Yao Ming will not play more than 24 minutes in any game this season

This is exactly why we need a stud like Melo.

 

No, max, not seriously, just tossing it out there.

I agree with you, I understand limiting him early, but dang they need to play that man if they are expected to pay that man.

DD

 

i dont think he'll EVER consistently play 30 minutes even if he's fully healed. remember, Z can last the way he does b/c he RARELY plays in the post. yao plays A TON in the post.

i think its a great move and the rockets know that. they rather him play 24 minutes a game than get injured later in the season playing 30+ minutes.

yao will never be a full time player again. and i think he will be resigned for a discount.

 

the rockets are not delusional and reaching like DD always does (always looking for something).

the guy just had a bajillion metal pins put into his foot and have it completely restructured. its EXPECTED he wont play a lot of minutes this year or even next, considering the style that yao plays.

 

Apparently Feigan & Solomon are butt buddies, they also compete among each other to write the sh!tt!est column.

 

Really? Seriously? In a Yao Ming thread???

 

It's relevant, bud.

One of the main reasons why DM is so adamant about adding another all-star level player to this team.

 

This is direct from Morey, as per the Chronicle:

Yes, Houston will be dealing with a cautious plan that will likely have Yao limited to 25 minutes or less per game, at least for the first several months.

"It's going to be hard for everybody," Morey said. "We have talked in the past about trying to keep Yao's minutes down over the course of the regular season, but this time it's not a suggestion or a wish. It's mandatory. There will be a minutes cap. We will have to pull him out. It is not an option.

"Yao being Yao, he's not going to want to come out. We all know that. But this is the way it's going to be. When he's in a game and he hits his minutes limit, it's going to be like a baseball pitcher on a pitch count. It won't be a judgment call anywhere. He comes out and we go on."

 

You think we would seriously take him out for the last two minutes of overtime? He may play 26 or 27 in such a game.

But at game 74 or so when we're fighting for playoff position I'm confident that Yao won't be playing less than 30 minutes per game. He'll be ready for that much.

 

I like this. We have to look at the big picture which is basically defined by how well we do in the playoffs. We have a deep team so we should be able to get good enough record in the regular season and then we go all out in the playoff assuming Yao is still healthy at that point.

 

what about overtime games?

 

hopefully the "pitch count" can increase in the playoffs but he isn't getting in apparently for at least the first few months of the season.

 

Unless you miss those 4th quarter collapses or another injury to Yao, no one should expect Yao playing too much in the 4th and overtime.

 

Morey already answered your question:

When he's in a game and he hits his minutes limit, it's going to be like a baseball pitcher on a pitch count. It won't be a judgment call anywhere. He comes out and we go on."

 

Don't panic. I think it's nothing new. 25 minutes the first 2 months, ending around the 30, with no limitations for playoff time. Season is long, the key is that he feels good as the season progresses.

 

24mpg is still better than 0mpg last year. Plus we have Miller, Scola, Hayes, and Hill who can all play center.

 

This ^ agree 100%

--RB

 

This is why we need a second elite level player. It doesn't have to be Carmelo, but he's available, and others might not become available until after the lockout.

 

I've been saying for months that Yao should be limited to around 25 min per game during the reg season, and around 30 min per game during the playoffs. This is a non story.