Wow seriously? You do realize if we somehow traded for Oden and signed him for 3-4 years at 8M Yao would probably want to be paid the same amount. We'd end up committing 16M a year (essentially a max player contract) on two of the most injury prone guys in the league. If it was me I'd probably stay away from Oden unless its like 3M a year. Oden's got some serious structural problems on his legs. Its not like Yao who had freak accidents year after year, his last injury he just went up for a layup/rebound and his knee popped out and got chipped. With someone like that its not a question of if he'll get injured, its when. Age means nothing at this point, just that you can expect him to be even more injury prone and probably retire at age 30.
I rather have Roy when he return heathy...but definity not Oden..we all know he is a bust yao > oden: when heathy and drafts yao = oden: in injuries
This is all speculation. Everything from Oden hypothetically 'setting the market' for a 32-year-old Yao to just assuming that it's impossible for Oden to stay healthy merely because he's awkward and uncoordinated. Hell, Hasheem Thabeet runs like somebody shoved a pineapple up his ass yet I don't hear anybody accusing him of being an injury waiting to happen. All I have to say to this nonsense is look at somebody like Antonio McDyess. How many full seasons has he played since he went through that slump where he was having season ending surgery every year? Look, I'm not making any excuses for Oden nor am I trying to pretend like 82/328 games is even remotely acceptable. The point is we desperately need a center and we lack the draft picks to tackle this need the conventional way. Unless you're content with trading for a chump like Brendan Haywood at $8-10M per year these are the type of alternatives you have to consider.
Yao ain't 32. That's an exaggerration.. These Oden haters will not listen to us, if they catch us lieing.
Everyone knows the Rockets need a legit C, but to give up anything for a guy that is VERY likely to break down again is foolish IMO. Comparing him to McDyess is being VERY generous as Oden's injury history is far worse. If we could get him for free, sign him for very cheap and have team options for years 2 and 3, fine. The Rockets will be doomed to repeat Oden's history (and their own). I cannot get his latest injury out of my mind. There was no contact whatsoever and Oden's movement toward AB was not extreme at all. Whatever portion of next season he plays will be on eggshells. We need a C for next year.
It's not a lie at all. It's actually simple math. If Oden accepts his qualifying offer and expires after next year (regardless of whether or not he gets traded), Yao will be 32-years-old by the time the 2012-2013 season starts.
Understood and I can't say that I disagree with your logic. Maybe Oden really is toast and destined to be Sam Bowie II. I can't definitively say that's not the case. The McDyess comparison was more about the frequency of injuries than it was about the actual injuries themselves since he also went through a slump where he was having 2-3 season ending surgeries in a row (and everybody just assumed he was just done as an NBA player). The point is: it's possible to overcome that stigma. And further, while saying Oden's injuries were worse than McDyess' -- it all comes back to down to the hit-or-miss nature of microfracture surgery. We have successful cases, we have unsuccessful cases. Oden's future is still unwritten in my book.
Injury to key playes killed this team for the past few years. I would be shocked if Morey took this risk.
C'mon now, let's be more balanced. It doesn't just come down to the "the hit-or-miss nature of microfracture surgery". It comes down to Oden's skeletal structure not being able to handle the rigors of playing 82+ games per season in the NBA. After missing his entire rookie year and playing 61 games his 2nd season, he only lasted 21 games last season. I repeat: 21 games, and his injury was non-contact! Duh, of course his future is "unwritten" because it hasn't happened yet. Next year will either be totally lost or little will be accomplished because of re-injury fears and then it's a roll of the dice how long he lasts in the 2012/13 season. My position right now is the Rockets should wait until the summer of 2012 and then consider their options with Oden if they still want him. But they can't wait that long to address the need for a starting C. He is a pipe dream. If he is ready for training camp in 2011, they can give him a cheap 3-year deal with team options in years 2 & 3. But even then, they better have real option for a legit starting C because Oden will probably break in pieces and leave them with a void in the middle otherwise. For the record, I like Oden a lot. He is a very nice, engaging guy who is also from my hometown. Wish him the best but the Rockets shouldn't waste much effort trying to get him.
There's nothing unbalanced here. He just had microfracture surgery and that's the injury he's currently recovering from. It's no secret. Sure, the one leg longer than the other element is likely a factor throughout all of this. I'm not a doctor so I can't back that up. But since there's so many M.D.'s here on the BBS, I'd like for somebody to explain to me how Oden could play in HS and college with no known injury problems (attributed to the leg issues) yet the moment he steps onto an NBA court he's getting all these injuries. Is there any explanation other than just bad luck? Does having one leg an inch longer than the other completely wipe out a basketball player's future? If not, what's the long-term prognosis? Basically, I'm searching for something WAY more convincing than "Oh, we've dealt with the Yao/Tracy thing over the years. We, as embattled Rockets fans, know the complexities of knee injuries as a result". That seems to be all I'm hearing. And I get it: he's injury prone. I get it: he's awkward and uncoordinated. That still doesn't explain to me why his future needs to be so bleak.
Pretty sure Dejuan Blair did stick a pineapple up there a few years back. That's my contribution to this thread.
