You don't need a WHOLE season to build up stamina for the playoffs. Shaq once decided to take half a season off and then played 39 minutes in the playoffs. If Yao plays 10mpg to start, 25mpg by all-star break, and 30+mpg during the season, why wouldn't he be able to handle 35mpg in the playoffs? Especially when in the playoffs, there are huge down times between each game? I honestly don't know where you get the idea that players require entire season to build up stamina. If anything, NBA players are complaining about how the season's too long.
He's been out a whole year. It's gonna take time to get him into NBA playoff shape. Give him 20-25 minutes, let him find his groove again. Then towards the end of the season, give him more and more minutes. And when those playoffs come up, we ride that horse 35 minutes a game baby. He'll be one of the most, if not the most, efficient players in the league, and most importantly, he won't have so much wear and tear over the course of the season, and should be fresh for the playoffs. I think people (YOFs!) need to realize that his PPG, RPG and the like are going to be down this year, but that it shouldn't matter one bit because his MPG will be down too. He's going to be working himself towards the playoffs. He's going to be efficient when we play him. Basically, he's going to be our Tim Duncan, our Kevin Garnett. The idea is for this ball club to WIN in the postseason, and we need a healthy Yao get anywhere, plain and simple. Superficial stats mean nothing. Luckily, Yao is one of the most unselfish, unegocentric, hard-working guys in the league and I bet he understands this. Prepare yourselves for a great season.
That makes sense for your rig. You're going to get warning signs from your rig before the serious damage occurs. As far as I know, bones don't give you any real warning signs before you get a stress fracture. All we know is that the more stress you put on it, the greater the chance for fracture.
Real person, fine. Extremely knowledgeable NBA fan. Fine. But anyone who compares a stress fracture with a Truck is....not very smart.
What happens... if under your scenario he manages to survive the season, get bounced out of the first round (short playoff run); signs extension and breaks his foot first game back next season because of your insistence of playing him max minutes? A lot of "ifs" you might say, but that is exactly what happened 2 seasons ago, except that he broke his foot in the 2nd round. If we got bounced out of the 1st round (like usual), he would've broken it last season instead.
That's why they have to trade him for a star that can play 82 games or force him to retire. They can't be stupid.
Why does Yao need to start if he's more efficient in the penalty? Why not have him play the last 7 minutes of every quarter instead of the first 7? I've always wondered why it's written in stone that it's best to have your five top players start, rather than distributing the talent so that you have the most efficient lineup on the floor at all times.
Don't mind him, he has nothing good to say about the 7'6 rocker player who dresses on a Rocket uniform who's only fault is his body. Who never ever bad mouth the team or his team mates, who never quit on his team mates, who plays his heart out for this team. Hybrid fans, pick and choose who to root for on the Rocket team. Take me for example, I don't hate AB, nor do I think he is garbage but I will root for him as long as he wears a Rocket uniform, treats the fans good, treats his team mates good. Ya I may want to trade him for Melo, but in the end if he wears a Rocket uniform I will cheer for him.
Meh, how many seasons have shaq missed? How many minutes was shaq playing when he was 29,30 yrs old? To those who think comparing a mechanical device to the human body is really missing the point of it all. Its one of the reason kobe can play the minutes he plays without strains. He basically trains till he passes out. As an athelete, you dont know your limits until u hit the wall. If you dont hit the wall then get beyond it, you will never know what you could do. Shaq at 30 was 350lbs and could give you the blues for 40mins.There was never a question of work him back slowly when he came back from injury.If they plan on keeping yao,they need to see what he's capable of handling.
Human bones and joints aren't built to withstand the pounding of 300 plus pounds day in and day out. You can increase your muscle through strength training or steroid injection, but unless Pentagon invent bionic limbs, we are stuck with the bones and joins we were born with. For a big guy like Yao, if he plays too many minutes, something's gotta give, and it's usually one of his feet.
What happens if in the act of "pushing the wall" you end up breaking Yao Ming and his foot again? Yao isn't a rig, if you overheat your rig you can go to a store and buy a new one. Where are we gonna get a 7'6 center to anchor our team? Kobe training until he passes out? Maybe when he was 18 years old, I don't think 30 year old Kobe still does that.
And with good reason. Shaq and Yao aren't very comparable as far as injuries go. I don't recall Shaq's whole career, but he never came back from re-constructive foot surgery. Apples and Oranges.
I guess u didnt see or read about the lance armstong type of training kobe has been doing for the last 5 yrs. Its called blackout for a reason and thats the reason armstrong would kick ass in the mountains. You asked the question about pushing yao and he re breaks his foot. Let me pose this scenerio to you. Lets say he plays no back to backs, only plays 20 mins a night and maybe 27 if they make the playoffs. End of the season, yao is a free agent and he signs 4yrs 50m which is about his price range. They figure he's fully healthy and starts playing him 35mins a night and he breaks his foot. Which scenerio would you prefer if u had to choose one? Would u rather he gets pushed hard this yr and breaks or hold up or do u want to barbie doll his minutes, re-sign him, and then he breaks or holds up? I know me, i want the product well tested before i pay.
You pay him with the understanding that he's no longer a 30 mpg player. If he can be very good for 25 minutes a game, there's still value in that. Most games are decided in the last 5 minutes anyway. Of course, by no means do you give him a max deal.
