Mark Cuban is a billionaire too. So is that dude from facebook. that still doesn't change the reason why numbers are retired. they don't retire his number cause he brought in a billion fans, they would retire his number based on what he did for the rockets .
0 zero championsips, 0 finals appearances, 0 western finals appearances, and only 1 second round appearance wherein he broke his shortly afterward. Yeah you're right, I don't see how this is debatable. If you're gonna retire Yao's number, might as retire number 1 and 3, Tmac's just as internationally famous, had good relationship with mgt (prior to the trade), was equally a face of the franchise, played in more all star games and more importantly wasn't injured every season of his stay here.
HOF isn't a "true" hall of fame, you have CEOs, owners and random people in the hall of fame. Yao getting inducted in the HOF would also be for the same reason, that he is the first Asian superstar in the league rather than getting inducted for his on-court accomplishments. Retiring a number, OTH is a different reason from inducting into the hall of fame. The theory is that a certain player has played so well there's no way other people could do a better job, so you "retire" the number because there's no point to other people using it anymore. What will retiring Yao Ming's number say? Its great to get a max contract and then get injured every year? Obviously its not Yao Ming's fault he's mister glass, but he literally hasn't won done anything for the team.
I think, at a minimum, his number will be retired for a number of reasons, but the one bullet point that stands out to me is how he ranks among the NBA `super-bigs`, i.e. those at/around the margins of 7.50 feet tall. Consider his company at that slot: Tom Burleson Ralph Sampson Chuck Nevitt Mark Eaton Rik Smits Manute Bol Sean Bradley Gheorge Muresan When you take into consideration the type of game each played then it should be clear that Yao possesses the best combination of tools you would want in a 5. So yeah, at least hang the double-sticks from the rafters... eventually the HoF will follow suit, I have a feeling, based on all arenas of competition.
You're joking right? So Rudy T's 0 All-NBA teams and 0 titles is way better than Yao's 5 All-NBA teams and 0 titles right?
So essentially, you're judging him by team accomplishments when you know full well you should be judging him by individual accomplishments. Let's not gloss over this crucial fact. He left the team on bad terms with management. Don't underestimate how important this is. For instance, do you think there's anyway the Cavs will retire Lebron's number? And McGrady represented us in 3 all-star games. Yao represented us in 6. You don't think there's a difference?
He also left the team on bad terms with the fans. Is there really anyone who hates Yao? I know we're all sick of getting paid 20 million dollars a year to be injured - but it just isn't his fault. I really can't imagine anybody would argue that Yao doesn't work hard enough. No - I still love Yao and I think that's the general consensus among the fans. Beloved franchise players who play their entire career with one team ought to get their jersey retired. I really don't understand the standard you guys are holding Yao to - but certainly Tomjanovich and Murphy shouldn't be hanging from the rafters either if we go by it.
I sure hope not. It cheapens it for the guys that have their numbers in the rafters. Rudy T number is up their partially because he almost died playing for the rockets.
So... Yao would have belonged up there in your mind if someone had punched him really hard on the court? The fact is, whether a player's number gets retired depends pretty much solely on whether Les Alexander wants it retired. Here, we have a guy that Les seems to like, played well on the court, and has been a great pioneer/ambassador promoting both the franchise and the league abroad and domestically. My guess is Les will make the decision to retire his number both based on his personal feelings as well as rational calculation of his personal interest. Tracy McGrady performed just as well, if not better, during his time as a Rocket. However, TMac is a hired gun, Yao Ming is a Rocket (and a true professional, I hope he retires as a Rocket).
No, but the Rockets organization should pay tribute in another way. Like... name something after him...
I just think it's hilarious how CD is retired. As for Yao, I think they should do it. He's arguably the 2nd most famous player in Rockets history, and I don't think there really should be a set criteria for retiring a jersey (like there used to be at UT where you had to win national player of the year to get your jersey retired before they changed it a few years ago). It should just be a gut feeling among members of the organization: if they feel that a player's jersey should be retired and he deserves it for whatever reason, then do it.
What the heck are you talking about? Rudy T and Calvin went to the eastern conference finals as the best players on the team. Calvin was also the best free throw shooter of all time and went to the Finals in 81. Drexler was one of the top 50 players of all time and won us a championship.
