All the Yao doubters please chime in.

2 more years till the rox draft yi lian jian or whatever his name is....then rox will have a great PF. This kid is supposed to be 7' and fast and can dunk like he is jet li. At least thats what i read.

 

I guess that will be up to the Rocket's brasss.

 

Lets get rid of Yao so A: it will make the Yao bashers happy and B: Yao can mature into a great center some place else.



I am worried that if this were to happen, some day Yao will come back and kick our a$$es

 

I was never sold on Yao as a cornerstone/franchise player. He's tantalized us moreso than EG with promises of being the future of the franchise, but has faltered time and time again. There are plenty of excuses for him available (culture/language barrier, fatigue from year-round play, etc).

Still, I think that in order for his growth, and for the Rockets' success, he needs someone such as Steve at this stage. He can shoulder the burden of being the focal point of the offense (sometimes), but he needs someone else to take the blame for him right now. Steve is the scapegoat for Yao. That's why Yao needs him: defenses still respect Francis and Francis takes the media blame.

Now, that was just a tangent. I think Yao will be a good player in 2 years. Dominant (on the same lines of TD) may not be a plateau he will reach, though.

Edit- Just want to add, though, that whatever happens, I'll bleed Red and Gold/White and Blue/Red and White, through the good and the bad.

 

I definitely agree with A and partially with B. I enjoy watching players that play with the heart and determination Francis has, so I would be dissapointed to see him traded. I'm sure I'd come around to enjoy the Rockets again, but I'd be pretty angry for awhile. With part B, I don't think Yao Ming is a player you build around, but I don't think that necessarily brings about the Rockets doom. I think Yao can be a good player and an important part of a championship team, but I don't see him as the next great center that can carry a team. BTW Yip, I don't care if you put me on some list or not, I'd actually love to see Yao prove me wrong, but more importanly, prove me wrong by doing it with some emotion and personality.

 

First of all lets get some things straight...

Juugie, Summer Song Giver, Amed always seem to attack Yao in order to defend Francis. Now, I can see their point about the problems with making Yao a leader when he may not be that type of player. But even still, I think when you weigh all the positives and negatives of Yao's game. He's a KEEPER! PERIOD!!! Even though he may not be the leader of this team. That's beside the point.

See, what Juugie and Amed have in their heads is that Yao NEEDS to become Akeem or Jordan. They wont accept any other solution. They NEED Yao to become those type of players in order to justify making Yao the leader of this team. But not everyone feels that way about Yao. But they seem to think everyone does.

I think the attraction to this type of thinking stems from their "blind love" of Francis. This just clouds their judgment that much more.

But here's the problem with those type of expectations in Yao. They are completely overlooking the concept of TEAM. First and foremost a TEAM should be the ultimate goal. Not some stat-loving, individual playing, monster-like, super-star image that Juugie and Amed seem to have in their heads about Yao.

Yao may never play like that. But that still doesn't negate the fact that this team can still build around Yao and succeed. And with the proper mix of players, and substantial talent, the issue that Yao does not reach the same level of Akeem WILL NOT MATTER.

There's more than one way to skin a cat! And TEAM must be the golden rule in building for the future.

This is why the Spurs might win three championships. They acknowledge that Duncan can't do it alone. And they bring in the best talent, but also talent that fits Duncan's style of play. And it's that TEAM that makes them sooo dominant. Not just Duncan, even though he's the focus.

So, Yao does not have to play at the same level as Akeem in order to make a decision to keep him. It's getting the right players around him to make his play better. And once you have that TEAM in place you wont see individuals playing on the court anymore, but ONE cohesive UNIT.

 

It's impossible to debate this issue without knowing what player (s) the Rockets get in return.

SF for TM?
SF for EB?
SF for RA?

The arguments for and against would be different for each possible trade.

Raven

 

TEAM?

The whole concept people have of TEAM is getting players who will give Yao the ball. How is that team ball? Yao doesn't dive to the basket, every shot Yao takes is either a long jumper or a fadeaway. His fadeaway is the same as an ISO. Give Yao the ball, clear out and let him shoot. I'm tired of this lie about TEAM ball. It's not about team ball at all, it's about Yao ball. Please, just admit it people. You believe Yao is the man and can handle it. OK, let's give him a chance then.

 

Do you understand the concept of moving w/out the ball? Do you think our guards do that well? Or do you see a lot of guard play that resist giving the ball up and prefer to just take the shot themselves? They don't resist intentionally. They do it because they only know one way how to play. What about turnover prone? Francis 4.2 TO in the play-offs and 3.7 for his career? Come on!

And the idea that Yao plays ISO, but also shoots 50% is kinda overlooking the benefit of that. Don't ya think? Remember, he's just one part of the puzzle. And a good one at that.

Now, that being said, bringing in players that can pass/shoot/defend/move w/out the ball will make the team better. Not only does Yao benifit, but so does the whole team. I think that you are sooooo used to seeing our cluster-f*ck of an offense that you have a hard time visualizing how this team can play when players move w/out the ball; unselfish play.

Also, you need to get rid of the idea that *everyone* thinks that Yao is "the man." He may not be. But he's a keeper. Period!

I mean, don't you understand that a Yao, Allen, Barry would be a better TEAM than a Francis/Mobley/Yao team? And it's not because Yao would play better individually. It's because the three of them (Allen/Barry/Yao) would play better TOGETHER as a UNIT.

So, the TEAM concept is not evident in the current team. Duh! But it will with the proper players.

 

What if he does it the Tim Duncan way instead? Steve does have emotion and personality, the thing is, he sometimes lets it fuel his performance, but MOST OFTEN lets it overrun him into doing boneheaded clumsy plays and turnovers.
Emotion isn't a positive if it's constantly reckless and rarely controlled.

 

You have a point, emotion is not always a necessary ingredient to being a great player. However, concerning Yao, I want him to play with more fire because I think he NEEDS it to be great. There isn't anything wrong with that either, MJ needed it, Magic needed it. In that weeklong stretch where Yao played so well, he was playing with the most emotion I've ever seen out of him and with a big smile on his face as well. If Yao had been playing with the same exuberance in the playoffs, we wouldn't be talking about trading a 3 time all-star and fan favorite, we wouldn't be talking about any of this but how we'd just upset the Lakers and what a great, young, up and coming team we have!

 

Yao is no where near Tim Duncan's level, not even close.

Tim Duncan is probably the most reliable, consistent player in NBA since his rookie year. He gives you 22pts, 12 rebs every single night.

If Yao can provide similar stats, say 20/10, night in and night out, nobody will even argue we should rebuild around him. But the fact is he could be brilliant in one game, then he will give you 12pts / 7 rebs the next 3-5 games; he could have MVP-like stats in one month, make us forget the existence of Francis, but next two months you will doubt if he is the same guy. He was the main factor why Rox struggled in the last month of the season, because he is the focal point of our offense and he is so damn inconsistent.

 

Firstly, I will always bleed Houston. One player will never, ever change that. Being such a fan certainly encourages patience though.

Secondly, loosing SF3 will be a loss, IMHO.

Thirdly, keeping Yao for ANY reason will be a huge win.

Is he the player to build around? We'll probably figure that out in a couple of years.

 

It is funny that People can say it is unfair to ask Yao to be Hakeem/Ewing, although they have been critizing Francis all day for not being Kidd/Nash.

Rockets will be a lottery team if they lose SF.

 

I agree that Steve is much more of a leader than Yao, he just isn’t the leader of a championship team. More like the leader of a lower seeded playoff team. I’d rather take my chances at building around a big man that lacks leadership skills than trying to win in the Western conference with a guard lead team. Even though neither choice is particularly appealing.

 

Nothing against Steve, but current Rockets' mentality of showing up in the big game while lost interest in lesser game has everything to do with our leader-- Steve.

 

Letting yall know what you already and if don't know well here you go:

B) Yao is not someone to build around and reshaping the roster for him will lead to the Rockets to doom.

If Yao emerges next season or the season after that, as a Franchise player and doesn't fold in big games and shows up in the important games down the stretch run and in the playoffs, then yeah, I'll say I that I was wrong.

 

Stevie has heart, no doubt. We should keep him, if we can't get good value for him. And it looks like if Steve is traded, we Won't get good value for him. So why do it?

The question is, is it worth it? I believe Yao likes Steve and would be disappointed if he leaves. Yao is a loyality type guy so the "deal" better be getting someone great in return.

Also, Yao needs to get better. But is that in doubt??? For all of you who things Yao has peeked. Can you be certained?

All I know is that he is getting stronger and better in the low post. And he's still shooting great with range and have great FT percentage. Also, if you think that Yao can't defense, then you are not watching the same games I am. He's changing shots, giving help defense, and doing all the things that he's suppose to do. Now, do I wish he was a better rebounder? Sure, but he will need to learn to rebound in the NBA. Did he improve from last year? Will anyone here bet that he will not average double/double next year??? And really, that's besides the point. He will be better next year because that's in his blood, to better himself in this game, all the time. The only problem really is his stamia. He plays too much and needs a long rest.

 

I didn't know Jet Li can dunk!