they got a ton from the Knicks to take on Jeffries contract and put them in position to get 2 max free agents. It wasn't about T-mac's play. Landry went for Kevin and T-Mac's contract was just a way to move other garbage players with large contracts around.
It was a different Market last year. Tmac was the Highest payed player in the nba at over 20 mil in salary, also 3 of the most coveted free agents where going on the market at the same time. Cap space was very valuable then and Tmac's contract could provide it. Even with all those factors Morey had to sweat blood to make the deal happen in way that did not get us stuck with Larry Hughes or Eddie Curry. Its easy to make bad trades its hard to make good ones. Look at Kevin Prichard every one thought he was doing a great job and could not believe he got fired. Now look at the blazers Roy is falling apart Oden is a bust and Aldridge is the only player who is healthy and near a all-star level left standing.
i'm just gonna say it: i think other NBA owners...wealthy men...might bring him on so they can see if some of his magic works on them...something like the opportunities below. but these opportunities are exactly why Les isn't going to trade Yao...at least I don't think he will. HIs business interests in China are considerable and diverse at this point...all of this happened since we drafted Yao. He literally started Rocket Capital Investment to take advantage of this. http://www.nba.com/rockets/communit...307773-822.html After six years of cultivation, Alexander launched Leslie Wine in 2008, which is currently selling four exceptional 2007 vintage wines exclusively in China. http://www.mlive.com/business/ambiz...40805182170.xml http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=146352 In the latest venture through his Rocket Capital Investment company, Alexander has teamed up with San Antonio billionaire Billy Joe "Red" McCombs. The joint venture has invested in Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd., one of the country's largest automakers. Alexander's other holdings in China range from railways to mining, but the automotive deal represents his largest direct investment in a publicly traded Chinese company. Kenneth Huang is the key executive behind the scenes at Alexander's company. The managing director and senior partner of Rocket Capital was the first college graduate from China to work at the New York Stock Exchange in the 1980s. Huang now focuses on partnering deals for investments in major Chinese state-owned and private enterprises. He met Alexander through SportsCorp China, formed by Huang to promote closer sports and sponsorship ties with the United States. SportsCorp China players include the Houston Rockets, the National Basketball Association and the New York Yankees. http://chinalegal.blogspot.com/2008...-hong-kong.html . Rocket Capital Investment The firm was established by the mainland basketball star Yao Ming's finder of Leslie Alexander, to cash in on his new mainland business connections. Mr. Alexander is its sole investor, and Forbes magazine estimates his worth at US$1.5 billion. In 2007, the firm poured US$200 million into some of Hong Kong's biggest IPOs. In 2008, the firm is planning to invest another US$200 million to focus instead on buying listed shares and making other types of investments, but will be more careful this year, according to its managing director of Kenneth Huang...
Right now, given he hasn't been playing, his trade value is equal to Les Alexander's willingness to use his expiring contract to eat salaries. Sure, his play is a little better than McGrady's was last season, but given the size of his salary, the on-court value is far outweighed by the "expiring contract" value.
That is the reality we Rocket's fans face, he will be here until he retires and will be kept as some kind of ambassador for the team. You know, as a business man, I would do exactly the same thing, as a fan, I would jettison him ASAP. Les, at the end of the day, is a business man. DD
It's sad to see what Yao is in fans' eye these days, i.e., nothing but an obstacle preventing Rockets from winning.
If we do trade Yao the only pieces I want are young talents and/or draft picks. I definitely do not want the Rockets to pick up a long term contract like Elton Brand. This team is mediocre -- they need stars, not just more good players. I'd rather be very bad for a couple of years than be mediocre for a decade.
I think what we have here is the Berkman/Oswalt effect with the Rockets. The Astros held on to their stars because of their popularity and what they meant to the club but in the end Drayton had to look to the future and saw all those empty green seats during games and made the move. Yao makes Les more money then those two made Drayton but I wonder how he will react to tons of empty chairs at Rox games if they continue to struggle. Will all his investments make up for crappy continuous crappy attendance and thus loses in merchandise and concessions?
This is not true. How are you so sure Yao wants to stay here when his contract is up and rockets are still not a contender. Last time I checked Yao still want a championship more than anything, being some kind of ambassador for rockets doesn't lead him there.
I think Yao's value is tough to determine because of the amount of revenue he brings with his Chinese fan base. You cant measure him by playing ability alone, he is the national treasure of the most populated country in the world. Thats gotta count for something
That's not my feelings. I still feel if he recovers he is the most dominant 5 in the game, bar none. And that includes Dwight. I posted this thread because I suspect they are thinking about trading him. Maybe Les has figured out how to get his business value even if Yao is gone. I dunno that end of it. I'm just saying from a basketball perspective watching the way they are going about their business, watching how Yao is reacting/responding right now, it appears to me they are considering moving him out.
I don't care even if Yao is better than Wilt Chamberlain. No one will take a chance on his health now. Face it guys, Yao has been done as a NBA player. Every team knows he is not going to be healthy enough to play effectively in the NBA again.
I don't think he is an abstacle at all, just someone that due to his size can not be relied upon. I would be happy to sign him for a much more reduced contract and hope he gets healthy. I don't think many championship teams will go after a guy that is injured as often as Yao is....some other low end teams might take a shot at him...but I think he will probably stay with the team that has taken care of him....even when he wants to play, they are still looking out for his best interests. DD
I agree that he has good value as an expiring contract, and I could see that Philly deal happening with some tweaks. I futher believe that Yao has added value for teams located in areas with large Asian populations suffering from low attendance numbers e.g. Kings and Clippers. If he can get back on the court, regardless of his performance, he would draw people to the games and bring rare overseas attention for these teams. One would assume that with the financial aspects in his favor (expiring contract, marketability) along with his great potential on the court, some teams would be willing to take a gamble on his health and the Rockets could get a very good package in return, if they chose to move him. However, the same reasons that could make him such an attractive trade chip are exactly what make him so difficult to move. Although the fan base here seems to have cooled on Yao, making him less valuable here than he might be elsewhere from a marketing standpoint, he is still a big ticket draw, brings overseas endorsement and media deals, and as a bonus, has the potential to shift an entire playoff series when healthy. Since it is unlikely that anyone received in a Yao Ming trade could replace all or even most of this, it is very unlikely that Les Alexander would ever consent to any deal for Yao Ming. Unless another team offers Yao an extraordinary deal in the summer that forces the Rockets to reconsider his value, it seems that Yao Ming is here to stay, most likely on a competition inflated deal of 7 to 10 million dollars.
Yao has close to zero trade value basketball-wise. Who would want a max player who has an injury history like that? The only value he has is as an expiring contract, kind of like TMac was. (This is aside of his so-called "cash cow" value.) In normal market condition, trading an expiring usually means that you have to take on bad contracts in exchange of some talent (either young prospects or good role players). The question is, does that help us in the long run? If you put the "cash cow" value into consideration, giving up a cash cow plus taking on bad contracts is a double whammy financially. If you were Les, would you do it?
