Huh?!! Hakeem WAS a Rocket during the years that mattered. When he left Houston he was just another crappy player, ahd nothing to offer us anymore. So if Yao wants to leave Houston when he is 38 years old, by all means, "see you in Shanghai !!"
Oh, nothing to worry about here, he just heard Steve-O repeat it so much that he thought it was some kool slang
Oh I am just kidding, don't give me the , I loved Hakeem more than any other player in franchise history. He MADE us and put us on the NBA map. I am very grateful for his time here, but I was thankful he left at the right time, so we wouldn't feel obliged to keep paying him and delaying the rebuilding process for the team with the younger guys. I wish some other players would learn the same (Biggio and Bagwell, are you listening? )
hey, i believe it should be YAO at this point to do everything he can to help the team and be loyal to the ROX, not the other way around. As far as I can tell, the only player that can be ABOVE a franchise is KB. Even Tmac got traded after his feud with that stupid gm.
As far as the "team Yao" argument goes, I recall vividly from Yao's book that he and Team Yao mutually decided from all of the teams he could have been drafted by that Houston was the best place for him to go. It was the place they named as their #1 choice. So if we're going to start talking about ping-pong ball conspiracies, we could pretty much only point the finger at our own club as the benefitting party. There's quite a bit of evidence suggesting Yao intends to stay in Houston as long as possible. There's pretty much no real evidence suggesting he has any desire to leave. So, what you believe comes down to a choice, really.
True, but this is a very different Rockets organization than the one that drafted Yao Ming. I don't know whether "Team Yao" has an agenda. There are, however, both basketball and non-basketball reasons he/they might consider New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento, or Golden State above Houston. Free agency resembles college recruiting much more than NBA draft time. Yes, Yao Ming could've pulled a "John Elway," but such a move could've also potentially hurt his marketing value, both here and abroad. There were a lot of questions about whether he would be much more than another tall stiff. Right now, he is proven enough that all that is left to wonder is whether he will be able to exceed someone like Ralph Sampson. Also, remember, "Team Yao" was in its infancy at the time, and the major players were not professional agents. Such may still be the case, but do you honestly believe that in the interim, they have not consulted with the likes of Scott Boaras? Perhaps, but the physical absence of Hakeem Olajuwon has not done much to devalue his investments in land and infrastructure in Houston. As to his parents and the restaraunt, despite the abundance of marvelous eateries in this city, it is impossible for one to have the "buzz" like a hot spot in New York or Los Angeles.
Unlikely in lalaland... Let's say Yao Ming is a) willing to leave Houston and b) come here for $20 million less than the Rockets offer. To preserve even that slim chance, the Lakers would have to move one of the big three — or everyone else, including their 2005, 2006 and 2007 No. 1 picks by then.
I know the Rockets can offer more than anyone, but is it THAT much more? Damn, that'll buy a lot of video games for Yao.
It'd be a big mistake if Rockets don't want to offer max contract to Yao Ming, it is even more stupid to think Yao Ming is asking too much for being a max player.
I think Yao has to negociate with JVG to set up a balanced in-out or out-in game, otherwise hes gonna be underachieved forever. I guess he does think about leaving at this momen if he had the chance.
[David Alridge]: Lakers want Yao And in other news, the sky is blue, water is wet and Lindsey Lohan has big breastesess.
I like how you come up with this magical and mysterious group called "Team Yao" that you only know about and that you only get information from.
