How good was Yao when he actually played on the court?

JVG used him very properly. I remember Yao played 8 mins for every first QT then rested him. YAO could have played more seasons and healthier under JVG

Plus,

Just re-watched the Year of Yao: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=206718

Really miss Yao

 

Honestly I was extremely surprised by how much Adelman played him when he first got here. I thought he would do the opposite, but the guy milked Yao like there was no tomorrow.

Sucks...can't find year of the yao torrent anywhere.

 

This is the same coach who played AB over Lowry and Hill/Miller over Hayes/PPat.

But I agree, he would have lasted way longer had his minutes been managed even remotely properly.

 

Rudy T miked Hakeem like there was no tomorrow and Phil Jackson milked Michael Jordan like there was no tomorrow.

 

You're really dumb if you think that's relevant somehow, lmao.

 

Right...but Yao doesn't have that build. Neither of them are giants. I'm not saying it would change much if he played less minutes, because I'm not a doctor or giant expert. I was just surprised to see his minutes go up under Adelman.

 

Hey guys, I'm still playing basketball well into my 50s, so clearly Yao Ming is a terrible basketball player.

-tinman logic

 

So what are you saying? Yao wasn't our best player and that he shouldn't get the bulk of the minutes?

 

I thought Yao's decline started when Tim Thomas collided with him, which sparked the lingering problems.

http://www.jersey-guide.com/?p=18504

the first time in Yao Ming suffered a major injury of his career a year later, again in the Clippers game, Yao Ming and Tim – Thomas the knee in a collision caused a tibia fracture. Yao Ming may no longer be on the sidelines with a rocket into the new year. This time, while the absence of tibial fractures caused by screening are more than 21 games last season, Yao has created a career alternative, “high” Unfortunately, the injury is still not the end.

 

He was dominant, and had to be accounted for at all times, and you don't need a stat like PER to tell you that, you could just see it.

DD

 

So what's your point, exactly?

The bottom line is that Yao didn't start breaking down until his minutes increased. While that might not be the only reason he had a short career, it certainly was a factor, perhaps the most important factor.

 

I thought the team was more balanced with Adelman. They didn't have to rely on Tmac/Yao as much as under JVG. The production of other players like Rafer Alston also improved.

 

I'm not faulting Rick Adelman for Yao's decline. Playing your best players gives you your best chance to win.

Like I mentioned before, it was the injuries like the Tim Thomas incident that sent him downward.

 

His minutes? You mean playing year round thanks to demands from his national team? Yes, that probably helped end his career early, but who knows? Maybe his body simply couldn't take the pounding, regardless of the minutes played. Another point... Yao was making a max salary. He was expected to produce on the court. And one more point... Yao wanted to play. And, yes, one MORE point... all this speculation is pointless.

 

I liked how Jvg rested him at the perfect time, but I don't think that alone led to his demise. If our comrades in china would have just allowed him to play w.o.w during the nba offseason instead of playing for them, then yao might have had played more seasons. No question about it, he was a superstar on the court. You don't send double teams and gamplan against "stiffs", a word I've heard some use to describe yao's game.

 

When he was on the court, he was a top 10 NBA player.

 

How many C's since 2000 have averaged 25 points?
Pretty sure its only Yao and Shaq?

 

I remember for a four-year stretch Yao was always in the MVP discussion at least at the start of a season. For a while, he was the best center and a top 10 player in the league. His numbers might not necessarily reflect from a PPG/RPG standpoint, but he definitely was a force to be reckoned with and the center of discussion.

 

I think yao was great in some aspects and poor in others. he clogged up the paint, got his points and made his free throws. pretty much what you expect from a center. but he did lack the ability to just grab a rebound at will. whether it was his mentality or his body, he just didnt have that rebound instincts that was crucial in the jazz playoff series.

when yao got the ball and was able to get a shot off, you were confident in his shot. but the problem was him getting the ball and him not getting it stolen before he got the shot off. there were countless entry passes that were stolen, more to the fault of the passer than yao. there were also countless times where he would get it stripped in the paint by someone smaller and faster. also, sometimes he wouldnt get the ball, simply because of fronting defense. golden state exemplified this. everytime we use to play golden state, i always feared that yao's effectiveness would be lessened and, on a whole, the team's effectiveness would be lessened.

imo, tmac was the perfect compliment to yao. he was a great scorer and an equally great passer. JVG really maximized what he had. People complain that JVG was all defense and no offense but really, what more could he have done? It was only tmac and yao out there, you can only do so much. You can't make plays for ryan bowen or david wesley. Adelman also did the best he could with what he had. He had great role players with no stars.

Ultimately, it was down the tmac/yao's health. I think it was a combination of poor medical management and simply that their bodies weren't as stable as other players. By the time we got great role players, their health had deteriorated. If I, and countless other fans, could predict yao/tmac's bodies would break down again, why couldnt management? We saw how great ab/landry/scola were becoming, why not let tmac/yao rest another year or a little longer to ensure that all the pieces could come together?

It was always: tmac/yao has X surgery/injury, the estimated recovery time is 4-6 weeks. let them sit for 4-6 months. let ab/landry/scola grow and let our stars rest. it just boggles my mind that they thought the 'minimum' recovery time was the maximum time they would want to let them rest/recover.