Come on guys! You act like Yao is Michael Jordan! For the last month, just take a look at all of the entities this board thinks are in a conspiracy to keep the Rockets from taking Shanghai Slim. The Media The NBA The Chinese Government The Chinese Basketball Association The Shanghai Sharks The Knicks Jerry Krause The Warriors The Grizzlies Jerry West Now Mark Cuban and Wang Zhi-Zhi Where are Mulder and Sculley when you need them!!!
I've noticed this too...it's quite funny...especially when it's from someone who has scoffed at others in the hangout forum for claiming a liberal bias in the media.
Yao Ming will indeed be the Michael Jordan of the 21st Century.......Forget Kobe, Vince, Tracy, Shaq, etc... Ming is a better marketing tool than any of those no-names when it comes down to the business side of things, and that is what it is all about in the minds of the owners! Maybe not...I could be way off on this one!
If Ming was that important, teams would be offering ANYTHING on their rosters to get him. Nothing would be off the table. I mean you could get Shaq, Kobe, McGrady, Kidd - whatever. That being said, if you'd like a really good laugh track, pretend to be the Rockets and call the Laker offices to offer them Yao for Shaq or Kobe straight up...
I hope you are kidding. Ming probably already hit his marketing potential in China. Being good in the NBA might icnrease the pride people in China have for Ming, but not his noteriety. Besides, Centers are never good for marketing. The peole who dominate the bread and butter of basketball sponsorship; shoes, clothes, gatorade, and McDonalds, are all small guys like 2 guards. Kids don't idolize big men, they all still want to be like Mike.
Maybe the advertising in other countries. But would America accept a Chinese player getting all of the attention and advertising? I doubt it. The freak show might be good for the first few months, it'll get old if he doesn't produce. He isn't flashy enough. Kobe reigns.
You must be kidding! Have you forgotten Hakeem's H20 or his awesome shoes? He's sold a few taco's as well!!
None of us know how all this will play out. Doc Rocket knows we'll draft Ming. I say yes, Ming will go #1. What Doc thinks: we'll keep him. I'm not so sure, but we'll see. What Doc knows: more calls from GMs to the Rox involved, What do you want for Yao Ming? than, What do you want for Jay? I'm sure Ming doesn't have Jordan's talent--that's a given; who does or did have that talent?--but Ming'll make some franchise a lot of money: jerseys, TV, etc. And open a lot of doors for the team and for the NBA. So he has a lot of value. EDIT: And no, no one's gonna offer the best players in the NBA for the guy, no. LA already has the marketing machine with Kobe and Shaq. And they're winning titles. You don't give away a known quantity in Paul Pierce for an unknown like Yao. The teams calling us, I'm sure, have high draft picks, players we might want/need (LAC, Memphis, Chicago) that can tender a semi-serious deal.