Yao is worth the max in every way. He's the franchise on and off the court. Like it or not he's the franchise player. We go as far as he takes us.
I understand the way markets work and that he'll get it, I'm just evaluating whether or not he's worth it. If this is indeed his ceiling, then he's not,
From a marketing standpoint and bringing in more viewers and selling items then they would be a fool not to sign him. If you are looking at just basically his playing ability; then i would really want to see him improve a bit more or just get another coach that would actually let him play like he was his rookie year with so many great passes and stop be his boring self before shelling out that much money. But of course the amount of money the Rockets are already making from him being on the team as far as world wide jersey sales and getting the world to like the rockets as they do the yankees or lakers for that matter makes a big deal. The marketable you are the more you make outside of the game and that's what the rockets want as well as a good player.
Yes they do but the team does recieve a great portion of that. Not just the sale of goods help the team but the overall world wide marketing. Making the rockets a house hold name in China etc.
Yao is going to get the Max no doubt. You guys really seriously think that you have see his ceiling. You guys need to be more patient and he'll come around and from what I saw this past 2 seasons, each season he's progressing nicely. I remember someone said Yao is the kind of player will get better every year in a way that's not too obvious. There's no doubt Yao's the franchise player, you guys forget that T-Mac wants to come here because of Yao. If you really think if T-Mac scores 40 points is going to lead the team to a championship, you're wrong. We need both T-Mac and Yao to perform well to get a championship. If only T-Mac is doing well, we could end up like last season's Orlando Magic. Part of problem with Yao's consistency is that this team is just not good enough, what do we have besides TMac and Yao? not much. We're 2 or 3 good role players away from contending. You need to give Yao max so he stays with the team and we'll get some championships. It's the only sensible thing to do after we locked up TMac for several years, if Yao leaves, Rockets will become an Orlando Magic of last season.
rvpals - The only problem i see is this: JVg is seriously lowering Yaos celing. it's not completely the fault of Yao. I think under the circumstances Yao is playing to the best he can under a system that is not working for him or any other player in it. Compared to his first year and even most of his second he has completly become a boring player. The player he was in the first year, looking to make great passes to a cutting teammate are gone and now he just sets picks and plays boring basketball. I really don't believe it's him beucase we have seen flashes of what he can really do. Just like T-Mac had to bust out and play well i think yao has to do the same exact thing. Unfortunatnly i think that Yao is more humble and would not say anything and will not try to jump his boundries becuase of the respect factor he has in general. That really irks me more than anything.
Yao will get the max. But he needs to be the secondary superstar on this team. And I will second anyone who says JVG is screwing him up. Note to JVG: life is too short to be a curmudgeon; another note: Yao is not Patrick Ewing. If you can get the next Arvidis Sabonis, then you should be one happy mo-fo. Yao looks confused out there. Figure out his strengths and utilize them. Let him become a creative passer, give the ball to McGrady and let Yao destroy the opponents when they dare to look away. Hell, at 7'6", he can stumble into garbage baskets and rebounds and still average what he did last year. And Yao needs to retire from the Chinese National Team. Unlikely, but necessary. He has no energy to speak of.
I don't see JVG lowering his ceiling, I think it's Yao's physical limitations. He will never be a good or quick leaper, he will never develop lateral quickness, his hands are his hands, and he has balance issues at times. Now JVG's job is to find a way to work around those limitations, but that hasn't happened, for which he should bear some of the blame. The Sabonis comparison is misplaced. Yao isn't nearly as skilled a passer, and the younger sabonis was pretty mobile.
Sam - I know he has physical limitation but i think the way JVG wants him to play really lowered a bit of his ability in a sense. I just don't like the role JVG has him playing and it has taken a bit of yaos game away. im not saying he is a gifted paser like Sabonis but he defintetly does know how to pass and find an open man. Just think he has regressed a bit due to JVG style of basketball.
Yao no doubt is a slump, maybe his play right now isn't worth the max. But how about Big Z, Gasol, Sheed, Houston, all those guys? Besides, this organization is making a lot of money off Yao, see "Toyota" center and the beer sponsorship. So, even his contribution on the court isn't worth the max, combining what he does off the court certainly will. If the Rox offers him anything less than the max, Yao probably will feel insulted. Not that he is greedy, just that is disrespectful for what he means for the Rox both on and off the court. But I think he will turn around and get out the slump and hush all the bashers. It is pathetic how many bandwagon fans are out there.
Yao is definitey deserving of the Max Contract. He has shown a willingness to get better each of his years, through his game play, his adjustment to "american basketball" and his willingness to let Falsone help with his conditioning. The Rocket's would be fools not to give a max contract to him. I think each year he will become better, physically and mentally. Also, reading through these posts I also, believe that if JVG didn't try to force him to get involved and, instead, allowed the game come to him he would surprise many fair-weather fans.
The word "ceiling" here means performance, expectation, the ultimate impact on the game. No doubt it wasn't JVG's fault that Yao lacks explosiveness and lateral quickness. But you bet it's much of the little bald guy's fault that Yao's strengths haven't been properly used, and his weaknesses been totally exposed.
He'll get the max, but he sure as hell doesn't deserve more than half of the max. He will get the max because of tix sales, merchandising, etc.
I think his physical play is hindered by the way the refs dictate how Yao plays. He can get smacked around on offense and doesn't get the shooting foul to send him to the free-throw line, but when he is on defense and does the same thing, or nothing at all, then the whistle blows and the other team goes to the free-trow line. Where is the sense in that?
