Agreed. 1. Hopefully what we can add on to Yao Ming will be enough. I don't know if it will though. 2. Yao Ming is more than "just" an expiring. He is insured, and he could be attractive to prospective buyers. Especially those who would like to be linked with China.
First you dont know that he doesnt want...acutally at one time we were mentioned as a desired destination. Obviously he wants to be traded to new york... but if that falls through and he has the option of going to new jeresy or to houston with nene. I think he would sign. Second, it doesnt matter what he wants really. I believe and I think morey does as well that he bluffing to some degree. If he is traded to us this year. He can use is ETO which means he is a free agent. A free agent during a lock out means...JOBLESS and PAYLESS. He cannot sign with nyk until after the lockout...which could go on the entire year or half the year or whatever. If he doesnt use ETO by say june I think the cut off is...he has 1 more year on his deal giving us 1 more year of melo and giving him 18 mil. Nuggets get the most and save the most by moving him this year...but I think melo as long as its a reasonable location signs an extension where he is dealt...at the very minimum doesnt use his ETO. Who in their right mind turns down guaranteed 18 mil regardless of lockout for a good chance at making nothing. I know its play money in our eyes but its real.
Rockets get a franchise player to build around in Igudola. Iggy>Battier Hawes>injured Yao Nocioni, good friends with Scola. even though his contract sucks > Jeffries. Brooks>Lou Williams, but Lou is used to being a backup PG so he could play the role well. Also, brooks is gonna be a free agent and no way the rockets will pay him 7-8 MIL. thats what hes probably gonna demand on the open market.
I think a darkhorse is OKC, they have been waiting to make a BIG move that won't break the bank. Yao wouldn't help them this season but they could try to convince Yao that once healed, playing with Durant and Westbrook could be the easiest route to a title. Pretty sure a third team would need to be included but players like Jeff Green and/or Cole Aldrich could be possibilities.
My guess they are trying for something big, but will end up with one or more picks/prospects rather than an established star.
Trading Yao with the intention of re-signing him after the lockout to anything above the league minimum is a HUGE risk. The fact is, the Rockets have absolutely no idea (a) the figure at which the new salary cap will come in or (b) whether the Mid-Level Exception will even exist under the new CBA. If Yao is truly going to retire after the season, then this would be a great move from a basketball (not financial) standpoint. But if Yao wants to come back, and if Yao feels he is at least worth the current MLE salary, then the Rockets risk not being able to re-sign him for next season. Possibly, but the league office is going to be cracking down on these types of transactions this season, especially after deals involving Payton, Stackhouse and Ilgauskas got many people worked up about "unfair" deals. I think that Jonathan Feigen has written that Yao/China only adds about 5% or so to the team's bottom line. Profits from NBA-licensed merchandise go to the league and are shared among the 30 NBA teams. So, Yao jersey sales don't go directly into Les's pocket. That 5%, I'm sure, is a nice chunk of change. But making the team a true title contender would likely increase team revenues by more than 5%.
I don't think there's any way Melo signs an extension if he comes to Houston. He's on New York's nuts way too much. Just my opinion.
If the auction for Paul starts, I see the Rockets playing the role of the dummy bidder, setting the price, but one of the more serious teams will bite the bullet and trade a talent. Tyreke Evans for Paul? Stephen Curry for Paul? Evan Turner + Jrue Holiday? If Paul is really on the market, I think we'll get blown out of the water by other teams offers.
I'd suspect the Clippers and Warriors are at the forefront here. Possibly the Knicks. We'll see if anything happens, but if we get a rookie deal player, a bad contract has to come with it.
I'm going to say Sacramento is the team and Cousins is the target. There is a lot going on there now and they have always had good ties to Houston.
Possibly, but don't you think they would have talked with Yao about it first? Bima, don't you think the Rockets have a very good understanding of what deal the league is proposing? And therefore have a working baseline of what to expect? I don't think they are worrying about the CBA at all, I think they know what kind of deal they will be under. Agreed, unless Yao has been working with them, ala Big Z or Brent Barry etc. The league seems to be full of bluster, remember the cracking down on flopping? Rarely do 30+ teams agree to crack down on anything...other than the player association of course. Les has many more assets tied into China than just the team, and he would not be involved in those assets without Yao Ming being on his team. While it may not add much to the bottom line, it does add to the overall value of the team and more importantly to Le$' net worth. DD
Good news. Yao is the man but its needed for this team. I'm still not sure why/how we can trade injured players????
What expirings can the Kings, GS, and 76ers offer? Remember, the #1 goal is not a talent for talent swap but financial in nature. Yao is an insured expiring- free money, not sure if ANY other team can match that, and add talent as well.
It's entirely different thing between "whether it's proven" and "whether some people choose to ignore or believe". After Yao joined, Les started to do business in China and he's been profitable with that. After Yao joined, Rockets market value has increased. After Yao joined, as you said more Chinese people are watching Rockets play, although the TV money doesn't just go to Rockets only, the whole NBA benefited, but you can't say Rockets is the only team doesn't benefit. After Yao joined, some of the Rockets role players are getting nice endorsement deals. I don't know what your definition of "cash cow" is. You can also argue that EVEN IF Yao wasn't drafted by Rockets, the above would still have happened to Les, Rockets, and Rockets players, or you could also argue that it's all TMac effect. I can't prove you wrong, just from a logic standing point, it's not likely, because it's all related to China. Back to the topic, cash cow or not, it's a business. People talking about selling his contract and re-signing him afterwards are not likely business people. We should stop thinking and fantasizing about one-sided rip off deal. If you are treating Yao as expiring contract, he IS expiring contract, and he only worths that much to other teams as well. Don't expect it will gain you lots of value back. IF, a huge IF, Yao somehow manages to come back next year and is able to play again. After you trade him, IF he's a serviceable BIG man again on the court and off the court, you want to sign him really really cheap, he might not go for it, EVEN IF he might have agreed verbally beforehand. It's business, and it's all sides. Business is conducted by people. Relationship between business partners are important. Unless people absolutely have no other options, they would rather do business with counterparts they trust and feel good about. It can't be turned on and off like a switch, especially it can't be turned on and off from one side with this empty line "it's business".
It's very likely there is going to be backlash against Rockets from Chinese fans. If Yao is traded. But Basketball is a business, a business does what the owner thinks is best for his bottom line.
I was thinking along the lines of you the other day, but Rashard Lewis is a terrible, terrible contract. Therefore:
