There's no harm in signing him to a cheap deal. It's worth the .5% chance that he becomes somewhat useful. An MLE deal though? See ya, Yao.
I'm not remotely a Yao hater. I think he's a great guy and I wish him well. I just don't want the Rockets messing around any further with him as a player.
I say we sign him and get him to lose some of that weight. I think it will make a huge difference on his legs if he plays at 280 instead of 300. We dont need him banging around in the post anymore, we have a legit offense now. What is sorely missed is Yao's defense and shot blocking. If we can get like 40 good minutes per game out of a combo of Yao and Thabeet with the remaining 8 split between chuck, patterson and scola, we have a western conference contender. Yao needs to take a page out of the Mark Eaton handbook and just stand next to the basket with his arms straight up.
yeah, he tried that. he fell down and hurt himself again. <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UDq78AUXBmQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
yes, sir. the injury that shut down the previous season was in the playoffs the season before that.....right?
If he does come back, he'll be more like Sabonis than Walton. Sabonis was overweight and couldn't even run, let alone jump. But he was still a presence on both ends. BTW, I still don't get the "Yao era is done" thinking. Who says it will still be Yao era if he's signed for the min.? The Yao era is indeed done. Yao won't be the same player ever again and he won't be an important piece for the team. But he could still be a good 2nd-3rd string center. I'd take Yao over Miller to play that role everyday.
why tho? why not get the exact same, and have it not be Yao. many others players can do what he does.. why do we have to continue Yao? i love yao. but good lord we don't need him on this team anymore. get out of the mud
Bingo. While we're no longer building around Yao, we would be foolish to think that if Yao is going to come back that he couldn't be a part of what we are now building. Yao at 50% is better than 75% of the big men in the NBA.
again..for how many minutes? how many games? why will this year be different? no one is arguing that yao isn't good when he's on the court...we're saying that he's NEVER ON THE COURT. i'm not sure how we keep missing that point.
b/c for some reason, fans of the rockets live on this planet called Pluto sometimes..... they buy into Yao makes Les money, so the rockets are better off. I've seen how libeal this board is... and it beats me why many fans think the opposite of their stance.
Everyone of us have been teased into believing Yao would come back strong from injuries. So what. What is the risk at bringing Yao back on a favorable salary? Minimal risk. The Rockets are most likely going nowhere next year, barring a trade landing superstar talent. So it's every bit worth the risk. No one has to get their hopes up, thinking can Yao lead us to a deep playoff run, he's not the focus anymore. I came out and said it was time to move on after the last injury, I've changed my stance, IF HE COMES RELATIVELY CHEAP.
Right on --I agree with all of your points. He move like Sabonis did, but isn't as skilled as a passer as Sabonis and is better in the post -- but otherwise, very good comparison. And your take on the "Yao Era" is well said -- the "Yao Era" is over, but Yao (contrary to what RocketsPride's post) might be able to do things as a role player that almost no one else could duplicate.
Miller played about 15 mpg for about 60 games. Can Yao do that much? I don't have much faith either. But do you know how much they are paying Miller to do that? I'd still say that if he is willing to sign for the min. it's a low risk gamble worth taking.
I'm not saying that this year WILL be different, but I am arguing that Yao is the type of player who overcomes injuries not the kind that succumbs to them. This year may not be different, I have no faith that it will either -- but I do have faith that Yao will put everything he has into trying to make it different. As Rockets fans we did not get that effort from McGrady and Sampson, but we will from Yao. And, when it comes to injuries, that is the thing that allows people to become productive players again. Besides, if we reconstruct the team not to be based on having him, and we can sign him cheaply, it would be stupid not to sign him as a role player.
huh? what's the evidence for that? the man has had multiple injuries over the past few years. he's played a grand total of 5 games over the last 164 the Rockets have played. I disagree. None of this is Yao's FAULT. And I don't mean to insinuate I believe that. I think it's simple physics. His career is following the same trajectory of all other players who've played at 7'5" or taller in the NBA. Serious injuries leading to limited minutes by their early 30's...retirement before 35. Except NONE of those other guys logged the kind of minutes that Yao did earlier in their careers. As orthopedic surgeon, Kenneth First, said...the super-bigs just aren't made to withstand the pounding of the NBA game. I don't think his good attitude is going to change that. I don't necessarily disagree...I'm not sure I agree either. I don't know what he'll be looking for in terms of compensation. I don't know what it "costs" us in terms of other players. I don't know any of that yet. But I wouldn't be making waves and all excited about signing Yao Ming at this point in his career. If someone is willing to pay him MLE money or anything remotely close thereto, then I'll be disappointed if the Rockets match. I think at some point...even psychologically...it's time to cut bait and fish somewhere else.
LOL, pass the crystal meth. Yao ain't putting up no 20+ PER for ~30 minutes a game like Sabonis did between ages 31 and 35. He probably isn't even putting up 20 of...anything.
