How Les' obsession with Yao Ming and money will destroy this franchise

It is like saying the Bucks make massive money off Bogey because he is Australian, initially this would be true because we don't get much NBA here and had to read box scores but once Bogut got drafted a lot of guys started following the NBA, after the initial period people starts to watch other teams like the Lakers, or even the Rockets.

Have you even been to China? It is not like Yao's face is all over ad boards, its always Kobe, D12, lBJ.

Every team with a star gets $$$ from China and apart from Yao, no one on the Rockets is close to star status.

'Oh wait he is Chinese, that means every Chinese dude watches him, just liek every Aussie gives a rats about Bogut right?

 

TLDR version

Initially before the NBA took off in China, the Yao $$$ was legit, nowadays even the Sac Kings are sponsored by some random Chinese company.

 

of course it is, there was only one other player in the 2002 draft worth a damn and he made special note not to mention him.

 

Yao was Houston's biggest mistake. I didnt see it then but i definitely see it now. I hope to God he retires after this season.

 

Off the top of my head, Mirsad Türkcan ring a bell?

Yao was Rocket's biggest mistake, Kevin martin is a super star, How do we stop Blake Griffin....God the BBS is stupid these days.

 

To be honest i agree with you, hus over his prime now and we need new superstars, clear the cap room clear the roster and lets find a new superstar !

 

I guess this is why Yi never gets traded, I mean he is Chinese, therefore every single Chinese person in the universe loves him, he kind of looks like an alien too, so he is followed by god knows how many species! Wow so much revenue, he will never be traded.

 

He's not as good as Yao. He wasn't the number one pick. Big difference.

 

Yet in your original post, you allude to Les squandering a golden opportunity because Yao is a Chinese citizen.

So why does Yi get traded left right and center?

But you already know that, because he is not very good, so can we stop with the "Chinese revenue" bull crap that I keep seeing being mentioned on this forum and how Yao is untouchable, If an opportunity presents it self I believe Yao will be traded.

Even the freakin Kings get make money off China, stop pretending that it is exclusive to teams Yao is on.

 

Anyone who thinks the Rockets would be this clingy to Yao if he wasn't a star in his homeland, a homeland with the largest population on Earth is delusional.

If Yao was a black player, his contract would be gone at the deadline.

 

Maybe we just shouldnt sign anyone over 7'3", ever.

http://www.articlesbase.com/basketball-articles/top-10-tallest-players-in-nba-history-645997.html

A lot of these guys had shortened careers or became unproductive in their waning ones.

 

If Yao was a black player, he would be a star in America, his homeland, where far more people follow the NBA than any other country in the world.

Enough, I don't feel like arguing with ignorant people, one day you will grow up, see the world and laugh at your posts.

 

Les wants to win. There's no doubt about it. If that were not the case, he'd have never brought in Tracy McGrady or Steve Francis. If it were not he would never care about bring in JVG or Rick Adelman or coaches with predigree and a history of playoff success.

C'mon, let's get real, all owners are about making money and increasing value. But in terms of commitment to winning, Les may not be Mark Cuban but he's not that far off.

He's a great owner. He supports his GM, he's willing to spend money, he is loyal to the team and the city. Geez people, do you not remember Charlie Thomas?

 

You don't even have a clue how many Chinese watch the Rockets, do you?

What's funny is you don't have a clue how stupid you are.

 

Yea, billions of people

Guys with a lot more credibility have already brought up the revenue numbers in relation to Yao and IIRC they weren't that different to what most teams are making.

Go ahead, keep thinking you are smart and everyone in China loves Yao, just like they love Yi.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=wilbon/101220

 

Hey, but that has nothing to do with the fact that the Rockets games are shown more often, just like the Bucks games are shown over here right?

"While Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are as popular in China as they are in the U.S., but the increase in the game's popularity there since Yao was drafted into the league in 2002 is undeniable."

Which is what I was saying, initially it was a Rockets only club until the NBA gained more attention and people started liking guys like Kobe.

But hey, Les will never trade Yao because he is all about he $$, despite the fact that Yao is no longer #1 in China, didn't Kobe sell more jerseys?

 

Might I just add that it is hilarious that he mentions the Super Bowl for obvious reasons..

 

If Yao wants to keep playing I don't see anything wrong with offering him the league minimum considering his health status. Hell, he was content with getting paid next to nothing to play for chinese 'pride' when he and his pathetic team was blown out during the summertime again and again which(most likely) lead to his decline in physical health. I don't see why he would have a problem playing for a TON more compared to what china had to offer so he can continue to play for the city and owner that went above and beyond to provide him and his family with everything they have. Face it, if he played for China his whole life he wouldn't have a quarter of the wealth he has now and wouldn't have anything to fall back on after dedicating his life and failing health to basketball...the Rockets gave financial stability to him and his family. Instead of thinking of the long term, he thought of how much the US has made him a better player and how he could bring China an 8th place finish...apparently that meant a lot more to him that winning a championship against the world's best players.
As you can tell I have no sympathy for Yao, he set his priorities, now he has to live with them the rest of his life. He owes the Rockets, if he thinks otherwise, we should kick him to the curb.