a game.

  54. khalfani says:

    PAO GOSAL

  55. Leonking says:

    wtf? I was beat by the softest player in NBA a week ago?

    —–Dwight Howard

  56. xxp says:

    the softest egg

  57. A Yao Fan says:

    why is it that people are always hating on Yao?

    The most fundamentally sound big man in the league. period.

    Just because he doesn’t pound his chest every night makes him soft?
    what the hell does that mean? soft? if its disappearing under pressure, then what about KG in the first part of the playoff run last year? choking under pressure? Dirk? Odom, Gasol?

    Stop hating. Remember this was a dude that Charles said would never score more than 20 points in a game. Just because he has enough respect for himself and the game not to be screaming and pounding his chest every night does not make him a soft player.

  58. jay says:

    hi andrew,

    are you nuts? lol haha

    go tell hermann he’s soft! you’ll get what you’re looking for!

  59. vince says:

    Most retarded sports writer ever, do you pull things out of your a$$ or do you you actually watch games and analyze it?

  60. ediason says:

    this writer is retarded and gay. he is the softest little ball ever, u know what, dont let me see u in sight, i gonna cut ur ball and throw them into ya funky mouth, dare u say t-mac is soft? so the fuck ft!!! u ever play hoop b4, ya sissy bastard, u ever know basketball is a game with the ball? fuck u andrew fuckers! go back to ur mom and suck her tits for 2 more yts then go to china to get neutraled, fuck. dare u fuck sissy insult my boys. yao is fucking good, t -mac is the god on court, u say one more word bad on them, i swear to god, fuck u outta this country and send u to thailand, make u little dick to shemale, motherfucker!

  61. imungloloupaw says:

    Putting Herrmann on the list and NOT mentioning blount just KILLS the credibility of this article. Btw, Herrmann is way legit, he’s just stuck in a bad situation in detroit..

    @jay,

    Dude, you’re right.. go tell herrmann he’s soft and he’ll knock you right into next week..

  62. Drew Ricketts says:

    Yao’s not soft. That’s cultural misperception if I ever ever saw. Just not true. He intimidates in the paint, guards Shaq and other big men with the best of them, and scores in the clutch. Using ONE game as an example of softness is soft logic if anything.

    That said, I’ll take Wally Szczerbiak for the shot AND THE FOUL every time.

  63. reezzzy says:

    Dime’s interpretation of Soft:
    1. uses jump shots instead of brute force
    2. not American

  64. A Yao Fan says:

    Dime’s interpretation of Soft:
    1. uses jump shots instead of brute force
    2. not American
    —————–
    3. not black

  65. Desrat says:

    wow. #60 needs to head back to class.

  66. Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:

    *yao fan, half of andrews list are black american players lol read first (hibbert, tmac, frye, james, curry)secondly, being fundamentally sound, doesn’t make u a tough guy…yao can shoot his ass off for a big guy and work the post, but hes STILL SOFT. at his size hes not a dominant physical figure, he gets pushed around alot, isn’t known for initiating contact down low etc…same with dirk..just cuz ur a shooter or scorer doesnt take away from your softness…hell vince carter is a better shooter, better athlete AND Black and hes still downy soft. Soft has nothing to do with race or color…some bitches are just bitches…

    *drew ricketts, since when was yao imposing? everyone trys to dunk on him and most are successful. shaq is imposing, dwight is imposing, josh smith is imposing…yao is just 7′6…thats like callin shawn bradly imposing

    *gotta agree, hermman isn’t soft…he wears a scrunchie in his hair, but hes one of the tougher euro guys. He doesn’t get burn or anything so its hard to tell.

    alot of you need to quit bein homers and get around the fact that ur fans of some of these guys. Just cuz ur a fan doesn’t mean u have to act like the guy is 100% in ever area…is dirk a good shooter? is yao one of the top 3 centers in the league? Is vince carter one of the best athletes in the history of the nba? yes yes and yes but none of them are bangers. You prolly wont see any of them diving into the stands to save a ball. Soft is a mentallity of not wanting to get ur hands dirty. Technically tmac shouldnt even be on the list cuz hes actually a pretty “fuck you i’ll do it myself kinda guy” in the clutch. Injuries don’t mean ur soft cuz u cant really avoid them. If thats the case, shaq is soft too….No one said yao had to beat his chest after shooting a fadeaway in the post over a 6′7 guy..but at least show some heart when shits on the line..i’m lookin at you too dirk, bargani,j rich, al harrington, tony parker….pretty much all the whiney faces…

  67. A Yao Fan says:

    “yao fan, half of andrews list are black american players lol read first (hibbert, tmac, frye, james, curry)”

    true. but many black players will only consider so-call brut/hard/street ball based on racial lines. that is why they can never admit the legitimacy of euro/asian baller. its just a different style of game out there… more outside shooting, lay-ups vs dunks, etc.

    “secondly, being fundamentally sound, doesn’t make u a tough guy…yao can shoot his ass off for a big guy and work the post, but hes STILL SOFT. at his size hes not a dominant physical figure, he gets pushed around alot, isn’t known for initiating contact down low etc”

    so by your logic/definition, ronnie turiaf, kwame brown are tough guys?

    I am a fan so I am biased BUT, my point is, you cannot put all players into one of two buckets. soft vs hard simply don’t cut it. and if you were to rank the players in the NBA, Yao would would not be one of “top ten softest players” in the league. He carries this team and never shys away from the big shots. does he always come through? no. but the great ones never shy away.

    btw, google yao on youtube and check how many times he has dunked on fools.

  68. Big Shot BOB says:

    And after all that Yao is still soft as butter…LMFAO

  69. Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:

    *a yao fan…..FIRST OFF
    - youtube how many fools yao has dunked on? the bitch is 7 fuckin 6, and he barely dunks on people. Not to mention guys a foot taller than him dunk on him on the regular so youtube that.

    1) as i said, it has nothing to do with race…if more euro/asian players who come to the league could acutally hold their own, they wouldn’t be considered soft. Ray allen is a shooter and hes not considered soft. Why? cuz he has a “swagger” to him. 90% of euro guys can’t even keep up with the nba, yet nba guy STAR in europe, even bum guys. I’m not saying all euro guys are weak (noci,hermann,delfino, and of course drazen petrovic) but the ones who aren’t are far and in between. Dirk being a soft bitch has less to do with him being white or european than it does him choking time after time and never showing all out heart. Like i said, being a tall shooter suddenly doesnt make u not soft.

    2)yes, ronnie turiaf and chris wilcox are tougher guys and more imposing figures than yao…is yao better? hell ya…but hes not gonna scare anyone simply cuz hes lacking that factor…try to dunk on shaq and he’ll put u on ur ass..try to dunk on yao and…well you’ll just have dunked on yao. hence yao was dunked on more last year alone than shaq and dwight have their whole careers and they challenge way more shots.

    3)soft and hard is easy…yao IS one of the softest guys and he doesn’t carry the team.. Specially considering the fact anytime tmac goes down (which is often) the team doesn’t go anywhere. Yao has NEVER taken the big shots or won games himself EVER in the nba. he will never be one of the all time great centers because he lacks that factor, he’ll just be “an amazing shooter for his size”

  70. ChipChip says:

    Yao’s legs must weigh about 70 lbs each. He’s not a jumping jack. That doesn’t make him soft. He’s just not the kind of jumper you want him to be. Softer than Ray Allen or Peja? Please! You just see guys running around and jumping and it makes you all excited. Big guys don’t get to be the best at everything, just like small guys don’t. He’s a little slow and he can’t jump much. That’s different from being hard or soft.

  71. Slim says:

    Yao played half a season with an infected toe that was oozing blood, which eventually needed bone-scraping surgery. He played for weeks on a fractured foot, with 310 pounds weight on it. He played in the Olympics coming off foot surgery. How are you measuring hardness? If he gets outrebounded, maybe Yao is not as quick. I’ll give you that. Yao is playing with four stitches in his eyelid right now. That injury took him out of the game for about five minutes. You don’t watch many of his games, actually, just look at box scores. You are a fantasy dude, aren’t you.

    P.S. Notice all the Rockets fans defending Yao but not T-Mac.

  72. A Yao Fan says:

    Slim, well said.

    Bron, “he doesn’t carry the team…”, Yao has lead the team in scoring the last two years and rebounding for the last four. Not sure what else he needs to do to carry this team.

    “Yao has NEVER taken the big shots or won games himself EVER in the nba.” you and I both know thats just not true.

    ronnie turiaf and chris wilcox can be the boggie men for all i care. I would pick Yao on my team anytime.

    Will he be considered one of the greatest of all time? only time can tell and some championships will help.

    BTW, don’t know if youre old enough to have watch Sabonis play. He came to the league way past his prime and he was also a slow, shooting center. but that guy played with more passion than any euro player I’ve ever seen.

    Slim, I like T-Mac. but if I had to pick one to build my team, it would be Yao…

  73. DRR says:

    you my friends are missing the play on this one. Herrmann is soft? how about when he took one in the chops and continued playing, despite the next day announcement that he had suffered a concussion.

    Did we all forget about the biggest baby in sports?

    VINCE CARTER for crying out loud. Ask anybody in Toronto Period!

  74. Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:

    *slim, i xaid injuries don’t count since thier unavoidable. hence me sayin if gettin injured made u soft, shaq would be soft as hell..

    *yao fan,
    first off, name anyone else on the team over 6′11 not named yao or mutumbo? so hes out rebounding 6′7 guys…and on top of that, based on his minutes hes not even a efficiant rebounder. Also when he went down the team won 22 games. He slows down their whole offense. and on top of that, he led the team in points (beating tmac by a whole .04 ppg) and didn’t even play as many games so that logic is gone. Carrying a team is when u can will your teams to win in crunch time… tmac has done it, like scorin 13 in 30 seconds, kobe does it, lebron has done it…name me 3 games in his WHOLE career, where yao just took over and dominanted in the fourth to seal a win..go ahead, i’ll wait. What big shots has yao taken? what games has yao single handledy won? Cuz the last big stage he was on, 2 years ago in the playoffs boozer AND okur shitted on him.

    Also, i said yao is better than wilcox and turiaf so again ur arguing pointless facts…u asked if their tougher than he is…yes, they are. lol you obviously don’t kno who i am, if ur askin if i’ve seen sabonis but ok..it was only like 8 years ago on the blazers..and he played with heart and was still a plodding big man who was “the best passing big man” yadda yadda. Drazen would of made sabonis look pathetic if were talkin best euros ever.

    Lastly, yao in his prime vs tmac in his prime? tmac is wayyy more effective and versatile…not many teams in the nba are looking for fadeaway shooting bigmen who don’t do shit in the clutch. ask dirk how far being a one dimensional tall shooter gets u when u fall apart on center stage.

  75. karol kogslaughter says:

    Your right Yao Ming is soft he doesnt have any neck tattoos.

  76. white dudes can't jump says:

    This Andrew guy is just jealous that Yao plays well and he is Chinese. He can’t swallow the fact that a Chinese can be 7′6″ and plays great basketball.

    White dudes can’t jump. Look at Shawn Bradley and George Murasen. These are the much hyped players of all time.

  77. AK=Retards says:

    Your opinion means nothing. In my opinion you are the most retarded fucker on this planet.

  78. Tubbs says:

    Haha…Yao soft? Watch a game once in a while. He is slow for the Nba, jumping challenged, and somewhat clumsy, but you dont dominate Dwight Howard and go up and up with Shaq if you are soft. Its amazing, cause a guy like Rasheed seems hard, but he shys away from contact. I guess being a complainer and having tattoos makes you hard.
    Lastly, someone says Shaq would throw someone down that tried to dunk on him. HAHAHA do you even watch the NBA? He never gets posterized because Shaq doesnt try to block someone when they have a clear dunk. Watch the NBA and not tattoos and dunks.

  79. AK HATER says:

    HEY AK — WATCH YA BACK WHEN YOU LEAVE TONIGHT. RACIST PIECE OF SHIT.

  80. ac23 says:

    I’d like to have Yao and Dirk on the floor in the 4th quarter over Shaq and Dwight.

  81. Andrew Katz can kiss my chinese ass says:

    Andrew Katz = Short (< 5 ft), fat, clumsy, White, Unathletic. Even the basket is 6 ft tall, he still won’t be able to reach it. Jealous of Yao and Yi because they are Chinese and towering tall.

  82. Nets Fan says:

    Yi shooulkd be number 1 on that list far away from number 2

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