[SI.com] Rockets Considering Extending Yao If Price/Length Right

AB is not making Les 5M year. I don't think the Rox will extend Yao anyway, he's done until after the new CBA so the timing doesn't make sense.

It would be a huge gesture if Les signs a guy who may never play another NBA game to any kind of deal but a cash cow like Yao might be an exception.

 

I hope this is not true

 

No please

 

Bill Walton - 6'11", 210lbs; retired at 34 (played 11 minutes per game in final season with Boston)

Ilgauskus - 7'3", 238lbs; had his injury in his 20's when the body heals faster/better

Grant Hill - 6'8", 225lbs

Yao Ming - 7'6", 310lbs (85 lbs greater than Hill; 72 lbs greater than Ilgauskus; 100lbs greater than Walton)

http://kilt.cbslocal.com/2010/12/16/dr-kenneth-r-first-3/#more-28230

snippets from that interview with orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kenneth First:

start clock over again with this injury....he won't be working on this ankle for another 6-12 months

look at "super-bigs" who've played the game before. incredible how early they break down. due to super size and the pounding on the court. exceed body limits at that height and size. bodies not designed to do this at this force...hoops not designed for guys at this size under the number of games and minutes they play. body engineering issue.

 

If you read my other thread than you know my opinion is Yao had a freak accident. His foot held up fine in that accident but a knew stress fracture occurred in the ankle. If my theory is correct than I have no problem resigning him.

In fact his accident may be a blessing in disguise. The Rockets will have to concentrate more on his replacement knowing they can not really depend on him. he will have even longer for the last surgery to fully heal. His knew injury a greater history of athletes returning from without reoccurences. (Patterson had the same injury and was back on the court in 11 weeks). The new injury will allow us to get Yao at a bargain price. If you watched the last couple of games Yao was looking like himself again. Dominate on offense and becoming more of force on Defense. I see no reason why Yao won't return to full form. In fact the play he got injured on you can see how quick his lateral movement was to jump in front of McGhee and take the charge. The only problem is he fell back as Mcghee landed on his foot. At least as how I see it.

Of course if my theory is wrong and Yao just slid over and created a new stress fracture than I see no hope for him. If he can get injured that easily than he will most certainly get injure again. If he is that fragile he may break his foot again just walking. So signing him would be just for some monetary china value. I don't believe that's the case so I am all for signing him. I would make a 2 year deal with a team option for the third. Scola like salary is okay with me. Remember if Yao returns to his old form he is worth a lot more.

On another positive note the team should realize now that these stupid minute limitations only make it harder for Yao to get in game shape. Throw him off rhythm and make the whole team suffer as they have to try and adjust. We are playing better than ever. we are winning games that we might have lost earlier with Yao. I blame that on part to managements dictating how to play Yao. It makes an already tough job of trying to substitute and play the right guys in the right circumstances.

It also takes longer to get in game shape because just as he is getting tired you pull him. If you really want Yao to get in game shape you have to push him past the point of Tired. You have to keep out on the court when he is so winded he wants to sit. This stupid 6 minutes at a time doesn't help. Also the time llimit doesn't stop his risk of getting injured. In fact it may enhance it. With the exception of his ingrown toenails, most of Yao's injuries come on one play. It only took 6 minutes of Yao's time allotment for him to get injured this alst time. If they didn't want him to get injured they should have given him a 5 minute allotment. So a hard cap on his time is just stupid.

Yao should have a soft cap of minutes. He should be allowed to work himself back into game shape and then have a soft cap. Whether that's 25 or 30 doesn't matter so much as not dictating how Adelman uses them. Maybe Yao plays more minutes in the second half. Maybe some games he goes over a few minutes because we need him in there to win. But this stupid minute control by the Doctors and management has to go. The worst that could happen with has already occurred. We are moving forward without him. If he comes back that is an added bonus. If he breaks his foot again because he played 26 minutes well that is just too bad. End of career and discussion. Anyway those are my thoughts on resigning Yao.

 

I would mind Yao coming back at the right price.

 

That means paying him 2.5M is break even, given the probable luxury tax issues.

 

Here it is:

Yao is a very VERY big man. Too big. These are not "freak" accidents because his bones cannot handle the stress of such a huge body. In fact no one's bones can.

Personally, I would resign Yao at a minimum (Not the league minimum, but at an obvious discount) if possible. Limit his minute and hope for the best.

 

ppl just dont realize yao is already super rich...

it doesn't make sense for him to take a significantly small contract.

 

I think you have to try and keep him. His size and talent are hard to replace. We're not winning any championships this year anyway (even with a healthy Yao). Hopefully we can work out a fair deal. Im sure Yao would like to stay a Rocket. But regardless of what we end up doing with Yao, its time to invest in an up-and-coming center.

 

Earlier this year i kept saying this was Deja Vu with Yao and Walton and the YOF wanted to blast me out the water...

This entire Yao situation is very similar it's scarey... The one big difference is that Yao is not battling the owners as bill did.

 

5 years, 5 million dollars.

 

I don't want to see another season where we are trying to work Yao back into the lineup. I don't want to see us depend on Yao only to have him go down and then we scrap out another mediocre season with no real prospect to be contenders.

What really is the point of all this? If you sign him...it's got to be with the thought that if he can't play a consistent 30 minutes...he doesn't play. Other then that and we are only handicapping ourselves.

Personally, I think the organization really wants him to just retire so they can move on...but they can't publically say that. Perhaps opening up talks of resigning him is just a way of pushing him towards retirement...

 

Knew this was coming; if they resign him it will not be a basketball decision. This is not even a MoneyBall decision, though MoneyBall is about money. This would be purely financial. I will give Les this, at least he didn't sign him before the season to a long term max contract; I was holding my breath on that one. But, just remember this, Yao could be a "distraction" to the team for years to come. Will he play? When can he play? How well will he play? etc. etc. Personally, I would prefer CLOSURE and move on.

 

If Yao really helps Les Alexander in his financial dealings, it may also make Les more willing to stay over the luxury tax line to keep a competitive team around Yao. Something he may not be so willing or able to do without Yao.

Ideally, Yao gets a modest deal, and Houston can build a team that stays a contender even if Yao can only be an end of the bench option. Not sure how possible that is, though.

 

Pay him like a back up center.
Which I think maybe like 2~4 million a year

Rocket River

 

if the price is right there is no problem.

 

Max, Walton weighed 210?? I don't believe it. That must have been a pre-draft number. Looked for a minute on google and found this:

October 13, 1975

But Don't Say He Beefed Up
Bill Walton has added 40 useful pounds—none from eating meat

Bill Walton is a new man, or at least 30 to 50 pounds of him is. The 6'11" ex- UCLA star and celebrated sometime center of the Portland Trail Blazers played most of last season weighing 220, but by the final weeks had wasted away to an Ichabod Crane-ish 205, or even less by some estimates. Putting him in the key against a typically well-muscled National Basketball Association center was like having a sick stork butt heads with a buffalo. But last week, as the team worked at its training camp at Portland Community College, Walton weighed 250, meaning the Trail Blazers are getting up to 20% more bulk for their approximately $400,000 a year.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090353/index.htm

The above made more sense, at least in the context of what I remember when he played. Did the extra weight shorten his career via the foot issues? Stuff for another thread in Dish, perhaps, but he only played at 220 or less his rookie year.

 

I think he will get a 3-4 yr deal with worth the MLE.

In all seriousness, where could you find a back up center at that price - if healthy could be a starter?

I'd probably start Yao but play him Back up minutes. Yao is a proud man but I am sure he would be willing to come off the bench. But in order to keep the global name on the Rockets, he'd probably have to start.

 

Make sense. Even if Yao has, say, a 75% chance of going down again, it's worth throwing a modest amount of money, say $3 mil or $4 mil, on him since most center you can get for that kind of money has a 75% or more chance of being relatively useless anyway.

At the same time you don't want to overpay him so as to handcuff yourself if/when he does get hurt.