Do you guys think Rudy T will give Yao a chance to prove himself? Let's say Yao get's off to a slow start, which can be expected considering he has never played against top notch talent (that's not a knock on Yao, just being realistic). The rest of the team however is on a roll, and everyone is healthy. The Rockets are above .500 and are on pace for a 50 win season. Will Rudy T risk damaging chemistry to play Yao (similar to the way Griff was treated early in last season)? If Rudy T does do this how do you think the Chinese Gov. react to Yao getting limited minutes? Just a question.
Eeesh. It was only seven minutes. I don't see Rudy doing drastic things with the lineup unless things are going badly, aside from experimenting every once in awhile with mismatches against certain teams. I figure he'll start Yao out slow, from the bench. I don't think Yao will start until 1) he's comfortable 2) the team's comfortable with whatever offensive plays he wants to run with Yao. I think he'll try to implement new plays with Yao as soon as he can, but he won't do it if it puts the Rockets in a worse position to win. Having said that, I think Yao will still get significant minutes regardless simply because we can't afford to leave him buried on the bench just to have Cato playing his minutes. I think we're going to need Yao's presence to get into the playoffs unless MoTay or Glen Rice or maybe even Nachbar really start stoking it.
