Bottom line: Yao needs to play a full season and be healthy for the Rockets to have any chance to win it all. If he goes out with injury there's no way the Rockets can get to the final round.
Either that, or trade him for another quality center. Right now we are not in need for "the best" center that can play 60 games. We need just a very good center that can play 82+playoffs. Fact is, if we are going to get a big name agent this postseason, Yao has to be here to sweet them up. If that's not our plan, i would consider trading him for a more durable, younger center.
I could've sworn I read an article that said Yao was going to use the same recovery plan that Illgauskas used to reignite his career. Accordingly, Yao would play no more than 22 min. per night for the next two seasons. I would be fully on board with this plan and like many others in here, was calling for reduced minutes prior to last season. The earlier poster made a great point about not starting him and having him finish quarters where teams are much more likely to be in the bonus. Here's a good question: How many more wins would we have this year had Yao been playing 22 mpg all season?
The problem is that the only center playing right now who is comparable is Howard, and he and Yao excel for very different reasons. My point is that the trades Morey just made are designed to complement Yao, especially K-Mart. Potential players are being considered on the basis of how well they can play with him. The Rockets, as currently constituted, are going to be dependent on him. Can you blow it all up and start over? Of course, but I don't think that's really what people are talking about.
Again, you don't need a player of the level of Yao Ming, you can also trade him for a very good center, and another pice, i am sure Yao can get us that and even a pick here and there. I am talking about players of the likes of Bogut, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Brook Lopez. Players that are actually productive and learn some post moves from Scola and defense from Hayes. With that we would be talking about a different team, right now, because they would be playing.
I used to love slam before it sold itself to brown nosing itself to players, selling out to the hip-hop culture and hood rat stuff, ( although I do like the sneaker stuff cuz im a sneaker head.) This was actually a good article. Thanks for the post.
