2 words -- Grant Hill. 371 words -- I realize that Yao's injury situation is completely different from Hill's for a myriad of reasons, including the type of injury and the fact that Yao is a much larger player. However, the factor that Yao shares with Hill and which separates them from so many other players who were taken away from the game due to injury, is the type of player and person they are. Hill and Yao are both dedicated and disciplined people. They attack the recovery process with the intensity with which they both played -- and, for each, their greatness on the court had as much to do with their leadership, effort and preparation as it did with their natural talents. On the other hand, look at players who were injured and were ruined by these injuries: McGrady, Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, Ralph Sampson. These are players who depended on their natural talents in order to become great, they lacked the dedication of players like Jordan and Bryant or Hill and Yao. So, when they faced injuries, they did not have the pattern of hard work and discipline to fall back on -- they did not have the dedication to overcome their injuries and their games were so based on their natural talent, that, when the injuries had diminished this, they did not have the capacity to recreate who they were as players. Hill did though. He persevered through his ailments, changed his game and has become a reliable and healthy player. I'd love to have him on the Rockets in fact. Yao, like Hill, is a dedicated person who is used to stringent preparation. He has the mental tools needed to recreate himself and overcome adversity just as Hill did. The main difference between Hill and Yao is that Yao is 7-6 and 300 pounds -- and those are good things. Of course, I'm not saying we should give Yao a max deal or anything, but for 3-4 million a season or so, I think we should keep him on the roster. Just think how hard it is for Magic fans to watch Hill play so well for the Suns these last few years. I do not want to be in that position with Yao.
While Yao being 7'6 and 300 lbs may help him on the basketball court, it certainly doesn't help him get BACK on the basketball court. Yao's feet can't support all that weight which is why he gets injured so much in the first place. That being said, I do agree that we should sign Yao to the veteran's minimum. I don't know if he'll ever be a legit starter again but it's worth a shot, even if Yao only comes back to be a solid backup C in the league.
I sort of agree with you. But then I saw Shaq on the Celtics. Can't really say for sure, but it seemed like having Shaq made the Perkins trade more palatable. Also - Yao never relied on any athleticism. We all can count on him to work his ass off - but I can't see him changing his game to become more resilient. Maybe changing his role could help though. I'm all for keeping Yao. But he has to have no bearing whatsoever on the direction of the team. Keep him for cheap - and keep expectations extremely low.
I just thought of Bill Walton on the Celtics. There was a guy who was a legitimate star who was hobbled by injuries - but still able be a presence on the court in a limited role. The Celtics never counted on him in their long-term plans, but when he was healthy, he certainly helped to the team to a championship. Hopefully, Yao can do that.
We shouldnt because we would have nothing to lose! We can sign him to the veterens minimum and if he plays well that would be grreat but if he doesnt we didnt pay much and it would be worth the risk
Exactly -- Great example. Walton remade himself into a role player just as Hill has and just as I think Yao can. Think how much improved the Rockets would have been this year with Yao doing his best Bill Walton on the Celtics impression.
Op, great post and thread. You're right on the money. We can't let Yao go. Especially now that we can have him on our roster for only a few million instead of a max contract. Yao, at 50% of what he was, is better than 75% of the big men in the NBA.
At the very least, a semi-healthy Yao should be as effective as Brad Miller was this season and he will probably still be better than Habeet (even on one healthy foot...)
I have two words. Cash cow. Thats pretty much the main reason why the rockets arent giving up on Yao.
Your analysis is all good, just remember that the chances of him staying healthy next season on the court is about 1% (50% he retires, 20% career ending injury, 20% nagging injuries, 9% ineffectiveness due to rust/bad coaching/not a good fit with teammates)
You might be right -- only thing is (and this is what prompted the thread) I thought the exact thing about Grant Hill -- didn't you? Hill missed like 300 games during a 4 year stretch -- but he has been a paragon of health the last four years. I really think overcoming injuries has as much to do with one's mentality and personality as it does with one's body -- and I think Yao is just the type of guy who can overcome such a string of injuries. Unlike someone like T Mac or Sampson.
You know we all want Yao to come back and stay healthy. But I just dont see it his body just cant do it.
In before the Yao hate. Sure hope we can keep yao. His lateral movement on defense has always been a concern, and would continue to be. We would be more of a half court team when he played. I don't see him going full games ,and I think we would need to watch his minutes along the lines of the way the spurs used duncan this year. No set hard cap minutes, that is BS, but watch the minutes. We still need some additional defense inside ,and not sure where we get that. I am in favor of keeping yao. I think the grind of 82 will be tough, but I see him being top 5 centers easily if he can play. Maybe that is more a testament that the center position is so weak but he could be a factor. after watching durant not get calls in the playoffs I am also leaning towards selling on kevin martin, and keeping the lowry,yao,hayes,scola core with kevin martin as our main trade piece. I think we could get a pretty significant player for kevin... not sure what or who but I hope morey is on the phone. Martin is a darn good player, just not built for the playoffs.
