He will start when Cato is injured meaning before the start of the season when he falls off the toilet.
It would be great to see Ming start right away but I don't see it happening. I think the HUGE stumbling block is the fact that he won't be working out/practicing with the Rockets during the summer or even in their traning camp. I think Ming will be realeased to us as we start our pre-season schedule. That said, he will be coming in not knowing any of our plays, our players, our tendencies etc. He has a lot to learn! Sure he can play just on "instinct" and "talent" but without knowing our system and having a full summer to get to know the players tendencies it will be tough for him. Assuming no injuries, I think Cato will start for the Rockets the entire season. Yup, the entire season. I think if Ming can participate in our summer program next year and be in there for training camp where he can "compete" with Cato for the job we will probably see Ming starting in the second season. Again, a lot has to do with Ming getting practice time and offseason practice. What will be "really" interesting is to see what happens if Cato gets injured. Would we see Taylor then move to center and Griffin at PF? Would, god forbid, Collier get in the game before Ming? Laughable? Maybe. But I would not put it past Rudy. It really depends on how quick Ming picks up things. I am on record saying that I think Ming will do really well with the Rockets but it will take some time. Hopefully his learning curve will be very short and he can get in the game and get as much "NBA game time" as possible. We don't want to hurt his confidence but there is no better way of getting comfortable with the NBA rigors then to go out there and just do it! Because of the injuries to some of the starters, I think we are a lot farther along with Griffin because of his increased playing time last year. Chris
I think Cato will start until the rockets go through a small losing streak, then Rudy will have the excuse to start Ming. Cato plays with more intensity coming off the bench.
This one is going to be a tough call. It is only opinion, but I think Ming is going to become the starter very quickly. Maybe within 7 games if he doesn't start on opening day. Rudy does have a thing for veterans, no doubt about it, but I think he is capable of making exceptions when needed. This is one of those rare cases where it doesn't benefit anyone if Cato opens the season as the starter. Cato is better off knowing his role. Ming will be better off getting big minutes early so that he can actually learn the offense. The quicker the learning phase the better off all the Rockets will be mentally. Especially Francis. So I see him playing big minutes and starting quickly. I don't see a long transition here. The Rockets are ready to win now. So they need to get this adjustment over as quickly as possible.
If Ming sits on the bench for 2 months behind Cato (while 90% of China pipes in Rocket games to see him play 12 minutes a game), you can bet dollars to donuts that Ming will be back in China faster than you can say "Yao", regardless what any contract says.
I disagree. And The Chinese contingent already said they expect 60% of his time to be development while 40% is playing. They are more interested in him DEVELOPING then him being the poster child. Sure they want him to succeed and make them look good. No quesiton about it! But they also seem to understand that it will take time. I think there will be more pressure to play Ming because he is "the number one pick" versus the fact he is from China. Any number 1 pick is going to be under that microscope! Chris
China happily broadcast a Denver Nugget/Dallas Maverick game back in April, and hundreds of millions watched as Wang Zhizhi and Menk Bateer combined for something like 15 minutes of playing time. I think China will be realistic about Yao Ming's development. It's time to stop assuming China will act like a brooding, pouty 8-year old.
Interesting point, NJRocket. If Cato is his usual energetic, dominant self , I wouldn't blame someone in China for being a little PO'ed if Ming is sitting behind that. Development's one thing, but having to sit behind a bad player is something entirely different. Also potentially problematic is if Ming gets a lot of DNP-CDs, if he gets at least regular minutes there should be no problems.
That was my point...sitting behind a decent center is one thing...sitting behind cato is another. Add that to the fact that they will also see Jason Williams (#2) and perhpas Butler, Wilcox, Dunlavy et al receive more substantial playing time that Ming. I can see them wondering why Ming needs to develop but Williams, etc. doesnt.
If Ming is the real deal, expect the Rockets to showcase Cato, and then trade him. Anyone remember how well Cato was playing just before the trade deadline, then he went into his....whew, I am still here slump. DaDakota
heech, I apologize if we've offended you, and I can assure you that I personally don't view China as a bratty child. Its just an assumption that receiving playing time is a natural part of an player's development. Not saying that China will recall Ming if he's not playing X amount of minutes or getting X amount of shots, but I certainly wouldn't blame the powers that be if they cast a wary eye towards the Rockets if Ming weren't allowed to at least get a decent amount of playing time and experience. Otherwise, he's just kind of wasting away and being under-utilized. I think that the majority of us realize that China is much more interested in the benefits of Ming playing in the NBA than in finding reasons for Ming to not play in the NBA.
Heech...with all due respect you (and China for that matter)...I have no reason to think that Chinese officials will be anything but furious if Ming doesn't get his minutes, points, rebounds etc. You can say all you want regarding China's position on Ming's development and China's "understanding" etc etc etc, but the bottom line is that this whole 'meet and greet' process that the Rox have had to go through in order to honor Ming by selecting him #1 is quite annoying. I find it very hard to believe that once we sign Ming and get him over here (assuming we sign him), that the Chinese officals that are running the show now are just going to wash their hands of the situation and leave everything in our hands. I think they will be on us like tall dogs as to decisions we make regarding Yao's minutes, role in the offense, etc. Understand, I am totally in favor of drafting Ming and I think he could be a real asset to the rockets...but IMO, if we think that Ming backing up a guy who is arguably one of the worst 5 centers in the league isnt going to cause a problem, we are sadly mistaken.
