http://www.probasketballnews.com/story/?storyid=639 MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT YAO With Houston center Yao likely to miss all of next season with a left foot injury, the Rockets can't be feeling very good. But at least general manager Daryl Morey appears to believe now there's a better chance Yao's career is not over. "Probably more optimistic," Morey said of how he feels now in comparison to when the initial concerns surfaced. "We're feeling better about the prognosis going forward." Morey said he doesn't know anything yet about a timetable for Yao's return, and declined to discuss the treatment options he is considering. Morey said the team expects soon to have an announcement on which option is selected. As for now, the Rockets must fill a huge hole. Pro Basketball News asked Morey what route they're likely to go. "We're going to probably have to trade for a center," Morey said. "That will probably be the plan at this point. I think there are a few free agents that maybe later could be fill-ins, but I think most likely we'll address some of our needs through a trade."
That's Morey talking the company line to not diminish Yao's value. His foot injuries might not end his career but they potentially could keep him out every other season or for long periods of time. The Rox would be insane to resign him for another max deal with his injury history. I wonder how much trade value Yao will have when he comes back, if there is any Morey needs to weigh all offers.
No choice but to be optimistic about Yao. He is still a Rocket and a valuable asset to the team. Have to protect their investment.
uh...what else is he supposed to say? he's the face of the franchise. even if his career is prolonged, he's not going to play like the yao we know and love. he'll be a better version of Z if he wants to prolong his career.
quick question: maybe I missed the announcement (I doubt it though), but has Yao said what he's doing yet? I know it's most likely that he's out all next year, and I've made my peace with that, but has there been an official announcement yet? If not, why not? Wasn't there something put out saying he was making a decision within a week? It's been longer than that for sure...
Here is the explanation from Jonathan of chron.com, but to me, the surgical treatments could end his career too if the treatments are not successful. Either ways, we do not want to depend on Yao too much at this point. "Hello Jonathan, Daryl Morey has been frequently saying he is very optimistic about Yao. Does he mean his foot is not as bad as most people think? Or Is it because the most likely scenario at this point he can comeback mid-season? Just curious of Mr. Morey's words. (In Yao's case, reasons for optimism would be that the surgical treatments would solve his problems wirth that foot and that he would be able to come back and have a successful career. -- Jonathan)"
If the Rockets are actually counting on that, they are buffoons. Yao will always be at high risk for foot problems with his size. There is abundant historical evidence for that.
lol, nothing is luck or optimism with Morey. Yeah sure, sometimes he gets lucky, most times, he just does his homework. Who did you think suggested T-Mac should apply for a number change during last season, so that now, T-Mac can save face by saying "I turned it in before Ariza" Who did you think suggested we insure our injury prone superstars lol Who did you think leaked the first story about Yao's injury, then gave Gortat a chance to come to Houston and save the day for cheap only to be turned down. Morey wanted to get both Ariza and Gortat but Gortat screwed himself out of the best deal of his career. Sure, he would have made low salary the first couple of years, lol, but once you enter Morey's system and play accordingly, your value will rise. Morey is building a young team, but he is not building a lottery bound team. He is building a better version of the 08-09 Blazers. With Morey, we will always be contenders each year, the only difference is the players that we are contending with.
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=146352 Next next, move on. Yao will always be the Rockets' golden egg; he will be a career Rocket.
