Sounds like they can but not sure. Sounds like they're working to get the DPE and also fielding calls at the same time.
Thats assuming he cant play again. What if he plans to attempt a comeback? A team that's successfully helped players come back from injuries might be willing to roll the dice. Assume that Yao agrees to sign after this season to the vet minimum for a season; you're essentially looking at a T-Mac situation, without the headache of inopportune comments to the media and much more marketability.
It can happen. But I seriously doubt Yao can come back to play like before without injuries again. 18 months rest and another fracture in just 5 games.What can I say.
Well, it didn't kill me when they traded Hakeem (although I thought it would)...this won't kill me either. Hate to see Yao go, but hopefully if he ever plays again it will be with the Rockets.
They would have to actually use it first though. If you just get the DPE and then trade Yao, without first using the DPE, the DPE 'expires'.
This sucks. He should retire a Rocket and I was at least hoping the team could sign him to a small contract in the off-season.
actually do you think he would accept a trade then get bought out and come back to us? We need to re sign then trade him with a no play clause stating he cant play for heat/lakers/celts/mavs/spurs. Maybe then I would do it :grin: .. He willl only be 31 by the time he comes back. That scares me.
I am wondering if Denver would be interested in acquiring Monta Ellis in an Anthony deal. Yao and Brooks to GS, Ellis to Denver, other assets to Denver, GS gets rid of Monta's contract and they get rid of another expiring deal (Gadzuric) plus they save megadollars with Yao's insurance money and get to play circus out there with the Asian population base (Yao and Lin). Denver gets Monta, Budinger, plus a couple future picks, plus we use our TE to get Denver under the lux tax. We get Melo, another expiring or two to use with Jeffries and add a big.
Wow - what a double asset to a financially struggling team. An expiring contract PLUS $8 million cash. Plus Les could even throw in another $3 million with the trade. Time to get predatory, and buy ourselves a superstar.
So did we the Rockets know the from the start that this was a season ending injury? When did the stress fracture happen? Also isn't there something about not being able to trade an injured player?
I'm not sure about what happens here. I know that a DPE cannot be used if the disabled player comes back from injury prior to the DPE being used. I think the league could very well disallow the Rockets' use of the DPE if Yao were traded, since that would be the equivalent, perhaps, of Yao "coming back" before the DPE is used. Still, I could envision a scenario in which Morey uses the DPE as part of a larger "Yao deal", in which the DPE is used to acquire a lousy MLE-or-lower-sized contract from the other team, and then in an immediately subsequent trade, Yao's contract is traded for additional assets. Technically, I think this would be a way to contravene such a rule (if it is a rule). Also, I see many scenarios in which that DPE never gets used, anyway.
We would have a better team than the nuggets two years ago 08-09 Nuggs Billups/Carter Iverson/JR Melo/Kleiza Martin/Balkman Nene/Anderson Vs Lowry/Lee Martin/Williams Melo/ Shane Scola/Hill/Chuck Nene/Miller We are two deep in each position, better than that of the biggest roster 2 years ago.
I used to think the same thing about T-Mac....He's yet to come back to full strength, but he's been a solid bench contributor on a mediocre Pistons team. Zydrunas Ilgauskus had a number of knee issues at a late stage in his career, but Cleveland started managing his time better, worked on his strength/conditioning, and he played a number of successful seasons in the NBA. Same with Rik Smits and Arvydas Sabonis. I wouldnt be so quick to write Yao off just yet, especially if he wants to give it another shot.
