Kirilenko is max next year thus the trade works now. Yao is max year after next anyway so salaries are a wash.... I think a 2-3-4 lineup of Trace-Kiri-Boozer is tough to match regardless of Boozer's d (at least he can board) but anywya it will never happen so it's not worth arguing about...
I would seriously consider that trade, but I think Yao can still get better, and am willing to wait and see. DD
It'd be interesting to see how well they meshed... I think it would probably make them better - but I would think it would make the Rockets better if we got BigZ, Gooden and two (unconditional) number one picks. It's give us a stronger frontcourt, and options to move in the future. If we're talking about having to trade Yao, then I'd seriously think about it!! By the time Cleveland figures out that Yao probably won't be all that much better than BigZ we've snuck off with two solid starters and picks!
It's a bit silly to attribute all the success to Yao alone. He came onto what was basically a winning team.... (yes, I KNOW we didn't win many games the year we got the #1 pick, but that was because our best player was injured for a large amount of the year and we won about 1 game without him...) - the previous years we had a winning record. Put Brand into that team instead of Yao and I don't doubt that we go to the playoffs in year 1, and deeper in year 2. However, I AGREE that you don't put JRich/ answer (what's the question...)/ Pierce on this team!! Who trades a big for smalls, especially considering your best player is a small???? Crazy! Yao/ McGrady is a fun combo - I just hope we can SOMEHOW dump some PF contracts and get a "bruiser" - that'd solve a lot of complaints!
the real question is: who can't we trade Yao for? answer: Duncan, KG, James, Kobe (you'd lose T-Mac too) maybe: Stoudmire, J. O'Neal, Dirk, Wade (Shaq/Yao twin towers just doesn't make sense) yeah the Heats would trade Shaq for Yao if they have a chance. that's Yao's trade value.
All these Yao trade threads should get a separate board. Far, far away on the outer fringes of clutchfans. He's already one of the best big men in the league, and he's 24. He is still going to be a great player. To trade him for anything other than a franchise big man would be nuts. And those kinds of players don't get traded. I wonder why.
My only question is this... The NBA has never had a Chinese player before... How long do you think his body will hold up before he has to retire. I am Indian and I know tons of guys who had ridiculous amount of talent and were indian, but couldnt take it to the next level (Euro basketball or NCAA) becuase they were constantly getting injured and had to quit the game. In China, you see a bunch of really really young guys playing for the National Team. How long do you think Yao will realistically be able to play... Realistically, I see him retiring at 31 or 32 looking at his height and lack of atheletism. I dont know though, anything could happen. I love the guy and love how he commands so much attention on the court to free up our other players... I hope he can play for a long time and we arent forced to trade him when his value and depreciated...
I think the Cavs would jump on this deal instantly. Not only they do not know that Yao probably won't be all that much better than BigZ but they do not Think so as well. They have suffered for so long due to the big contract they gave BigZ and the number of games BigZ has been in. They just do not want the Rox to realize that before a trade like this. Gooden is replacible. Boozer was the proof. When he left the Cavs, everyone thought the Cavs made a mistake. But they got Gooden and Gooden proved so far that he can do whatever Boozer did for the Cavs last season. These days, first round drafts do not bring you anything. With LeBron and Yao on the team, they would attact a lot of good players to cover the loss in draft picks. Besides, the huge gap in salary, Les would have to add tons of cash to make this happen ...
Yao is 30th in ppg and 23th in rpg despite being No.1 in height. You call that one of the best big men??
The definition for a big man is usually a man as tall as or taller than 7 feet. Would you minding giving us the names who are at least 7 feet tall and scored more and rebounded more than Yao? I can only think of 1 player: Shaq.
OK, you watched many Cavs games. But have you watched enough Rox games? From reading this board, I can sense that Yao is a liability of the Rox. With BigZ, the Rox might just have the same.
I think Yao may last a while. He's only missed one game and that was due to the flu. His lack of athleticsm may actually prolong his career. I remember watching Bron Davis as a freshman at UCLA. There was just something unnatural his high-flying dunks. He trashed his knee on one of those. Also - Yao probably won't lose much quickness or elevation as he gets older (since he doesn't have any). You can see how Shaq's game has declined as he has lost some of the explosiveness he had in his younger days.
Right on. I think we will see a much stronger but not much slower 35 years Yao. There is not that much room for him to get slower anyway.
As Bobliu said, being a big man means playing down low to me. How many big men can you name who are better than Yao? Duncan, Shaq, Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, and I'm starting to run out of names. Stoudemire doesn't really play low. Dirk is 7' but doesn't play low. That's my point. He's been in the league two-and-a-half years. I think the Rockets would only trade Yao for Duncan, Garnett, or Lebron James. That's it.
When Shaq retires Yao will be the best Center in the league by default, assuming that he continues at his current pace. The bottom line is there are not nearly the quality and quantity of good centers in the league as there were in the '80-'90's. Dream, Ewing, Robinson, Kareem, Parrish, Mourning, Sabonis, etc. Great centers are becoming extinct and PF and SF are becoming more athletic and stronger - Duncan, KG, Dirk, J. O'Neal, B. Wallace. The players for the most part are just as good, if not better, but the center position is becoming less important especailly with the league allowing the zone defense. So depending on what you mean by best big men - Yao, IMO is currently the second best center right now, but if you inclued the PF position than I'd say he's probably in the top 10. Not bad. IIRC, Ernie Johnson asked Barkley who should be starting center in the West and when Barkley said Amare or Duncan, Johnson quickly reminded him the Amare and Duncan are listed as a F on the ballot. So let's compare apples with apples.
