Is Yao worth it?

[Buck You]

With him getting injured and only able to play limited minutes so he doesn't get injured that often, is his production worth it? Yes, when healthy he's 7'6'' and he can shoot but would anybody here really want him on your team?

[Rallyks]

Mild tendon strain, 1 week.

they are already talking about increasing his minutes because he is progressing so well.

12.4 pts 7.2 rbs, in 21 minutes, not including the game in which he was injured.

[Wavy Q]

Yao is making the Rockets AND the NBA millions of dollars despite never playing, David Stern would kill the Rockets entire franchise if they dumped Yao.

[Buck You]

I'm talking about overall, not just this year.

[Flash3]

Overall: yes. In the grand scheme of things: no, but who really is besides your LBJs, Kobes, Duncans and a few others?

[Yao_noodle]

Yao's stats look good but his production has been atrocious this season:
horrible +/-.
zero post defense.
1:6 team record.
#27 defense, which is even worse than the defense without Yao last season.

Not all Yao's fault, but it is the price that Rockets are paying to have Yao in and out of the lineup.

Is Yao worth it?
Put it this way, Yao is a great help if Rockets are tanking the season.

[cs hauser]

horrible +/-.
zero post defense.
1:6 team record.
#27 defense, which is even worse than the defense without Yao last season.

Impatient much?

Yao only played 4 games this season, excluding his 6-minute cameo/injury last week. He was out of basketball for 15 months while rehabbing from major reconstructive surgery. So you're already judging him based on the first FOUR games he played after a 15-month layoff.

Really??

I'm talking about overall, not just this year.

Well, the Rockets were a lottery team 4 straight years before Yao led them to the playoffs 5 out of 6 years. Yao also led them to their first playoff series victory in 12 years. So yes, I would say he has been worth it. He has done more for Houston than most #1 overall picks in recent years (Oden, Bargnani, Bogut, Kwame, Kenyon, Brand, Kandi, LeBron).

And yes, I did include LeBron. As good as LeBron is, he is worthless to Cleveland now. At least Yao Ming is still soldiering on in Houston.

[ahonui06]

^^^I think Bogut will end up doing more for Milwaukee than Yao will do for Houston.

[illiance]

The NBA is a business and Yao makes the Rockets brand immensely more popular especially to the billions of people in China. It's worth his salary and much more honestly. Solely on the court, sadly probably not.

[GoLakers2011]

Probably not.

[GregOden]

^^^I think Bogut will end up doing more for Milwaukee than Yao will do for Houston.

Really. Bogut made the playoffs once and does not carry the scoring load on the team.

[Wavy Q]

^^^I think Bogut will end up doing more for Milwaukee than Yao will do for Houston.

Of course he will, but Bogut doesn't make the Bucks. Get it?

[cs hauser]

^^^I think Bogut will end up doing more for Milwaukee than Yao will do for Houston.

Really. Bogut made the playoffs once and does not carry the scoring load on the team.

Exactly. Yao in his 5th year was already a 3-time All-NBA selection averaging nearly 25/10. He was the league's premiere center who commanded double and triple teams in the paint every night. He spent 6 years playing like a #1 overall pick. Bogut has never come close to playing like a #1 overall pick.... ever.

Bogut in his 5th year is a middling 16/10 center who wouldn't be notable if he played center in any other era. He has a career average of 12.7/9. His claim to fame is the fact that he was able to sorta-kinda shed the "BUST" label prematurely handed to him, unlike the two #1 overall picks that immediately followed him (Bargnani, Oden).

[ballhawk1]

Yao is good for the NBA because he's bringing a large audience to the league..However, Yao is not worth more than the MLE at this stage in his career. I wouldn't ague if someone else suggests the vet min. Retirement may be near.

[Frankie23]

Now, if i were a Rockets fan, i would like him to be traded to another team for a good center.
As the Rockets owner, i wouldn't mind pay way over the lux tax to fill the roster with other centers, cause i'm sure Yao makes much more money than that..

[doctorfunk]

Yao is good for the NBA because he's bringing a large audience to the league..However, Yao is not worth more than the MLE at this stage in his career. I wouldn't ague if someone else suggests the vet min. Retirement may be near.

So you think he's less valuable than Gortat, Kleiza or JermaineO'Neal?
He's worth 10mln just for the gamble he can stay healthy and non-oncourt
profits. Plus he's still more valuable on court than 5-6mln players.