[SI]Rockets, GM Morey still view Yao as 'essential part' of franchise

On target, we can only hope that Yao has enough insight to see what Les is doing and rejects being demeaned. This is not about Yao's best interests, it is about corporate greed and in many ways it is to the detriment of the team. The Rockets players need to move on, know where the team is going, not be distracted by a failed era that never ends.

 

Talk is cheap. Morey is a cut throat gm. He's only saying these things cause of all the things Yao has done for the team. Unless Yao sign a super cheap contract, imo he'll be back.

 

with that mindset that morey is having, we aren't winning a championship anytime soon.

for god sakes, just give it up already and rebuild. sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and rebuild. sure we can be in the mix at the 6-8 seed, but we aren't going to be contenders.

no superstar is willing to come here so we need to get one through the draft.

 

Can it be any clearer? For those that keep doubting Yao's financial value to Les, this should settle it.

 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. That is all.

 

He's not cutthroat, he's smart, and he knows what letting go of Yao will mean if Yao still wants to play and goes to another team. It will destroy the image of Houston and will make stars weary of such management.

It's about loyalty. It's about heart versus business. It's about treating Yao with respect as a person, not as a commodity. How will you treat your franchise player in his twilight? Yao's not Melo, he's not LeBron, he's a player who has stated he wanted to be a lifelong Rocket since the beginning. You cut out the heart and the players will show you on the court how they feel about that, you can be positive of that.

 

I'm glad Morey is our GM and not 99.9% of this forum. I love his "I don't even know what that means" line. Seriously, do you people even know what rebuilding means?

 

What you said is laughable. NBA is a business. Even Hakeem was traded.

 

Deckard,

I don't think insurance is covering one cent, IIRC they could exclued 5 NBA players or so a year, I guarantee Yao was one of the 5 excluded this season.

And no, Morey won't be losing sleep, he knew the circumstances when he took the job......we are married to Yao for as long as HE wants to play, or try to play.....

DD

 

Players under contracts covered by insurance still have salaries that count against the cap.

 

And what would we do with that cap savings? Go for Melo next year? Go for CP3 the year after that? What superstar are we going to miss out because we devoted a few mil of capspace on Yao.

 

Jesus Christ people, we are not talking about the Max, $10 mil a year, or even the MLE here.

Chris Mannix did a radio interview, said he didn't talk specific numbers with Morey but believe they are talking about a smallish <MLE incentive laden contract that will not have a significant impact on cap room or any such things.

We are likely talking something like the David Andersen contract. For that kind of money, any big guy you get will have a high failure rate anyway, only it'll not be due to foot injuries, but general lack of basketball talent.


http://kilt.cbslocal.com/2010/12/21/chris-mannix-3/#more-28568

 

People like to use that phrase hypocritically. If the NBA is a business, then no one has any right to criticize LeBron. What he did was a business move, including putting on the show.

 

It would be a PR disaster to have Yao play for another team.

1. Yao is universally loved by all other NBA players, everyone respects him. Even if he never achieved his potential on the court because of injuries, he is a global icon for the NBA, his offcourt fame surpasses his on court performance.

2. By having Yao go to another team, means that a) he has recovered enough to play, b) he wants to stay in houston, c) we were not willing to give him an extension

3. Whether you like it or not, it will be perceived as disloyalty by the rockets especially if it is not a high price contract.

4. Doing something like this damages the Rockets brand, did trading Hakeem damage the rockets brand? yes
did trading Ewing damage the knicks brand? yes
did trading Doctor J damange the Nets brand? yes

5. Players want to play for storied franchises, franchises with a lot of history. The way to get that is to win championships but also have marqee players associated with your team for their careers. Storied franchises don't trade their marqee players at the end of their careers.

did the lakers trade Magic cos he got AIDS?
did Boston trade Bird when he got back problems?

 

Give him 2 million a year over two years. I would rather that he just retire and then take a job in our front office.

I guess he could come back down the line and have a solid season, but I would not bet on it.

 

Geez, you have a really warped view on how the rest of the league views Yao

Most players view him as a decent player, nice guy, but an often hobbled big man.

To compare him to Magic and Bird who have about 7 rings between them, divisional and conference championships and basically first ballot hall of famers while Yao has barely got out of the first round only one time is a joke.

Yaos worth is only defined by the 'brand' the Rockets market to China..Thats it

 

I think that is a good deal, what I lament is not being able to flip that $17.7 million deal THIS year and then sign him in the offseason on the cheap.

DD

 

Don't the Rockets carry insurance on franchise players? I would have sworn I read that Yao was insured. Heck, if anyone would be, Mr. Ming would. So you'd flip his contract for a deal that really impacts the Rocks, nets another superstar, but figure Les wants him and Morey will manage to keep him, for all the obvious reasons. Hey! That's what I think. How about that. We agree on something.

 

If they need that $17.7 mil deal in a trade, that means the trade must be major, given the salaries that must be involved from the other team(s) and given that any lesser deal could use Jeffries' contract as the throw in.

If we are talking a major trade, I don't think they'd hesitate to pull the trigger simply to preserve "Bird Rights" on Yao.

 

LOL - we often agree it is when we disagree that we get sideways...heh.

Again, on the insurance, I think it is a league policy and this is based upon my recollection of all the nonsense around TMac etc, the Insurance company can exclude 5 guys a year, and generally they do the 5 top paid guys or close to paid with an injury history.

I think Yao is right in there, and after paying so much for him in the past, I am certain they put him on that exclusion list this year.

Either way, it is what it is ....if Le$ were all about winning and nothing else he would be flipping Yao this year and trying to sign him again in the offseason.

I think Les is a smart business man, and will not want to piss off the Chinese market where he is in tons of partnerships on a personal level because of his relationship with Yao.

Therefore, it is my belief that no matter what, we would not trade him, and I think Morey understood that when he took the job.

DD