How many minutes per game do you expect Yao to play next season, on average? I think he'll start out around 20 minutes per game, and by the end of the season it might ramp up to 28 minutes or so. On average, 25.
22-25 per game, mostly in the 2nd half. I can see him playing the first 5 or so in each quarter and stretching it out in the 4th.
30+ by playoff time. I don't care about averages because the Rockets may hold him out ala Shaq for a while.
he will pass away after playing 48 minutes of NBA level basketball. Because of this we need to get Bosh or a center with SIZE and SHOTBLOCKING ability.
For Yao's sake and the team, I really hope they restrict his minutes tightly. The last thing anyone wants is an early setback or a re-break. Yao's never been an NBA ironman, and with a full calendar year (plus) since his last game fatigue, timing, and conditioning are going to be huge things to watch. Don't rush him into the starting line up. Let him get comfortable. Make sure he's okay defensively and that he clicks with the new roster. Make sure the team gets used to the tempo and post-oriented halfcourt play he needs. If I were planning out his transition, I would: Go into the preseason and Nov with him slotted as a bench player, allowing him to get his start against 2nd string centers. Limit him to 10 mins a game until mid-Nov. Bump to 15 if he's looking well and there are no nagging injuries. Move forward with a re-evaluation and 5 min bump in PT every two weeks, but ultimately cap it at 30. No back to back games until mid-Dec at the earliest. Start him once he is good for at least 25 mins/game and feels comfortable on the floor. If he doesn't get there this season, so be it. This needs to be a transition year for Yao. Just how they resisted the urge to try and wedge Yao onto the court late last year, they need to resist the urge to dig for a star year from him. Keep the kid gloves on. For everyone's sake.
I say around 28-30. A far cry from the 37 mpg he played in '07-'08 and slightly less than his career average of 32-33 mpg. Hopefully, this surgery will have the same effect it did on Ilgauskas (it was the same surgery, right?) who came back and was able to average 30 mpg without getting injured again.
I'd say about 25 during the first half of the season. He'll probably have a season-ending injury sometime after the All-Star break, so his minutes will most likely go down to 0.
You're happy to predict that Yao will be injured again next year? I was wondering before, but it's pretty clear you're not a Rockets fan. Even the most pessimistic true fans would at least hope Yao will be healthy next year.
We are going to run him into the ground, again... Adelman will get greedy like he did two years ago when we said we were going to limit his minutes. We always say 20-25 but we see how easily he gets his shots, how great he shoots fts and we say "well just a couple more minutes." We are going to make him play 30-35 minutes and Yao won't complain because that's the way he is. I hope I'm wrong.
My hope is he'll play around 25-28 mpg, but I'm sure the Rockets will play him ~35mpg and he'll get injured again.
If you're only going to play him 20 minutes, then just trade him or let him expire. There's no point in sinking that kind of money into someone who's always injured or has to have his playing time severely limited in hopes of avoiding injury.
Playing at the high post, elbow a lot more on offense will help him as he will not be banging down low on the block all that often. Him moving around is actually BETTER for his feet. DD
