Chad Ford Insider Chat----Yao question....

Still not enough Chad Ford? Even Sina's reports are more accurate than his.

 

I saw this - and I thought it was funny how he never answered the question.

The question, should Yao get the max

the answer - he is too mechanical to be the star people think

thanks Chad

 

He answered the question - if the Rockets don't someone else will.

I think Yao is worth the max.
But I also would trade Yao if I could get a star, a starter and a #1 draft pick in return

3 very good players (at least one star) for Yao, nothing less.

 

I don't do it - Tmac came here to play with Yao (not Odom, Brand, or Boozer)

- people on this board (and on talk radio) seem to confuse under performing (i.e. not playing to potential) with poor performing (i.e. bad player)

... 22 pts and 9 rebounds while battling Shaq and foul trouble is NOT a poor performance

13 and 12 from a guy that is capable of scoring 40 is UNDER performing though.

... you pay him the MAX and you are glad to have that chance - you lock up the Yao, Tmac show for the next 6 years - worry about the pieces in the off season

 

Great post.

 

Good points. He will be paid the max and IMO rightfully so. He has shown enough talent and potential to warrant it. He may never be of 'Dream's' or Shaq's stature, but he will be a franchise center for years to come. This is why TMac WANTED to come here. This is why Shaq advized TMac to come here. I also find it funny how people seem to downgrade Yao so much when we have VERY knowledgeable ex-players, coaches and hall of famers who talk nothing but great things about him and his future. It's about adding the right pieces, maybe right coaching staff, and/or right system around him to get him to excel.

 

LOL.

Chad Ford never ceases to amaze me. How can you make a living as "an insider" while using quotes from various newspaper articles as your "opinions"?

 

I actually think you have a good point, if we could get 3 good players around TMac, the Rockets could go places.

 

Don't forget Yao so far has been injury free. The wrost thing could happen to a max contract is Grant Hill or Vince Carter case.

 

I agree guys, I'd pay him the max, I love Yao etc etc

But I wouldn't turn down something you just can't refuse either...

say- Curry, Deng, and 2005 #1 pick

or - Chris Bosh, R. Alston, A Mourning and 2005 #1 pick

or- Brand, Livingston, Wilcox and 2005 #1 pick

These are steal deals, that's the only thing I would risk Yao for.

In other words I dont' want to trade him. And I wouldn't unless it was something obviously pretty sweet.

 

I have to agree, if the right trade came along I'd jump on it. I personally don't think Yao deserves the MAX based on his play. He does however deserve the MAX based on what he does for the franchise. He sells items, and most importantly puts people in seats. That is why he will get the MAX. I personally think there are probably 8-10 players in the league that really deserve the MAX and are out of everyone else's league. Yao is a great and dominant player, but I don't think he's with that group yet.

Pugs

 

say- Curry, Deng, and 2005 #1 pick

Now that's a trade I wouldn't make. Curry is as much an underachiever as Yao, and his defense and rebounding are even worse than Yao's. More importantly, he's in a contract year and will be seeking a near maximum deal. So we would be facing the same dilemma. I'd still rather have Yao Ming than Eddy Curry. Luol Deng is going to be a good player, but he's not a star. He'll be a complementary player for a good team. Kid is a winner, though. The Bulls have traded their 2005 #1 pick to the Suns in the Deng deal.


or - Chris Bosh, R. Alston, A Mourning and 2005 #1 pick

I'd consider this one if we don't take on Mourning's contract and get rid of some of our own dead weight. The 2005 draft class isn't very promising at this moment, though.

[B}
or- Brand, Livingston, Wilcox and 2005 #1 pick
[/B]
Replace Wilcox with Kaman and I'd jump on it.

 

The bulls pick is garbage. Based on our draft history, I wouldn't count on that. The Clippers' pick will be around 11 ~ 13 too.
But Brand and Livingston are steals. Overall I think the 2nd and
3rd trades look good.

 

Good points-- Actually I don't know enough about it all to put a good trade together, I am just saying I would do it if we were able to rip someone off on the deal... Really do something one sided.

I guess I like the fact that Yao locks up the center position for us and he has some good potential and already is a very good center (with some issues) so I do want him hear long term and it will take the max.

But If I could reshape the team younger with another star to compliment TMac and throw in one more starter and a #1 pick- hey if somebody wanted Yao so bad they would give up the house for him, I would do it for the Rockets.

Yao is not a Shaq or a Garnett or a TMac or Duncan-

He is an all star though. Believe me I love Yao, just love the Rockets more.

 

BTW- There is a precedent of what I am talking about in the NFL

Remember when Dallas traded Hershel Walker to Minn for players and a zillion picks.

It got Minn Hershel Walker
It got the Dallas Cowboys 3 Super Bowl Rings

 

There were many bad trades too.

Are you sold on Tmac? I am not. I am not even sold on Kobe.
Tmac + a star + starters are not enough to be a contender.

 

I think you all are crazy. If Yao wasn't the kind of player who demands a double team, he wouldn't be worth the max.

It may be hard for some of you to realize the true value of Yao until we get the right pieces around him, but (Yao + TMac + high percentage shooters who can defend) = Championship-contender. If you get the right players (and coach?) around these two, you have the potential for a dynasty.

You don't trade that away unless you get offered a tremendous deal. Something on the order of a star PF plus a good defensive center who rebounds well and a point guard.

Isn't that too much, you ask?

Yes.

Why so unreasonable, you ask?

Because once you make that trade, you aren't likely to be able to improve. You will have 2 max contracts plus at least the size of another one between the PG and the center. You will always be close to the championship, so you will be unlikely to improve through the draft. You may luck out and win one or two championships.

Our current situation is actually more favorable. We have some albatrosses right now, but we only need to accumulate the right role players and we will be set. The albatrosses will go away and we will have the opportunity to get the players we need through the MLE and the draft.

Look at the team right now. We have crap at the 4, mediocre PG play, injured and old players, and yet we are still competitive. That alone should tell you something about the potential of Yao and TMac. The very first year after we gutted our team to get TMac, we're just as good as last year. Wait until we build around these guys!

 

Forget it, as long as Les is the owner, he will never trade Yao, that's basically is throwing money away.

 

The question I have is that does Yao really have that much trade value around the league. Teams seem to have figured out ways to contain him defensively, and his weaknesses are getting exposed this year. Of course he's still a unique commodity from a business standpoint, but I think that his overall trade value has dropped considerably since last summer.

The Rockets should definitely be open to listening to offers for Yao. Nobody is untouchable on a mediocre team. I'm actually curious if CD has had offers for Yao this year and I wonder what those offer might be. I agree that if we do trade Yao, we have to (1) get a young all-star in return (2) get rid of bad contracts (3) get draft picks (although they seem rather worthless with a coach like JVG in charge).