It was a predictable injury, he has been logging in long minutes and the uptempo style of the New Rockets has worn him out! He has been playing a lot of basketball with little rest in between. I'd say dump the commitment to team China, focus on strengthening the calcium and try to go below 300 pounds for next season.
i guess i cant repeat this enough, seems like some people still dont know this: A couple years ago or so he bulked up ALL AROUND. Added muscle. Then after he had his stress fracture they decided to have him drop weight up top, but they wanted him to keep his lower body the same so he could have a strong base. So right now he's UNEVEN. His upper body is almost close to the way it was the first few years in the league before he bulked up.
So you want him to get even? And bulk up his upper body? He should drop like 90 pounds then his weight would be exactly like Kareem's. To be serious though, dropping weight wouldn't hurt. I don't think you would get weaker that way. Yao does play with a lot more power right now than he did in his younger career. He's really more of a balanced center that has an equal amount of finesse as he does strength. Dropping a few pounds wouldn't hurt. Hakeem was 255 pounds, and he still owned a young Shaq. Being 290 Lbs or 295 or 300 wouldn't hurt Yao, It's not like he would be much weaker. When he 1st came into the league he was probably the only that had a chance to guard Shaq. It took a few tries to actually get it done, but double teams were still needed to be used.
He came in the league at 295, now he is probably less than 310 (according to the media). So not much can be cut. I think it is more of the playing style than the weight he is carrying. In the first couple years he played a lot of face up game that didn't involve much wrestling like his mostly low post game does nowadays. Constant wrestling for position against big guys like Pryzbilla and Oden will surely do a lot damage to your feet.
What are your solutions then? Get stronger in the upper body strength? Lose the lower body strength a bit? Completely lose weight? I really don't know what I want from him. I suggest losing some weight, get some of the upper body strength back. But I would like to see him be more mobile. I still think he can be a 20/10 guy despite that. He's relying more on power now-a-days than finesse. Hakeem was 255 as I said, he still completely dominated and guy 25/11's. Difference is Hakeem played very physical night in and night out, Yao doesn't, all the time like Hakeem did.
Are we so sure it's his weight and playing style that make him injury prone? because Shaq weigh much more than him at ~350 pounds, also plays grueling post-up style, but actually could stay healthy. maybe Yao is just another "Unlucky star"?
I dont think anything can be done with Yao EXCEPT drastically limit his minutes. Make him into a (used to be bad words on this board) a Rik Smits type. 25-28 minutes a game and let him play how he's most effective
No, no no....I'm not saying he should bulk up his upper body to match his current lower body. That would put him at a very heavy weight, probably the most ever. What i'm saying is he needs to lose some pounds off of his lower body and then gain that in his upper body, so he'd really be the same weight at the end, but proportional. So you're probably asking what's the point of that if it doesnt make him lighter, right? Well, the point is the weight is evenly distributed, therefore when he lands after a jump his legs absorb the weight more slowly as oppose to absorbing most of it almost immediately since it was mostly in his legs. Basically, would you rather jump off a chair with 45 pounds wrapped around your legs and 15 around your chest/arms (current Yao) or with 30 around your legs and 30 aroud your chest/arms?? The total weight is the same for both (60), but you have more control over it in the second scenario and that should provide a softer landing.
i think we need him to accept a major pay cut first. Then have him concentrate on rebounding and shot blocking mainly. Let him just score within a well balanced offense. None of this, "we have to pound it to him everytime"...sure he's efficient, but that'll lead to more injuries and once he's hurt its back to the drawing board, we cant be revolving our offense around him. Let him score on putbacks and OCCASIONAL jumpers and post moves. If he can lose some weight down low and bulk up his upper body some, it should make him more mobile, allowing him to move in and out of the paint easier and not clog it up. I think he can still score 12 pts a game this way.
Correct me if I am wrong, but you sounded as if you only wanted him to score only 12 points... you mean scoring 12 points in the paint and some other in jumpers and at the key, etc?
Yao can still be effective at 32 minutes per game...back in '04 he was playing 33.8 minutes per game but still averaged a beastly 25 per contest. I don't think we should have him play any less than 32 minutes, all he has to do is drop the weight down to a more chiseled and athletic 285 lbs.
Good Point. I believe that Yao could be a good mid-range shooter cause his good penalty shot skill. It is not only good for Yao's career( withouth the constant injuries), but also good for Adelman's tactic(Princeton Offence).
Agree, yao is too f-ing slow. He can't box his man out because of it and has turnover issues as well. The problem for yao isn't bullying and pushing his man, its getting the ball. Shame on the training staff for not identifying this.
Back in 04, Yao was only averaging 18 PPG. I don't know what the heck you are talking about. Yao should lose weight, but I want him to be strong still. One thing Shaq said about Hakeem was that his strength was underrated. And Hakeem was only 255 pounds. Yao is playing more like a power center now-a-days then a finesse center most people said he was or would be.
His legs have always been big. He can't lose muscle down there. Try making your calves and thighs smaller when your career requires that you run and jump. The only way to have any success losing mass in that scenario would be to literally starve yourself. Not exactly good for a professional athlete (or anyone who enjoys being healthy).
Get some tips from Artest to build more muscle so he can throw everybody around like ShaQ, that would be more to my liking !!!
Lose weight? Gain Strength? Lose pounds in lower body? Gain in upper body? Guys.... It's all irrelevant. I don't care what he does to his body. He's not going to get any quicker or jump higher. Run faster or longer or get stronger than he already is. This is a guy that will be 29 before the start of next season and he's got way more miles than that. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks and it's especially true for Yao Ming. He is what he is. A slow, injury prone yet skilled 7'6 big man who has a finesse game that's added a lot of power over the years. Physically, he's fine the way he is. The only thing we can and need to change is LUCKILY in our control: His minutes. They need to be decreased by about 2-3 mintues each quarter.
My bad, I am just tweakin today, I was thinking about 2006: 2006-07 MP 33.8 FGP .516 RPG 9.4 BPG 2.0 PPG 25.0
I think you guys have it all wrong. Bulk Yao up to ~350 so he's unable to jump, but can still bulldoze his way in the paint. The jumping is what's killing him.
Very good point. He's starting to possibly decline though, I hope he's just going to enter his prime now. Honestly, I hope Yao loses some weight at least it would make him slightly quicker. But his strength has always been good. Losing weight is some of the solution people have for why he is hurt all the time. It's not stupid thinking either. When you're 7'6 and 310 pounds, It's very hard to stay from the regular season all the way to the end of the post season. Especially when you don't even take breaks in the off-season either. I want him to get a real NBA off-season, lose 5-10 pounds, get a backup center, and limit his minutes. Those things would make him able to play all 70+ games including the playoffs.
