If Yao is the same height& weight as Duncan, i think its OK for him to play more, maybe 36mins cuz he is younger than TD. But he is 7'6& 310, has played 67 games in this season, 4 more than TD. it's close to the playoffs, i think RA can rest him if the opponent is weak like wolves without Al Jeffson
A leisurely 30 minutes was a good way for Yao and the team to work out some kinks in their offensive sets. It was also a perfect game to help Yao recharge after a double OT game and get ready for two tough upcoming battles.
I don't see the correlation between weighing more and the need to play less minutes. Here's the deal. Last year he averaged 37 minutes a game, this year its 33. You flat out can't complain. And if you consider averages for star players on playoff teams, 33 is an awesome average to have. Now, maybe you have a point about playing him 30 minutes when we were beating them that badly. But the win is more important. We can't afford to go "well, this is an easy team, lets give Yao the night off" and potentially let Minnisota sneak a game at home. This is where you point out how the Spurs are resting Tim Duncan against easy teams. They aren't doing this because they want to, they are doing this because they have to. Tim Duncan is playing injured. And is it really working? I mean, just a week ago they were 4 ahead of us in the loss column. Now we are a victory against the Spurs away from potentially grabbing the #2 seed.
I agree Yao should be rested a bit more, but given our current schedule, we may no longer have the time for that.
