If the rockets can get martin,hill,and top 5 pick for mcgrady, why not shop yao? Best case scenerio, he plays 25 minutes and avg 14ppg 7 rebs in 2010. If thats the case, why not try to offer him up for lopez if they strike out in free agency? At this point, i would take marc gasol for yao.
why would he have a tough time getting up and down? Without exaggeration, there is no other star in the league who could weather a broken foot better than Yao Ming in terms of maintaining the efficacy of his game Did you not see Yao hit over 90% of his free throws with a busted foot? Did you not see him play like 2 games with a busted foot in the playoffs and still score? As long as Yao can jog up and down the floor he's worth 20 points per 35 minutes... there's literally no other player in the league who could lose explosiveness and still be effective. And that's the absolute worst case scenario. A worst case scenario beyond any rational expectation. Doctors have said there's no reason to expect anything less than a full recovery. Yao naysayers are like people who are afraid to ride in planes because it might crash... do you have any rationale basis for that fear or is it simply some superstitious and illogical fear beyond rational expectations? Logically, Yao's foot will be stronger with the pins and the healed over bone. Yao might be reinjured at some point (as any player in the NBA) but it wont be related to the injury he has atm, and there's 0 logical reason to expect that he wont make a full recovery and be able to play himself into top shape by the 2011 playoffs.
Since folks still don't understand words like "if" and "pretend" let me clarify: I love Yao, am optimistic about his recovery and return, and want him to retire a Rocket. The reason for this poll is to see whether or not the T-Mac Apologist Camp's constant declaration that given the BBS's disdain for McGrady, Yao must be in for a brutal return - something I don't believe has any foundation in reality. I think the poll bares that out. The reason I didn't put this front and center is because I don't like "leading the witness" in polls. For the record, I only voted for the final option.
This is a hard question to answer - because for one, what is "Star Form"? Frankly, if he puts up 16 and 8 he's doing well - with the changes in the offense to be more of a Princeton type - he's going to get a lot less looks, and a lot less post-ups. Most of his post-ups will be off multiple passes while he cuts to the paint - not him getting the ball on the low-block as he did in the Gundy-era. And with T-mac and Rafer gone - it will less dunks for Yao as well. I am not sure Martin is going to get the ball to Yao either. But I do think Yao will be physically where he was at by the end of the season. It will take him 3-4 months to get it back.
Doesn't change what i think of him but would trade him for spare parts. I would also try to sign Ilgauskas this offseason to a big part of the MLE if Yao seems not ready to go.
I think Yao before the injury was still showing progress in his game. He was more physical, agressive and assertive to go along with the best jumpshot of all current centers and freethrow percentage. It is suggested that an athelete coming off a major injury takes up to 2yrs. to regain form, that being said morey and his staff will have to make a decision based on the probability he can regain his form. I haven't given up on Yao but to say he will average so many points, rebounds,minutes and blocks is rediculous because the team has changed alot already this year and the unknown future for next year he may not be able to play with anyone he played with in 2009. scary isn't it. Yao is big and that's what the rockets lack and when healthy is arguably the best center in the game today.(true center that is) Yao will be back in every way in Houston.
15 ppg is reasonable but 10 rpg? Yao struggle to average 10 rebounds per game when healthy. I know most of you guys are expecting Yao to just come back and picked up where he left off. But that's not going to happen. He's not young no more (30 years old is old for Yao). We all have to considered that he suffered so many major injuries the past few years. If he was younger like 25-26 years, then maybe but 30 years old..../ Yao Ming big frame isn't going to help him much either. Plus, he missed the whole entire season and when he returns, he will struggle big time with fatigue along with trying to play at a high pace again. When he returns, it would at least take him a couple of months to get used to the game again. So by that time, it would be mid Feb or March. Yao is not going to walk right onto the court and be effective like we all think. He is a hard working player but in order for him to get back into playing shape, he has to play. But I think Rick will sit him a lot because if he's not ready to go, Rick is not going to let him play (Just like Tracy). Yao Ming was already slow and has a hard time keeping up with the fast pace of the NBA. He even said that during the All Star game, he struggled so much because he just couldn't keep up. The Rockets are not going to adjust their game just for Yao Ming who's been hurt most of the time. Its the other way around. Yao Ming has to adjust to playing with this new team. Why? Even if Yao was the cornerstone of this team, the Rockets aren't going to adjust the team just for Yao. He isn't reliable enough for the Rockets to do so. I mean why adjust the team to Yao when we know he most likely going to get injured again. So many set backs. So many disappointment with Yao Ming over the years. He is a good player but his injuries had prevented this team from reaching their full potential. With Yao, there's always the What If question on what if he's healthy. By looking at his seasonal games played, its not getting better. After his first major injury, the Rockets were saying that Yao won't get hurt like this again. But it happened, more than once. Its getting worst. His injuries will happen again, and he's not getting younger. If he manage to stay healthy over the course of the season, he wouldn't be a star caliber player like he once was. He would be more of a support player, not the main guy. His size would help this team a lot but the Rockets cannot rely on him again because it would only end in a big disappointment. The Rockets cannot afford to keep waiting until he's healthy again. Sadly, Greg Oden is going down that same path as Yao. So whatever production he gives us is just a plus, nothing more, nothing big. He won't be a star when he gets back. 15 ppg and 8 rebs is a very generous prediction. Don't expect Yao to be putting up the same numbers. The thing about his injury is because of his big heavy frame. So, he's not going to lose any weight and I don't know how much longer his foot would hold up. If he plays throughout the entire season without getting hurt, then most likely it will occur in the playoffs. Major injuries take a big toll on any player. But for it to happen more than twice, its not a good sign. Look at Elton Brand, he was a good player like Yao. Both average around 20 and 9. His injuries have taken a toll on him. When he's finally healthy, look at his production. Right now, Elton Brand is nothing more than a big bad contract. After the next season, Yao would be a FA. He would probably demand more than a vets minimum. If the Rockets signed him to a big contract, they would be in the hole for years with a player that is very unreliable. If Yao takes the vet minimum, then it would be a good signing. But anything more than that would be a bad contract considering how injury prone he is and that he is declining fast.
terrible options for ur poll.. i woulda picked ''he shouldnt play more than 28 min'' or ''we're in deep dog crap if hes our main piece next year''
So what if he makes his free throws? But the question is, can he play at a high level if he is guarded by a big, strong athletic player that is going to keep pounding him in the paint? Yao Ming is a good player before all the injuries. When this injury happened, Doctors were unsure if Yao can ever recover. It shows you the severity of this injury. He's not getting any shorter and he's not getting any lighter. He's tall and big, that's why he keeps breaking down because of his massive frame. So most likely, he will go down again. Yao Ming isn't all of a sudden become effective and play at a star level again. This injury would take months for him to play at a high level again. Right now, I think I would rather trade Yao for a more reliable Center that we know can stay healthy without worrying him breaking down. That's why the Tmac and Yao era was a big failure. Everytime they both fall down, everyone freaks out thinking that they're got hurt again. The Rockets always struggle with injuries so many times in the past. So why would the Rockets continue to rely on Yao who has a good chance of getting hurt again? If the Rockets have a chance to trade Yao for Brook Lopez, they should do it. Right now, Lopez is still young but he will be better than Yao Ming. The Rockets do need size but they don't need a player that going to get hurt again. Years of setback due to Yao's injuries really prevented this team from going far. That's why the Rockets were never considered contenders because Yao Ming and Tmac always get hurt. They always said that " well this team would be an elite team but Yao and Tmac always get hurt". If the Rockets have a chance to trade Yao for great assets, I think they should do it. The team is young and growing right now. They don't need an aging Center who is declining and struggle to stay healthy. Yao Ming isn't dealing with minor injuries, his Injuries over the years are serious. Sure he recovered fine the first few times, but we have to realized that he can't keep dealing with this issue.
Mamba, be careful with your great reasoning or you will be labeled a yao hater by the peanut gallery.
Options 2 and 5 for me. He'll still be a great player with a great legacy, but if his body just can't keep up, or he can't get back to form, then no hard feelings towards him, but he needs to be traded. We need a star, and his salary can go a long way towards that.
Well the good news is even a broken down Yao isn't a terrible player. His skillset doesn't rely on athleticism or quickness, so the shooting and passing will still be there no matter what. An 12 pt, 6 reb statline is really the floor for someone like him, and considering we already have Scola, Martin and AB to pick up the scoring slack that's not really too bad IMHO. To me what Yao can really bring to the table (and what we really lack) is Defense. As long as he can stand straight and clog the paint, then he will improve our defense significantly already.
I agree with your reasoning however if you'll trade Yao Ming you don't trade him for Brook Lopez. Lopez will never be better than Yao Ming, in fact broken down Yao Ming is still better than Lopez, someone who was the only person who was present throught most of the Nets' worst season in franchise (and maybe league) history. Lopez may put up good stats however he's still a creampuff on D, and a C that is a defensive liability is a pretty useless player IMHO.
What are you talking about Mamby? Yao is the big, strong huge player that is going to do the pounding in the paint? The rest of the league is who will be worrying what to do to stop him. make no mistake about that. He has owned the bigs in this league for a while and their is no reason to think he will not continue that dominance. His injuries have not slowed him down in the past and speed is one of his least important assets anyway. Lest you forget at 7'6" 310 pounds he will be the punisher not punishee. Yao will come back fine. There will be a period of about 6-10 weeks to get back into game shape and then he will be normal if not better. The problem Yao is his feet can't support his frame for long periods. So yes if they do nothing more and he plays all year at 30 plus minutes a game they will give out again. But that is not the plan. His surgery was specifically designed to protect him from repeating the injury. he has new and vigorous excercises for both feet to strnghthen. He is taking the summer off and the Rockets will manage his minutes in the 25 to 30 range nothing more. If they do all that there is no reason to believe he won't have a successful and long season. Of course I could be wrong but it is more likely you than the scenario you expect.
