...isn't Yao getting the same surgery that helped Zydrunas to play the last 8 years relatively injury free? Granted Yao is older which doesn't help his recovery, but Yao is productive enough on the court when healthy that you have to make all attempts to retain him both for what he does on the floor and what he does financially for this team with the Asian market's influence. Didn't the same amount of people who watched the Super Bowl see the last Yao/Yi matchup in China? That's crazy. I think the best case for the Rockets is they resign him at a decent medium length contract for something like 10-12mil and hope the surgery improves his health chances. I don't think the organization will seriously look to move him and will probably try their best to resign him, but I think it's safe to say they don't try and retain him "at all costs" or look to build around him necessarily from a personnel perspective. Moving forward we should really be regarding Yao as a piece that puts us over the top similar to how the Lakers view Bynum. We need to look to establish a top flight team without Yao as a priority and anything he brings to us, is just a bonus. Call me crazy, but I think Houston is going to try and make a run at a franchise player in 2010. Maybe not Lebron, but Wade or Bosh might be targets. Do we have the ability to sign them outright to a max contract? No. But we are collecting pieces that would be valuable in a sign & trade for 2010.
I don't think Yao will return as the player he was. If he comes back he better be ready to take a paycut.
Don't agree, his game isn't based on athleticism and speed and his past injuries haven't hindered him when he's come back. While I agree that the the Rox should consider trading Yao if they want to win a ring. Les might just keep Yao because he's been responsible for sponsorships like the Yanjing Beer deal that paid him 6M over 5 years. Name me one player on the Rox roster that can generate that kind of income for Les.
Yao gets to take Tracy Mcvacation for a year and get some rest. When he returns he has a chance to still be a solid fresher player. If they suck next year the Rockets get a good draft pick for 2010. Yao has a lot of pride and will return and be a force again. After all, Zydrunas Ilgauskas came back from very similar problems and has not been hurt in 8 yrs.
Yao's role in rockets, first, a money maker for Les if he can still play some games. Second, a backup center for Anderson, but Yao should request a pay cut too: rolleyes:
This is major surgery. Look at BIG Z he doesn't play more than 30 min a game. I don't see how Yao will be able log major minutes.
Zydrunas didn't average 30 min a game even before the surgery. He plays the same number of minutes. Actually, his minutes were increased to 30-34 minutes a game for 3 seasons right after the surgery. Then, he went back down to his pre-surgery minutes.
Well the Lakers before getting Artest would be so up the brown creek, Phil would retire mid season claiming health issues and at least two suicides from some of the more rabid fans if Kobe's injury could possibly be the end of his career. Now with Artest, they can fall back on him and Gasol and still be a top playoff team. Sadly, with Yao and McGrady down, our offense is now on the backs of AB, Scolandry and Ariza, with maybe some help coming from the rest.
Based on Yao's injury history and his age, it's unlikely he will be able to return next season, if he can return at all. If he made it back, it's not realistic to expect him to be the same player. He will be slower, less mobile, all lead to a role player as big Z has been. Will he accept that with a small contract, or is Les willing to pay star money on a role player? No one knows the answer until after next season, but the days Yao was a star has gone, that's a reality.
we have a better chance of winning a title without yao especially with todays atheletes. Yao would be dominant in the 90s but today is for the fast and strong. Unfortunately Yao is just not that dominant and very injured prone. I believe that this team would move on and whenever yao comes back, he would just fill in. Because I highly doubt Yao would even be effective anymore when he comes back. I mean taking a year off for a guy like him can change him drastically. He would no longer be the 18 ppg and 9 rpg guy but a 11ppg and 6rpg. So it's time for the Rockets to changed everything if they want a ring. IF they're still waiting for Yao to come back, I can guranteed that we will never win a championship.
Well if that's the case then whoever did the surgery to Z should do it to Yao. I don't know that's just my opinion.
I agree with tiger0330. If and when Yao is back to playing, he'll still be the only 7'6 (skilled) guy in the league, who, unlike T-Mac, doesn't rely on athleticism. You all know his work ethic - he has improved virtually every year inspite of injuries. Is the writing on the wall for Yao because the Rockets are running? No. Adelman, like any good or even a half-witted coach, is playing a style best suited to the talent he's got. It would silly to play the same half-court style and pound the ball inside with the "bigs" currently on the roster.
Yao = Bill Walton... Another player who's career was cut short because fo feet problems was Andrew Toney. They was never the same players after those surgeries.. Granted a lot of things have changed specifically technology and medicin. I just don't see Yao being the same player anymore after the surgery. As some of the posters have already stated is not the same player, he's also not the center piece of the cavs nor is he counted on to play major minutes. So now the decision that comes down to Morey is how do we handle Yao finacially or do we trade him? And the plot thickens......
Granted Yao will be affect by the injury, IMO, the Yao-Walton comparison is overdone. Walton relied a lot more on his athleticim than Yao. For example, the same foot injury has more potential to devastating to a cornerback, who relies on his speed and quickness, in football, than a guard. Again, I'm not saying Yao will be back @ 100%, but I don't think we'll see his game being affected by the injury as much as Walton had.
...getting back in shape for him was probably easier than kicking the gambling addiction that got him kicked out of the league in the first place.
You see this post just seems like the ramblings of someone who is talking out there bum or hasn't thought this through. I think that's pretty absurd to think that Yao will come back an 11/6 guy. Have you watched how Yao get's his points and rebounds? His game has never been based on athleticism so why would a decrease in athelticism effect his game so drastically? He's the antithesis of Amare Stoudamire in that way who's game is based entirely on how quick and strong he is. Yao rarely gets boards that don't come directly to him, has never really jumped to get rebounds, gets most of his points by putbacks in the paint or by jump shots or that unblockable hook, etc. I don't see his mobility or speed effecting any of those areas. ...I also think it's ridiculous to think that faster and stronger centers didn't exist in the 90s. That was arguably one of the greatest times for centers ever - Hakeem, David Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, Mutombo, Mourning, Vlade, Daugherty, Smits, etc - and most of those guys were pretty fast for their size. How many good centers are in the league today? ...a handful at best(Yao, Howard, Shaq, ?). Yao would probably be worse off had he played in the 90s night in and out with all those HOFers. The only reason you think they are faster today is because more teams are playing small and lining up PFs at the Center spot. Guys from the 90s like Barkley, Kemp, Karl Malone, Rodman, or Weber might be considered Centers in today's game. ....and finally - what specifically defines dominant and by that definition who is dominant? When I think dominant centers, I think Shaq, Hakeem, Jabbar in their primes. In that light - no, Yao has never been dominant but I still think he is a top 3 Center in the league when healthy. To insinuate that isn't of any value because he isn't "dominating" is completely absurd. Can't argue with his injury history but I ask you which "healthy" Centers are worth having out there right now who's entire 82 game stats could compare to what Yao does over the course of the 50-60 games Yao normally plays in a season? After Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson the drop off for healthy guys is pretty damn steep(Zaza, Dalembert, etc). ...and though Yao doesn't dominate like Shaq did in the late 90s, he also doesn't have to be taken out of a close game in the 4th quarter because of a critical flaw in his game(free throw shooting) and we aren't even talking about how efficient Yao's game is(which should be of some value too). ....okay, I'm rambling. Sorry about that.
