one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.. let's see: for the past 4 years, Yao has came down with an injury, the past 3 being the SAME EXACT INJURY.. why do you need until next year to make up your mind? what's so special about year number 4? 3 times was a charm for me.. I have mad love for Yao as a player, and I could overlook all his other problems (immobility, being neutralized by single converage, turn overs, etc..) if only he could stay on the damn court when it counts.. and for the 3rd straight year, he couldn't.. unfortunately, what I say will not change our fate: Yao is here to stay, and as long as he we have him as this double-digit million dollar void in our pay roll, we won't be able to be contenders for real, even if we bring in another "corner stone" player and use Yao as a piece, he's still gonna go down with a stress fracture in his foot sometime in April/May, and we'll be without our 15 million dollar "piece", another excuse for an early exit.. we're doomed to this fate until Yao retires happily as a Rocket and his jersey is hung up in the rafters, right next to the other greats.. the only problem is: this will be the only thing hung in the rafters, no championships, nothing.. gosh it's depressing to be a Rockets fan sometimes..
uuummm, that isnt technically true last year was the stress fracture in the left foot 2005/06 - infected toe in December, broken bone in left foot at the end of the same season(no playoffs) 2006/07 - broken knee in December, came back in March and lost to the Jazz in 7 in the playoffs 2007/08 - stress fracture of the left foot in Feb(missed playoffs) 2008/09 - hairline fracture of left foot ....well, you know. Its pretty easy to find this data....no sense making it sound worst than it really is, the reality is bad enough Lets stick to the facts, k?
Sad but true. But can you blame him? He always gives his best on the court but his body fails him. Blame Les for putting money ahead of championships.
haha dang, I totally confused the broken left foot back in 05-06 with a stress fracture, and I interchanged 05-06 and 06-07 and voila: I made it the most nightmarish scenario ever but still, that doesn't change my point being that Yao has proven year after year he can't stay healthy.. I used to think it's awful luck, but it's more than clear that this isn't just luck. And it sucks for Yao as much as it sucks for us as fans, because it's really not his fault, Sampson's knees weren't his fault, it's just the drawback of being so physically dominant.
Not to get overly technical, but my understanding of the situation with Ralph was that his knee issues were a direct result of his overcompensation for his back issues stemming from that fall he took. now, granted, I *am* getting old and the memory is the first thing to go....but that is my recollection. and somewhat agree on Yao, it does suck, especially so for him, but the way I look at it his luck has got to change eventually.
“Yao is obviously the cornerstone of the franchise,” Morey said. “He had an unbelievable year until the big disappointment at the end. But he put in a full year, a very productive year. he's not going anywhere folks.
Considering YAO's healty problem, he's a top20 player If he is healty,maybe top 10 Considering his finacial factors, top 3! ONLY KOBE AND LEBRON CAN COMARE WITH YAO.
Hey Tinman, how can you choose Dirk over Yao? He can't even beat an 80%-Yao-led CNT! And I thought the worst weakness is when a player has skills, health but no heart. Les and Morey's reponses in the press con sure did not taste good in a lot of Clutchfans' mouths but I guess you have to just accept the truth and hope for the best.
... ugh, that's why I wrote 100, and not 400. If Yao was sure to be injured, I would take any starter in the league over not having Yao at all. And obviously, Brian Cook is a bottom dweller, who wouldn't sniff playing time on any team, lottery or otherwise.
If you want to give up Yao for a college player, last year was the year to do it. I don't see Griffin as any more than Michael Beasley.
I understand the bad taste in everyone's mouths when a team can just front Yao to neutralize him, but we still have to be objective when analyzing how much is really affected. Discounting game one of the Portland series where they didn't front, Yao still put up a solid double double (around 16/11), while shooting over 50% from the field. (We also have to keep in mind that Pryzbilla is a very solid post defender without any offensive burdens, who ranks among the best 2-3 defensive players against Yao) Furthermore, Yao's defense was far above par during these games, as he had more energy left to play on the defensive end of the floor. And while the 2-2 split against the Lakers seem gaudy, it's hard to believe that throughout the course of an 82-game season and postseason, we'd be consistent enough to be a better team without a solid post presence. All in all, there is a robust list of players that would certainly benefit this team more than a healthy Yao, but players like Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, rookie Derrick Rose (this may change in a few years), Carmelo, Ginobili, Turkoglu definitely don't belong. There are more players for whom you can make a case (Roy, Boozer, Amare, Brand, Parker, Durant, Johnson), but in my opinion, would ultimately come short for a beneficial Yao replacement. All in all, I would put Yao somewhere between 12-15th in the league.
Maybe Yao isn't the best player in the league, but he is one of the best players in the league. he is a TOP10 player IMO
in personal's thinking, i think yao is underrated, indeed... what i wanna justify is, i saw some biases while people appraising him... no matter cuz too many TOs from yao or his health problem, thats not completely yao's fault. thats why we are looking for a back up center and a better pg. i also saw some friends said like "yao is completely useless when he is fronted", in my personal view, yao is no longer as frustrate as before when he deals with fronting problems... AND this guy's defense should be higher rated...
