hi guys we all are hoping for the return of Yao next season to be a contender team again (if we add some pieces) so how do you expect him to be? as healthier as he was, stronger or weaker? and assuming he comes back in a high level, do you think that it is enough to make us contenders? like 1994 Rockets ( Olajuwon surrounded by good role players)
If Yao manages to receive the ball in the low post he will be as dominant as he always has been, the trouble is getting up and down the court and getting into position. He will still contribute and be a top center in the West IMO, it is not like his game was ever based on athleticism,
I am the eternal optimist so selected stronger and better. I read somewhere that Yao was going to dedicate himself to loosing some weight so he would fit better into Adelmans offense as opposed to what JVG wanted him to do. When Yao came into the league he had an outstanding shot from 18 foot in and was a dead eye passer but in JVG's offense he just never had a chance to show it. I can't wait to see Yao passing the ball to a back door cutter like Brooks or Chase. When he steps out 15 feet from the basket teams will be forced to honor his outside shot which will open up the paint for the back door cutter. With Yao in the game teams will not have free reign to attack the basket like they do now. Yes Yao has his weaknesses but I can't wait to see him in this new version of the Rockets offense.
I bet he will be the same as he was. It's not like we are surrounding his bones with adamantium making him stronger, the docs are just trying to make him more durable. He will come back the same, hopefully with less injuries, that's the best we can hope for.
As strong as he was. He's a work-horse unlike Tmac so he should be fine. He plays really hard out there, unlike Tmac again. His work-ethic is one of the best in the game if not the best. I expect him to be every bit as skilled as he once was. He was never athletic and so I don't expect much to change. If he does lose weight, that would be great because earlier in his career when he was skinnier and a bit weaker he didn't have so many problems with the front or problems running down the floor.
There is no reason to believe he will be stronger. In all likeliness he will be weaker. If we end up giving Yao a Max contract that will by far be Moreys dumbest move. Unless he can stay healthy all of next season and put up 20/10.
About the same or a little better. Why? 1 - Most teams still don't have an answer for Yao. He's still too tall, too strong, and too skilled for most NBA centers. The average NBA center is still going to have his or her hands full. 2 - He never had alot of athleticism to begin with and is going to blow by opposing players, anyway or lift off the ground, like Shawn Kemp with the Supersonics. 3 - He'll actually be well refreshed in a sense (after he gets re-acclimated to the game), because he hasn't been playing awhile. 4 - He's not going to have big minutes in beginning, but some way or somehow Yao is going to end up near 30 minutes a game, because the team will need him to do that at some point. Since, he is the X-Factor of the team. His injury is similar to Big Z's, but his role to the team isn't it. That alone means Yao is going to have give the Rockets a good 2 Quarters in half of play (6 - 8 minutes a quarter on average).
His contract is up next season, so he will have 1 season to prove himself. Unless he stays healthy the whole season, I doubt Morey will offer max. Even if he does, I doubt he gets max due to his injury history.
Zyd played better after the surgery than before. It's not like, say 3 knee surgeries... he ain't gonna lose speed/jump/athleticism. I think it will take him a month to get the rhythm, and then he will play at his normal level.
You guys, I'm optimistic about Yao's return, but stop comparing him to Z seriously. Z has one of the lowest IQs in the NBA, is weak, soft and is just flat out not good. In my opinion, he and Mo Williams are two guys fully responsible for why LeBron hasn't won a championship yet.
About a year and a half. Doesn't explain why he coughed it up in the playoffs. Seriously, Mo is one of the cockiest douches in the NBA. Nobody can disagree with me there. NOBODY.
Not sure if you are aware of this, but Yao and Z had the same surgery. People are comparing them because of that, since Z was affective come back after the surgery.
Yes, but don't say their playing styles will be the same. I would hate to have Yao play like Z. I would absolutely hate it.
I expect him struggle big time being away from the game so long, remember yao never played well when he missed just a few games in the regular season. He struggles with his timing and the speed of the game, so being out for a entire year it will probably take half the season if not more for him to get back to playing at a high level. Not to mention that Illgauskas even said it take 2 years to be 100%, where he played limited minutes when he came back. Which I find interesting because Rockets will need yao on the floor more than 20 minutes a game.
Tmac fans have to stay negative. Nothing new here. Nope, Big men are like Quarterbacks. Most of them are not soft, and if they are it's blatantly obvious. Z makes it blatantly obvious.
I like that statement, I really do. It's so true. Not entirely in agreement with the big Z statement, but the one about big men and quarterbacks...yes.
