[Chron] Yao mulls contract status, considers free agency

I dont get it? You dont think that another Chinese player besides Yao can capture their attention and money? Especially if Yao gets hurt again or does poorly?
Or what if the Rockets handle his possible free agency badly, you dont think the Chinese people will scream? What if he can play, but doesnt play that well and for the good of the team, he doesnt get to play much? I can think of a dozen reasons all this Chinese spotlight on Yao in Houston could change in a heartbeat.

 

This is understandable, I mean Yao is a cashcow, wherever he goes he can earn a lot of money. 2010 free agency is attractive and a lot of teams WILL AND COULD offer desirable contracts.

Yao could easily earn more money in LA, Boston or NY just by marketing and that stuff. Another thing is that those same markets attract more star players.

Furthermore, Rockets style of high motion offense could not fit Yao and without an All-Star in the town (at least for now) he can re-think about joining.

But there are also plenty of reasons he would stay, he has been here forever and this is home. Besides, he is THE ROCKETS MAIN GUY.

 

I don't think Yao's going to opt out. The market is just too over crowded right now for Yao to expect to be able to land on a good team at a good salary. But sure, Yao needs to be concerned about the CB.

From the Rockets standpoint, it's too risky to sign him this summer for a max contract, or really anything that forces them to rely on him going forward.

What would be fair is for the Rockets to look to resign him mid-season (you cna do this, right?) if it is apparent that he can recover from his injuries. Les would not want to wait to the end of the season, risk Yao going elsewhere, or having the new CB cause issues. Yao has always been a level headed guy and would probably be ok with that. I doesn't seem like him to want to get paid if can't play anymore.

That said however, I think that hurts us all around. We are not going to get a big time FA to come here without Yao, especially if we do a S&T and lose even more assets. Perhaps we can do a S&T with Yao manage to get a near all-star and some decent assets, but nothing really to get excited about, IMO.

 

Interesting...

Yao mulls Contract status!!!!

Like I said and i keep saying this has nothing to do with loyality and honor, it's all about business from both Yao and Morey.

Also looks as if that article that was posted in the GARM a while back about Yao being concerned with adjusting to the team and new offense is true..

Like I said Bill Walton part 2.... Like Deja-vu.

 

it doesn't matter whether he needs to prove or not. the key is whether he will come here or not. w/ yao, the chance to get bosh is bigger than w/o yao. i know chance is still small but better than nothing. even you had tons of money under the cap, it would make no difference. he won't blink his eyes once on any idea that he will join a team w/o a max contract player. w/o yao, you pretty much forget about attracting any big ticket player.

 

I don't think he gets that much more endorsement money if he doesn't prove he can play first. And if he can play, then opting out is probably not the best move for him, IMO. The CBA is a concern, but I tend to think his ability to play is a bigger conern.

 

am I the only who is thinking that its his wife thats behind all this? wanting him to opt out to get a more secure long term deal for himself, injuries or not?

 

If Yao really wants to opts out, David Stern will make sure that a good team will gives Yao an acceptable offer.

Yao is more important to the entire league than just to the rockets.

 

So basically it would be like trading Yao, Scola, Lowry, Hayes and Andersen for the chance at Bosh, 1st Rd pick, MLE guy(Manu) and LLE guy(Camby) while probably being under the LT?

 

I doubt that. I would guess his wife would prefer he just retire and run the Sharks full time.

 

I'm not sure if there is a rule that states how far into the luxury tax a team can go....I'm a bio major not a finance major lol.

But I do think that if its possible, Buss would make that move b/c assuming Yao can even be an above average player...you have a damn good team. Also you would make the money back in marketing and advertising.

I remember hearing a couple years ago that the Lakers wanted to sign Yao..I think they would revisit it if it was possible.

 

The only way in which the Lakers could get Yao by salary cap rules is via MLE. Yes, theoretically it would be possible for Yao to leave the Rockets and sign with the Lakers next year, but if we’re going to discuss that, we might as well talk about the possibility of Wade leaving the Heat and signing with us for the MLE – both are just as likely to happen, particularly when the Lakers are at their limits and spending and are probably the one team in the league that does not need a tall skill guy thanks to their excellent frontcourt.

 

It's usually the wife's fault.

 

Do you have a feeling he wants a long contract extension? Can this done before the expiration of the current K?

 

yao got a baby on the way, he wont opt out

 

I think he probably just has guys working for him that correctly noted that the next CBA will cost FAs a ton of cash, and there are probably more dollars out there this year than there are guys worth spending them on. If he hadn't gotten hurt, he'd be a fool not to get a new deal.

Coming off the injury, he still needs to at least consider it.

Evan

 

Then they'd be called Crutch City.

Seriously, I think Yao is a loyal guy. He will look after himself, sure. But he will also try his best to stay in Houston, unless the Rockets organization try to lowball him badly. I don't think Alexander would do that.

Also, I am pretty sure Morey is smart enough to have at least entertained the possibility that Yao might opt out. So he would have some Plan B ready.

 

Anything can happen in the NBA.

But the principals.. YAO and Les/Morey... both have the desire and motivation ($$$) to stay together.

There's no way that Yao is going anywhere. As for a renegotiation... I dont know if that's something that Yao as a Chinese would accept or be insulted by even if it makes the team better.

Just for fun though, imagine if Prokhorov drops a sack of money and brings Yao to the Nets... it would be the biggest thing in basketball (China + Russia)

 

If you are asking about pulling the qualifying offer in order to create cap space in order to sign a max free agent but then resign Lowry and Scola using their Bird rights it will not work.

Essentially the qualifying offer is not what is counted against the cap, it is the cap hold which is higher than the qualifying offer. In order to create cap space the Rockets would have to renounce Scola and Landry which would cost them their Bird rights.

 

Yao and Clippers are a perfect match.

The market, the Chinese communities, the weather, even the injury,....

also, that's the closest place to the Championship.