I think Von wafer ( if we sign him that is) is more effective with Yao on the floor. he can penetrate and dish Yao the ball, hit open shots and drive and finish when Yao's fronted. as far as the PG position, i dont think brooks will be as effective, he never really played well with Yao because he's not a good play maker, but his three point% will probably go up with Yao drawing doubles. i think pretty much everyone will benefit with Yao in the rotation, landry and scola will now get open looks a lot more times, and they are both pretty damn good at hitting midrange shots.
No one will get better or worse, per say than they already are. Some players might see a decrease in their numbers, but I wouldn't say they'd get worse depending on their individual performances. More players on the team would most likely see things get easier, because they aren't being double teamed or guarded closely. Unless, teams simply start to figure Yao isn't what he used to be and go at him (one on one). On the other hand, the wing players who like to live in the paint might find it a little harder to operate at times. Still, I don't think it is a big problem, since Lowry, Brooks, and even T-Mac could find ways to get into the paint, often with Yao in the game. Finally, it is a totally fallacy to expect Ariza to become a better player when Yao (or another good all-star) comes on the court for the Rockets. That will not solve having an erratic shot selection, missing wide open 3 pointers, and come up short on defense. Battier hasn't been great in several games this year, but he has been consistent on defense and even outstanding against some great wings in this league, while being a step slower. Ariza is flopping as the Rockets' starting shooting guard, if I had to choose one player. Most of the other players on the team are taking their games to another level and doing more than what is expected of them, yet it seems like he can't improve even though he doesn't want to go to the bench to help the team. If it were T-Mac arguing about going to the bench or not accepting the role very well (that has already), I'm pretty sure posters would come out in droves criticizing McGrady for not being a team player or accepting his role with the team. Yet, you have d@mn career backup shooting guard/occasional starter complaining about going to the bench. I understand more from T-Mac's pov than I would Ariza. T-Mac has been all-star player for most of his career, and is offensive threat on every play whether it is scoring or assisting a scoring player.
When Yao returns, Scola will be gone. I don't think they will resign Scola, because of his age and declining athleticism.
Can someone post the link where it gives an explanation of why we don't want to keep tmacs contract. How the salary works and trade scenarios. Thanks in advance.
Well, yeah. Everything depends on the assumption that Yao will be back and healthy. Is there a reason why you think he wont make a full recovery? From everything I've read the prognosis is that his foot will heal up even stronger structurally than it was pre-injury.
AAAAAAHHHHHHH why cant we just let Yao go...Were never going to win a title with him as our centerpiece...Its time for a new era...An era with no TMAC and no Yao...Its time to restart and try something new..
Easy, Scola and Shane benefit from Yao's slow game... The rest are gonna hurt from his return... Like keeping a race horse tide up to a pole letting kids ride on their back.... T_Man
Being 7'6" tall and 300 pounds and playing in the NBA.....that is my reason. I just have serious doubts he will ever be the same. DD
Yao is compared to Big Z because both had the same type of surgery. But it took Big Z two years to finally get back and playing consistently. But Yao is not young anymore. He just cannot come back onto the court at the age of 30, had over a year off from basketball and all of a sudden be an all star again. That will not happen. His age, his frame, his weaknesses, his fatigue, this guy wouldn't be the same. Yao wouldn't be an All star player any longer. But most likely be back in because of his fan base. But the all star level played will no longer be there. Most likely Yao would be a good back up player. But for sure, he wouldn't be the main guy for Houston any longer. If Morey don't make a move for a superstar or all star soon, it will hurt this team simply because they still believe Yao is the best player on this team. When Yao had this last injury, most predicted that he wouldn't be an all star caliber player anymore. This is a serious injury. Just because they say that they made it stronger, it doesn't mean that he is at full strength. It meant that his injured foot shouldn't break again. But there is no guarantee that other injuries will hit him as well. Tracy's era is done for. Yao...well his era has been over since the last time he went down.
Why is Von Wafer still being brought up? This guy isn't on this team and the Rockets will not sign him. I just don't get why many Houston Fans still think Von Wafer is still part of this team... Plus, are you saying Von can dish the ball better than Brooks? Actually, if Von was playing alongside Yao, Von wouldn't even pass the ball. Do you actually remember Von being a ball stopper? AB is much better than Von. Brooks is a better passer and a smarter basketball player.
The right question is who need to play better? I don't think we need scola and landry to play any better than now. With that low of money we pay these two we should be happy. Plus, I can't see these two have potential to become superstars. Ariza in another hand, he should or need to play better in term of effientcy. Hopefuly, he can fully understand he will be best as role player. The most important player need to imporve is Brooks. Brooks has become goto guy on this rocket team. He is proved to be most reliable scorer in this team even when Yao is back. Uncless we sign another big star, there is no reason Brooks's shot will decrese. He will get plenty of chance to lift his game to allstar lever. However, he is kind of play who play better when he is free. His scoring abitlies are not the one i worried. But, everything else need to improve especially PG's duty. To me, he is more like SG now. In addition to, his steal is awful in term of his size and speed. He should get 2 steals a game at least.
The pace may be slower at times, but we get someone in the halfcourt that can finish consistently, which we are sorely lacking. Yao on the court makes the Rockets a much better team. Too bad some don't understand that
You all are both lumping together 2 bifurcated issues. 1) will Yao make a full recovery (will his foot heal enough that he can play on it, will he be able to fully regain NBA-level stamina, will he retain his shooting touch, will he be mentally damaged by his injury) 2) will he be reinjured. In regards to #2, who knows? You 2 could well be right, but my personal opinion is that saying that his physiology dooms him isn't based on a scientific basis but historical voodoo. If they reduce his minutes, pull him when he feels pain, and dont allow him to overtrain there's no reason why he can't be as healthy as he was the first 3-4 years in the league. But with any player in the NBA you're rolling the dice every time he steps on the court, there's no way to know... In regards to #1, there's every reason to believe his foot will heal fully and allow him to play. Yao is not an explosive player like Amare, as long as he can manage his foot it shouldn't affect his basic game. I can't recall an instance of a player "losing" his touch except when the mechanics are disrupted (a jump shooter cant get his elevation, mobility in wrist is affected by injurty etc). The question is stamina, but as you say, it might take him up to 2 years for Yao to play full minutes, plenty of time for him to work back his endurance and strength As far as the pace, Yao allow the Rockets to control the pace of the game defensively and gives Houston a reliable finisher in the paint. Also bringing in a second unit that plays an entirely different pace is disruptive to the flow of the game for other teams. Generally I'd agree with people who say Yao slows down the game, but that's different from being a ball stopper, since Scola, Landry, even Battier can benefit from Yao's presence on offense
I don't think the Rockets will ask him to be the same. Under JVG they wanted him to gain weight and pound pound pound in the paint. I think RA just kind of went with that since that is what Yao had been doing but when he comes back I see RA asking to to run a lot more high post and facilitating more of the offense. I know he talked about it when he first became the Rockets coach but it just never happened. I don't think this means the end of Yao Ming deep in the post but I do think we will see a lot less of it. I expect to see a lot more pick and pop with Yao as well as pick and roll and Yao hitting Chase or Brooks as a back door cutter. A lot less of Yao running down the court and spending the first 10 -15 seconds of the shot clock fighting for position in the deep post while teams constantly pound and front him.
Oh damm! Yao will be slow and old when he comes back. I miss the days when he took people off the dribble and ran the break to utilize his amazing athleticism. Oh wait, he never did any of that.
