Yao is out of the playoffs with a broken foot, sinking whatever hope the Rockets had at an upset. Surgery doesn't look likely, so he should be ready for next season.
So, when do you see the NBA realizing that big men cannot play more than 20-25 minutes a night? Haven't we seen enough evidence to realize that no matter how good the guy may be that the NBA season is too rigorous on a body that is over 7 feet and 300 pounds?
On the bright side the Rockets have been pretending that Yao Ming hasn't been on the floor most the season anyways, so they may not notice on the offensive end.
After you get past Kareem at 7'2", you start getting into a danger zone with centers. Yao has been the best of the taller than 7'2" group, but he has been injury prone. Ralph Sampson, Shawn Bradley etc. showed that there comes a point where height can become a detriment. Probably the most effective taller than 7'2" player other than Yao is Mark Eaton, and he was a lumbering big guy.
I'm not sure Yao's NBA workload is the biggest problem, given his long history of commitments to the Chinese national team. If he had been able/allowed to have a normal offseason of rest and recovery time, who knows what his health status would be like today.
That said, the Rockets sure didn't look like they missed him today. It would be kind of funny if Houston could somehow pull this off without both Yao AND McGrady.
Kirk, crackers are a family food. Happy families. Maybe single people eat crackers, we don't know. Frankly, we don't want to know. It's a market we can do without.
Watching the Rockets go into the 4th quarter with a 29-point lead and McGrady, Mutombo, and Yao on the bench in street clothes was a pretty bewildering site to behold. If I were Ron Artest or Aaron Brooks I'd get my knees and feet insured ASAP.
Originally posted by redsoxnationAfter you get past Kareem at 7'2", you start getting into a danger zone with centers. Yao has been the best of the taller than 7'2" group, but he has been injury prone. Ralph Sampson, Shawn Bradley etc. showed that there comes a point where height can become a detriment. Probably the most effective taller than 7'2" player other than Yao is Mark Eaton, and he was a lumbering big guy.
Dude, the Dunking Dutchman would be pissed you put Eaton over him in the rankings