do you know Big Z had broken bones in many times when he grew up, more than yao had before high school? :grin:
Hallelujah, it's about time the team got serious about injury management. Let's just get through to the playoffs with a fully healthy squad, and all you doubters will suddenly be singing a completely different tune.
Also, can I point out, we're a playoff team even if Yao plays 0 minutes. We won 42 games last year without a freakin' center. You don't think a true center (Brad Miller) + Chuck Hayes being used the way he's supposed to be used is enough to give us 8 more games?
I would think that limiting practice time is more important than in game time. And as that doctor said on 610, they are just pulling an arbitrary number out of their ass. DD
do i think Brad Miller = 8 wins?? absolutely not! sorry. I would imagine there are few NBA analysts who would think that Brad Miller = 8 wins.
Brad Miller, a 2nd year Chase and Hill, an improving Lowry and Brooks, and a healthy Kevin Martin should be included.... I think this team without Yao is a 48-50 win team.......with him...55+ DD
This is getting ridiculous, I love Yao, but if this is what we're going to be getting from him until he retires we'll going to need a new starting center.
i know you think they're champ contenders, da da. but his post didn't include all that...it was Brad Miller and Chuck Hayes playing his normal role = 8 wins.
I think they are contenders with Yao healthy, without him I think they are 5th seedish....and not contenders. DD
It's so frustrating. The season before last, seemingly an age ago, Yao played at such a high level for the entire season and into the playoffs. Everyone here, old Rockets fans like us and Yao Only Fans as well, were pumped, and then BOOM!! Yao's out. Out for the rest of what turned into a hell of a Lakers series and out the entire past season, with us now finding out that he'll be very, very restricted going forward this year. His most ardent fans will say "What did you expect? It's that kind of injury!" Which misses the point. We have little to nothing that we can base solid optimism on for what he'll give us and how long he'll last. Going by two seasons ago, anyone who flatly states that worrying is silly, with all due respect to those folks, is certifiably nuts. Only Yao's performance for the entire year, playoffs included (which I firmly think we'll be playing in, Yao or not), will give Rockets fans confidence going forward. I'm a huge fan of Yao myself and have been since his name popped up prior to the draft and I saw video of his play in China. You can't find a finer example of the very best in a basketball player's demeanor and approach to the game. You can't find anyone who works harder in practice and in games. You can't find anyone more loyal to the organization, his teammates, his fans, and his country. But for the Rockets, it means little unless the big guy is out there playing, and that's what drives so many of us around the bend. That uncertainty and the knowledge that we could lose him at any time, unless he proves this problem is behind him.
celtics had same sort of formula last year. Limiting garnett and other veterans during the regular season for strong push in the playoffs. It was a pretty effective strategy.
you can't up his minutes in the playoffs. the whole cause of stress fractures is the change in routine, not the amount of pounding. to take him from 24 minutes to 35 minutes all of a sudden would put him at risk for injury more than just playing him 35 minutes throughout the season
Not only will you have to worry about his health, but the dude is going to breathing hard by the 5th jog up and down the court. His game conditioning is totally out of whack at this point and limiting his minutes isn't going to help. He needs to ride the hell out of an elliptical trainer or a stationary bike in practice and off days nonstop.
From Morey: "Yeah it looks like we're not going to play him in back-to-backs, at least to start the season." Most here seemed to prefer that to some completely arbitrary hard cap on minutes. There is no news here. We don't know if Yao will play in 0, 5, 12 or 15 of back-to-backs and neither does Morey. And Morey's already said that in the playoffs the 24 minute barrier might change (it will). What did we expect? The morosity level here has been ridiculous, but I'm really surprised some people here can't even listen to an interview and misinterpret it.
Well said. I view the measurement of limit as playing Yao wisely, not only the protection. Yao is an asset to Rox as a contenter for the final at present as said by DD. Previous practice on Yao is a failure. We need a change on use of Yao. Hopeful it will work out.
How about supporting the decision made by the Rockets top brass, and try to enjoy the season with Yao playing, albeit limited minutes initially. If the scheme works then we can all celebrate. If it fails then we can at least say that they tried something different re Yao but it still failed. So we all move on if it doesn't work, life goes on, and we, at least, had an NBA season to entertain us for months during the year. If it works, then maybe, just maybe, we could have a very exciting year. We are given a choice here folks. We either sit back and relax, or whine and over analyze the Rockets' decision and feel miserable during the season. I say give it a chance but put Clanton and Jones on probation too for this year.
