Then how can Yao ever become a superstar. A true superstar. How many HOF's do you know that didnt work hard for the superstar status? Grueling practices makes players turn into Legends. Trade Yao
No amount of working out or days off from practice can even come close to nullifying the effect that an NBA season (full or partial) has on your body when you're a 7'6 post player. Forget about the fact that he plays year round.
Nate McMillan has good advice for his players. http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1208487312210951.xml&coll=7
There is no need to trade Yao. 1. McGrady and Yao are both valuable assests that needs to stay healthy. A rare chance for the rockets to aquire this duo. 2.Finiancially the Rockets will hit a huge brick wall if Yao was traded.
I don't know...we are the ones that pay him MILLIONS of dollars and the NBA is the reason why Yao Ming is a worldwide household name... Does he have to play for China until he's 35?
hopefully yao and china do well in the olympics. if they do, i think yao has more say in what he wants and he'll choose to play for the rockets. china has to start developing other players anyways. give yi and other guys a chance to shine. the rockets are on the cusp of championship contention and we need a healthy yao to do that. we can't have him missing a ton of time with injuries that mess up a promising season.
I think this is a touchy subject for some, but I do agree that he has to decide what is more important, the rockets or playing for his country. I dont think its necessary if he completely retired from the chinese national team, but he should only participate in the big events. No athlete, regardless of their size or physical make up can withstand the rigors of playing professional ball year round.
You expect him to retire and leave billions of people dissapointed and frustrated just because NBA? Believe me, the biggest honour is to play for your country sometimes bigger than to play in the playoffs for some players especially if you have billions of people behind your back and expect you to win something because you're an icon of national sport. On the other side, I'm glad that Yao's gonna play for China, I want him to see how's he doing and handling the injury, also I want to see him how he finishes at the rim, did the injury bother him to much? Also it's gonna be a good intro to NBA season, when player goes wrong in season they put up a stupid reason, he played on summer for China? So? He's a professional, he can handle it, it's the same if he played or trained anyways...
stupid reason? . his injury this year is due to a STRESS fracture. do you know what causes stress? playing in the olympics is the absolute right thing to do. that's the biggest event in his country right now. what we are saying is AFTER the olympics, he needs to cut down on his commitment with china unless it's a big event (ala olympics). nobody that big who weighs that much can withstand all that. anyone with knowledge understands that.
Nobody has a problem with him playing in the Olympics, but they do when he plays in meaningless games/competitions. It is great that he wants to represent his country and I applaud him for that, but he also has a commitment with the Rockets. He should choose one or the other, but it doesnt mean he will .
Stress can also be caused by having a billion people looking over your shoulders. You are THE icon for that sport in the most populated country in the world. Half the people don't even watch you play unless it's a major national game and then they will either praise you unduly or trash every aspect of your game. You want hater? Listen to some Chinese people talk about Yao Ming. They all root for him, but they think he's terrible. A stiff. Couldn't move to save his life, can't defend a YMCA league MVP. They hold him to SUCH HIGH expectations, and when he falls short, they thrash him to no end. It's the same as the people who have put their faith and T-Mac, and since he hasn't delivered, hate him because he let them down. Except the Chinese people use Yao Ming to brag about their nation's skills, and when he doesn't deliver, it really makes them look stupid. Yao has to play this year, and play well... However, I agree, after playing all out in the Olympics this year, he HAS to cut it down. Somehow, somewhere, he has to cut down on his national team commitment if he's playing for the Rockets.
i don't think yao will ever stop trying to play for both sides, as much as i'd rather him devote more time and energy towards the NBA i believe when we signed yao we also agreed to allow him to play for his country when asked/called upon. the worst part is he doesn't get much or any rest. as hard as he works and as much effort as he puts into staying in shape and preventing injuries he still gets injured often, as we've seen the last few seasons. but then again there's a common injury issue with centers 7feet and over. if he was an inch or two shorter i'm pretty sure he would be a bit more agile
This is so true and will probably be what will happen. There are average folks in China who believes visa-versa on what we think...that he should quit the NBA and concentrate on his country. Both views must be satisfied. I see a dark ending for Yao. I'm sorry to say that. He may end up like Earl Campbell after his playing days...in poor physical health, a broken body, and a former shell of himself. He will be an example of the tragedy of being such a pressured international star. I hope differently, of course, but this is reality.
