With Yao, Rockets is just half level from contender. Without Yao, the team next Rockets in the West is Clippers. If Yao comes back healthy next year, let us see how much his next contract will be, and if the other teams are willing to offer Yao more.
Carl Landry will never be David West. Check the stats of "recent carl landry" (when he got scouted). That's the defense he received and will receive every night from now on. It's another story when no denfense channelled towards you, you can put up big numbers, but once teams figure you out, ......
STATS!!!! Stats are a bunch of CRAP.... Will never show the true ability of a player.... That's why most Scouts say screw Stats..
I don't know, I mean Yao is one of the best center when he is healthy, and it impossible to find 7'6 center who can do it all. He is not the most athletic NBA player, but he is very talented. But lets be honest, he is getting old and he hasn't been healthy since his first year in NBA. If I was a GM I would try to look at some other options such as trade for younger players. But as a business point of view, I would hate to trade him.
No way, and any other GM would be foolish to offer him the max for one than one season. I won't say another injury is inevitable, but I everyone has learned there lesson after he has broken our hearts at least 3 times already. I'm with the $8-$10 million incentive laden contract. Is there any way we can bump him up to $10 million with the stipulation he plays, say, 70 games? Whatever happens, as this is all speculation, I hope he retires a Rocket even if we have to sign a super strong power forward carry him and and down the court :grin:
Carl Landry is definitely not at David West's level...he was playing out of his mind before, but now that defenses have keyed in on him, he's back to a being a role player.
Quote: Originally Posted by Milos Landry at his best could be David West, no more no less. Brooks could be Tony Parker. Lowry, Budinger, Ariza and Battier are nice role players, nothing more. A team built around Yao, West and Parker would contend for a 7-8 seed, and lose in the first round just about every year. The Rockets need thier centerpiece, and none of the players on the roster fit the bill. Until they find him, I'm not sure much else matters. Carl Landry will never be David West. Check the stats of "recent carl landry" (when he got scouted). That's the defense he received and will receive every night from now on. It's another story when no denfense channelled towards you, you can put up big numbers, but once teams figure you out, ...... You are right David west is better, but not that much. David is playing starting PF while Carl is playing for Bench. David plays around 35min and Carl plays 27min. That is 8min difference. If Carl starts if you look at the stats, he can contribute as good as David West. I am not saying Carl is better than David west, but you can't assume that Carl will be never be good as David West. Because if you look at the stats, Carl is not much off from David's stats Besdies, David West bloomed in late years of his career. Carl still has potential to be good. So lets not say Carl has no chance.
Yao often stated early in his career that he expected to retire around age 30. That's the age his father retired after his body broke down, and I think since childhood Yao has simply taken it for granted that 30 would be the limit on his career, too. He's 29 now, and has more or less retired from international competition. Yao is a wealthy man by any standard with a young family and his own franchise in Shanghai to keep him busy. Obviously Yao has many incentives to keep playing as long as he is able. If he sustains another injury, however, particularly one requiring surgery, I'm not convinced Yao would choose to endure yet another grueling cycle of rehabilitation. I think the feeling of leaving the Rockets in limbo without him has weighed heavily on his mind. I think there's a very real chance (especially if he's injured again) that Yao may retire in the next couple of years. What effect that possibility will have on contract negotiation is anyone's guess.
I would agree that a team like that, with a healthy dominant center, would be a true contender. But again, you are basing this on the assumption that Yao will be playing at that level (if at all) well into his 30's. If you put Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan on that team, you have something to build on. I do not think Yao is in that category, even though the numbers and salary say otherwise, basically for 2 reasons: 1 - Health Historically, all big men slow down very fast at some point in their 30's. When said big man is freakishly large (even by NBA standards) and VERY injury-prone in his 20's, I'd say the chances of Yao reversing that trend is next to nothing. It happened to Dream, almost instantly, and he was one of the most athletic, durable centers in NBA history. 2 - Lack of Mobility When I think of superstar centers throughout NBA history, I think of an unstoppable force who can control games on both ends of the court, especially in crunch time. Yao is not this kind of player, due primarily to his extreme lack of quickness and footspeed. On offense, teams front him with smaller athletes, and the Rockets cannot even get him touches, much less quality scoring opportunities. Teams have had this book on him for years, and despite the teams' best efforts, it appears there is no way to coach around this tactic. If there were, the Lakers wouldn't have been so effective with it in the playoffs last year. The same is true on defense. While Yao certainly affects shots just with his size, he is limited in his ability to guard quicker players and can be abused by super-athletic centers like Amare and Dwight Howard. For those reasons, even when healthy and in his prime, Yao cannot take over games at the most important moments. He can be unstoppable, when teams allow him to, but he cannot dictate what happens...he is only reacting. I know the Rockets won a series last year...that is why I said they would lose in the 1st round most years. The Mavs, Suns, and Jazz have had years where they went down in the first round, or made it to the conference finals. The ebb and flow changes year to year, but there is a reason those teams have not won anything. Dirk and Nash and Deron are all really good players, like Yao, but there is a reason they have combined for zero rings. I'm not saying getting into the playoffs is a bad year, or even winning a round or 2 now and then, but the goal should be building a champion, and I do not believe surrounding Yao with David West or Carl Landry or Tony Parker or Aaron Brooks will ever accomplish that.
I agree with most of what you said. However, Amare and Dwight Howard are not good examples. Yao plays very well against Dwight. A better example would be Carlos Boozer.
Agree completely Make no mistake, I do not dislike Yao. In fact, I respect him in the same way I respect Deke...he is bigger than basketball and has handled his role as an athlete and celebrity with nothing but dignity and class. It has nothing to do with his ability as a person...I just worry about what the team may be signing up for with him as a financial risk. After almost a decade this is what we know for sure about Yao: He is a great human being He makes the Rockets (and the league) a ton of money no other NBA player can He is a very skilled workaholic who is hampered by his physics-defying body Because of his physical limitations, he cannot stay healthy and he can be completely taken out of games by inferior talent with nothing more than superior athletic ability I don't know what that is worth, but I know you cannot build a championship around it because NBA history tells me so.
As in he'll play once in your lifetime then break a foot. I'm all for letting him walk, except he'll probably be ina cast. Let him crutch.
You know, that would not surprise me in the least. Frankly, I think there is good reason to believe that he might not make a full season. His heart may be game, but I wonder if he his feet are.
An incentive based deal based a ton of sense. Something like 8 million + 100k for every game played. So if he misses all year his salary is 8 million, misses half the season 12 million, plays all year 16 million. Thats a safe route to go IMO, gives us a ton of flexibility.
wouldn't his next contract be under the new bargaining agreement? I doubt he'll get much. Prepare for a walkout after next season.
Regardless of what you think he is worth, giving Yao any kind of extension with still a season left on his current contract and coming from a foot injury would be foolish.
