With the current climate of the NBA, it seems like you absolutely need at least 2-3 top tier players as your core and surround them with great role players to be a true contender. LeBron and Dwight, both top 5 players in the league, could not get the job done even with their solid supporting casts. That being said, whether we get Bosh or another top-tier free agent, our championship aspirations undoubtedly depends on Yao's health. Yao's health is incredibly important, perhaps more so because of the contract situation and how it will ultimately determine the direction of this franchise in the future. All this forces us to ask and evaluate the question: Are Yao's injuries an inevitable curse to the blessing that is his size? or Can his lower extremity issues be mitigated/prevented? We all know that Yao is a hard worker, and that he is coming off a "corrective-surgery" that aims to redistribute pressure on his foot. But this might not be enough. These are some of the options that I think Yao and the coaching staff should consider. 1. Use Yao sparingly throughout the regular season, ala Manu Ginobli. In order to do this and still have a good chance at homecourt advantage, we need to have a deep team. The Rox are a back-up center away from being solid at all positions. 2. Limit Yao's game-time minutes and off-day activities to maximize re-cooperation. Management attempted a variation of this with Yao before and with T-Mac's "no back-to-back" game schedule. Hey, if Deke can tell coach that he's 42 so he doesn't want to do wind sprints, I don't see why Yao can't take it easy during practice. After all, it's practice right? practice! 3. Use innovative methods to strengthen his problematic regions (ex: AFX - Ankle Foot maXimizer) . Incorporating specific exercises such as the AFX program would not only help Yao target the muscles directly supporting the foot, it would probably help him become more balanced. How many times have we seen careless turnovers because Yao lost his footing? It might even help him with being able to establish and maintain his position in the post better. I'm not saying that this is a cure-all. My point is that you have to address the matter directly in an effective and creative way if need be. 4. Establish an ideal playing weight (under 300lbs). I'd rather have a less bulky Yao who can play more games. Even as "Yao-light", he would still outweigh 95%+ of the NBA. His personal trainer needs to adjust the weight-training regime to maximize strength without gaining bulk. 5. Have Reebok specifically create a shoe for Yao to minimize impact. No need to be cheap on a 17million dollar/year investment. 6. Monitor Yao's gait and stride to analyze if it can be corrected. Often times an improper stance or stride can cause chronic problems. A lot of these ideas have been floating around clutchfans already but I thought it might be useful to compile them together. Rocket fans all want to see Yao succeed in his come-back and play a vital role in bring home championship trophy #3. So, What advice would you give Yao?
He's not a robot. You can't always expect a guy to do things differently than he's accustomed to without holistic shifts in personality. I don't think unsolicited advice ever helps. If he asks for advice then he would have a specific difficulty he would like solving; then, advice might help.
The best advice is not to give advice at all. Frankly, we, as fans, are not really qualified to give any meaningful advice to such a professional player as Yao. Do we know more about Yao than himself and his staff?
In retrospect, maybe "suggestion" would be a better word for what I intended (Can someone pls appropriately change the title?). As for giving suggestions, I believe that no matter how much of an expert you may be in a particular field, it would be foolish not to hear out other people's ideas. People post hundreds of meaningful/meaningless messages on this website daily. Should they not propose trades or suggest recruiting methods just because they are not GMs? If you look at recent history, the ROX are an organization that often ask the fans for their input; whether it be as simplistic as next year's slogan or more serious as evidenced by Morey asking fans on how they should go after players. I want to emphasize that the goal of this thread is not to criticize Yao nor the people involved in his profession, but to encourage an infusion of innovative ideas to a recurring problem that hasn't been solved yet by these experts using conventional means. Imagine if you had gone through various grueling injuries only to work your butt off to come back... only to be disappointed again. Wouldn't you be willing to listen? The definition of an expert is not someone who knows everything, as there is no such human. A true expert is someone who can take a volume of information and filter out what is useful vs what is irrelevant and apply it.
I would advise clutfans to block posters who are trying to sell crap....nice link....the answer. And do you really think you are the first to come up with these suggestions?
1.)Bench press- expands your chest , king of upper body 2.)Romanian Deadlift- Best core exercise, low back, posterior chain 3.)Weighted Abs exercises- great transfer of power from legs to arms
If he's going to hurt his foot by jumping 10 inches to dunk, then maybe he's better off being a professional backgammon player.
None. Keep working hard. You are a complete stud when you are healthy, so do your best to get back to that. Contnue to set a great example for our rookies...
Learn how to flop, learn how to get BS calls like Gasol. If he does that he would be unstoppable seeing how he is unbelievably good @ shooting FTs
Give it ONE MORE TRY; but if you are reinjured, for the love of God, for the love of yourself, for the love of the fans, please, please retire. This agony for you, the team, and the fans must not continue beyond another injury. Another injury must be the final chapter.
