hayes because we wouldnt get anything for him, but what he gives to us is amazing and brian cook of course!!!
Only Chuck Hayes is really untouchable. Trevor Ariza is probably 2nd since he is a good young player on a long contract.
There is probably only two untouchable players in the whole league.... Kobe Bryant and Lebron James Maybe only Lebron James because of Kobe's age. But what team would not trade their best player for either of those two? I think the Rockets trade Yao for James if it were offered.
Yao - because of the injury problems he's had, you might not think of him as untouchable. But anyone that has been watching this team since he came around will tell you that Yao is the most skilled big man in the league; not at first, but he steadily got better in several aspects of the game each year. His discipline and work ethic are what got him there. Last season, when he was healthy, he was as close to unstoppable as anyone else in this league. So even with this injury-proneness, I say he is untouchable simply for the potential he has if he can stay healthy for a couple seasons.
Yao SHOULD NOT be untouchable though. With the history of foot problems and his expiring next year, the Rockets would do well from a basketball standpoint to deal him for bookoo talent......But alas the money/face of the franchise thing always blocks that. I'll tell you this though, we've had to deal with the whims of the Chinese govt. from day one and look what it's done to Yao and the Houston Rockets. It's been a pleasure to count Yao as part of the Rocket family, but he probably needed to go a couple of years ago. The risk / reward is out of whack and I for one believe the Rockets don't need to hope against hope that he makes it through a whole year, and with the contract coming up this next year, it's a no brainer. Les and the Rockets already have MAJOR exposure now in the Chinese market. At this point the Rockets trading Yao shouldn't damage the bottom line too much as we've reached a point of diminishing returns. I know BIG men who represent a whole nation don't grown on trees, but how much longer must we endure the risk of our whole season going up in flames each year? Put what we get from dealing Yao with what we get from sending out Tracy and we are good to go w/o the history of injuries. Winning titles brings $ too.
Yes, the powers that be want him here and Les deserves the monetary appreciation of our franchise that he's enjoyed. But c'mon.......
Only in theoretical terms. From a practical standpoint, players like Dirk, Roy, or even Tyreke Evans are basically untouchable. In the sense that you can't come up with any realistic trades involving these players.
At this moment, Yao and surprisingly Shane Battier. I say Shane because he right now is the unquestioned veteran leader of the team. McGrady's future is way up in the air, so all the younger guys are probably looking to Shane (who I think actually has the longest set contract on the roster) as the most accomplished. Luis and Chuck obviously are right behind him but Shane the brain runs this team and is probably the reason 3 years after JVG and his coaches left, our defense hasn't lost a step. Maybe next year, he's touchable or if we completely bomb the rest of the season but if we are going to the playoffs, Shane is the best veteran to have on the roster to help both on the court and to get the younger guys heads in the game and maintain playing like a team.
Fair statements but the reward/risk factor has to be high on the reward because with a healthy Yao the possibilities are championship caliber. The dominant center position is becoming scarce in the NBA today and to have a man of Yao size will be very crucial to getting them to the finals. When people talk about moving on without Yao, I keep thinking of seeing videos of people in the late 80's saying the same thing about Hakeem. Now I know different situations but there was a group of people thinking the Dream could never win and makes me think what if they did get rid of him? Yao is no Dream and will never be but the pieces are becoming a high quality team with almost every position being able to compete with the best of the league. Patience is all people can do but thinking about championship keeps hope alive. Not remembering the 2 championships due to being young I still have faith in the Great Wall.
I'd say probably the closest player to being untouchable (besides Yao) is Carl Landry. He has the most potential/upside of anyone else on our roster and still has a GREAT contract through the end of next year. However, I think Landry could still be traded if the right deal presented itself (McGrady+Landry for Paul+Okafor, anyone?), so I wouldn't call even him untouchable.
Yao Ming, who is our franchise player is untouchable. Not only is he our best player but also brings much additional revenue and status to the owner and his team .
Yao......when he's healthy he's arguably the best big man in the game, and I would say he's 2nd behind Tim Duncan. Even though he is never healthy, he brings a lot of marketing business and Chinese business to this team. He's vital whether he's playing or not. Playing would obviously help though.
