not true. actually so not true. just ask yi who gets traded after his rookie season. if yao avg 5pt/2reb, the money he makes for les will just disappear, and quick. rest assured.
First of all, I rooted for the guy the entire time he was here and do not blame him for our playoff failures. Sorry, bud, this is a purely objective view of him. 1. The Toronto game. Rewatch it. He quit on the team after the moon dunk. Stood one foot inside the HALF COURT line and watched our team play 4 on 5 for three straight posessions. 2. See answer #1. See TMac's post game comments and comments a few days later. See TMac refuse to run RA's offense when he doesn't have the ball. Show me where he runs off of screens without the ball or sets picks for other players. Show me...just once. 3. Nagging injuries. Yao had MAJOR foot injuries. Kind of like when TMac missed all the time with a back injury. He has bailed on us time and time again this season. Funny, DWade played with the same problem last season... 4. Once again, see the refusing to play in RA's system. See the quitting in Toronto. See him NEVER moving without the ball and rarely defending anymore (remember the guy that played Dirk so well in the playoffs? distant memory) See Tmac's comments about not getting enough shots after he COMPLAINED for years (and I agreed with him) that he didn't have enough help 5. Tmac didn't complain in 04-05 b/c the offense was based around him. Now that we have a system where he is required to recognize the defense, set and come off of screens and make cuts to the basket...he refuses. He would be great in this offense, but he doesn't like it b/c he wants to ISO all game long. So once again, he just stands behind the 3 point line every time he doesn't have the ball on offense b/c he is pouting. Sorry, I'm no hater. I liked the guy until this season...the Toronto game to be exact. I still don't really dislike him, I just don't trust him and I think he is a me first player. Hope he proves me wrong, but I am not counting on it. Thanks for playing
Huge difference man in Yi and Yao.. I'm saying if Yao starts to average the 5pt/2rb game he will not be traded.. Yi didn't hold the Torch during the Olympics, Yi has never been in commercials (Apple, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, etc.), Yi isn't voted the most powerful athlete in China, Yi isn't voted one of the most influential people in China ( Sports and non Sports figures ). Yao Ming is China = Billions of people who will buy goods = Money.. Yao ming was a symbolic Icon because he was the 1st pick in the 1st round from CHINA.. I think the first international player picked 1st.
I think people tend to forget that he's 7'6. He's not going to be as athletic as a 6'11, 7'0 center. Name one 7'6 player that just dominated athletically and physically..
Although I scream at the tv when Yao plays bad, Yao isn't like mcgrady in that he: 1. Doesn't quit/TRIES his best 2. works hard 3. loyal to rockets, teammates 4. doesn't make excuses or blame others 5. Wants to win more than have individual accomplishments 6. "Eats the head" 7. has a track record and eyewitness accounts of being a stand up guy
carrying the olympic torch, appear in so many commercials, etc. do you think the chinese (or anybody) are that stupid to let a 5/2 bball player do all that? say yao is still playing 10 years from now and avg 5/2, you think he will still have so many endorsement deals and carry the torch? you need to go to a business school and get a degree.
DD- I'm not making excuses, what I keep telling you is that atheletes train. If you want to call it basketball shape or whatever. He's in shape as far as laymens shape. Being properly trained gor the rigors of the nba is different. When u can't train which involves more than riding a bike or doing pool work restricts what u can do. Let me say this, pro basketball players don't warmup by stretching, run a couple of miles, then go in the gym and shoot 500 jumpers. The intensity and the work those guys put in every day training is crazy. They cuts they make, the simulation of basketball games and conditions and the type of running associated with basketball games are totally different than using a star master. I can guarantee that I can take the guy that's in the best shape on this board and can guarantee they wouldn't make it through a week of high impact training to get ready for a college basketball season.
you gotta be kidding me...that's the biggest pile of BS I've ever heard. It's not like Mac got his arm blown off in 'Nam. He had minor shoulder and knee surgery, it's not like he was completely incapacitated in a wheelchair this offseason. He was goofing off, get over it.
Fooled me. You're also pulling a lot out of your rear if you're suggesting McGrady couldn't work himself into shape before the regular season. Exhibit 1A that he was well enough to run and condition himself at least as far back as early October: http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2008/10/mac_the_knife_mcgrady_returns.html http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6053598.html So even if he wasn't 100% then - are you suggesting that during the entire month of October, McGrady would have been "running with his arms tied behind his back and boards around his knee"? Come off it. He was capable, and declined to put in the effort.
I give it up... If you can't understand the impact Yao carries then there is no point.. Just remember he had the endorsements before he even stepped on the court. It wasn't about the box score.
Evan- u can believe what u so desire. No one pays my bills so I could care less. All I say is regular people workout, atheletes train. Its like night and day. If you've never played atheleticis past high school, its impossible to understand. So believe what u want.
LOL - ok, so he skipped training when he should have been...well..training....either way he was a lazy sack of goo. DD
what does that have to do with him being out of shape? He chose to take it easy and the team is suffering the consequences. How did Battier do it, then? He couldn't really run either?
