there are Asians in every NBA city. the Asian population in the Greater LA area is at least twice that in SF; buit i doubt that the Lakers would be interested in Yao. The C's or the Knicks also have large Asian population in their fan base; both teams could use Yao at the post
The Celtics should sign him, sit him out until March, then gradually up his minutes until he can play 20 mins per in the playoffs.
I think he will stay in Houston, even for a lower amount. But, I think some teams will definitely throw some pitches his way, if he is shown to be doing fairly well in recovery. Teams who need a center (and might can get him cheaply): Boston - But, they probably want someone strong and nimble, like Tyson Chandler or Emeka Okafor. Golden State - Contradicts their style Atlanta - ????, they have no offensive identity and desperately need to push Horford down to power forward. Also, they have Zaza and Collins as backups. So, they could easily not lose very much with an injured Yao Ming. Miami - He'd actually make a decent starter (if healthy) or backup with Miami. He would fit well in their 2nd string rotation. Denver - If they lose Nene. Charlotte - Yuck.
My guess is Yao will end up staying for a relatively small contract. This is because what he ends up doesn't just depend on who the highest bidder is, but also what Yao values. These include, possibly (a) money, (b) not having to move (whether for loyalty, familiarity or convenience), and (c) playing on a good team. My guess is that factor (b) will end up overriding factor (a) since Yao already made a ton of money and probably will still make more in endorsements to make a few million dollars in extra salary less relevant. I also think the Rockets will be good enough a team for him to consider "ringchasing" elsewhere.
My guess is the bulls. Yao has a great relationship with Tom T. He will convince Yao to sign with the bulls.
He'll still be good for 15 to 20 minutes a night. He can still give a team 12 and 7 in roughly around 20 minutes a night. Thats not a bad deal. Miami or Celtics could be very interested.
Jeez.... the Celtics, Knicks...or even Miami would take several notches up if they were able to nab Yao.... these are already contending teams.....all they need to do is rest Yao until March....get him ready and it's suddenly a more formidable team. Quite frankly, I think any of the contending teams who do not have an allstar center would probably want to go for him. Bynum has not exactly been lighting up LA with his inconsistent play and Gasol was MIA against Dallas. Yao would make Miami look like an allstar team... Lakers even bigger, add a scoring post threat to Boston, add a third force to New York. Don't see the Golden state thing other than selling tickets. OKC Thunder should consider it because with such a dynamic wings and backcourt, all they need is a post threat.
If yao was smart, he would go somewhere like the spurs. They could really use a 20-25 minute player to play the post some and clog the paint.
They will have a guy like that next year by the name of Tim Duncan. :grin: I doubt Yao will play again in the NBA. He won't last even if he plays. I don't know why people still don't realize that.
Yao should just leave the Rockets. For his sake and the Rockets' sake. I am a massive Yao fan and a massive Rockets fan, but Yao never really seems to fit with this current group of guys. Yao in the Rockets will be expected to be Gunner No.1, and thats not really what Yao should be doing at this stage in his career. Best fit for Yao: Celtics/Heat Yao won't have to do anything more than what Haslem/Davis is has been doing, and he'll get the attention he deserves. We have Martin and Budinger as our starting wings. Man, Yao will have to dig deep into the book of help-side defense all summer long.
