OT: Yao Retires

[SheedSoNasty]

At least according to Yahoo Sports.

I just hope we're not headed into that direction with Oden. Seven footers can be so fragile.

 

[Minstrel]

Here's a link about it:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/07/yahoo-report-yao-ming-to-retire/1

What a shame. He was really talented.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Shouldn't he have waited to retire until after the lockout?

 

[Draco]

Yeah seven footers are fragile.

I'm sad about Yao, he was highly skilled and like Sabonis and Dirk a very unique big man. I wish I had watched more of him while he was playing, I didn't think his career would end so early.

Hopefully Oden can follow Illgauskas path, missing extensive games early in his career with a long stretch of healthy seasons. Injuries are just a huge part of the game of basketball, sure seven footers are susecptible but Roy looks broken, TMac never regained his form, Kobe is a greatly diminished player, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Antino McDyess, Ralph Sampson. Tiger Woods can't even play a relaxed non-contact game of golf.

 

[Draco]

Shouldn't he have waited to retire until after the lockout?

Don't see how it matters.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Don't see how it matters.

I thought the players union was asking for increased retirement benefits. I know the NFL players are.

 

[Sug]

I thought the players union was asking for increased retirement benefits. I know the NFL players are.

When you are Yao Ming you don't really need money. The guy is treated like a king in China, and always will be.

 

[THE HCP]

That's sad. He was tough while he played.

 

[mook]

That really sucks.

Man, it must blow for Houston. To have a highly coveted consensus #1 pick franchise center just break down like that. Glad I'm a Blazer fan!

Seriously, though, what a disappointment. I remember the year he was drafted and Steve Francis had already been ROY. The Rockets looked like such a promising team.

Shit. The parallels keep coming. I'm going to stop now.

 

[illmatic99]

When healthy, he was the best C in the league.

 

[Shooter]

Man, it must blow for Houston. To have a highly coveted consensus #1 pick franchise center just break down like that. Glad I'm a Blazer fan!

Something tells me the Rockets got a lot more from Yao than we will ever get from Oden.

 

[Natebishop3]

Very sad.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Something tells me the Rockets got a lot more from Yao than we will ever get from Oden.

Yeah, all those championships...

 

[Minstrel]

Something tells me the Rockets got a lot more from Yao than we will ever get from Oden.

Something tells me mook was employing dark humor at the expense of the Blazers, not gloating.

 

[Draco]

Seriously, though, what a disappointment. I remember the year he was drafted and Steve Francis had already been ROY. The Rockets looked like such a promising team.

Shit. The parallels keep coming. I'm going to stop now.

I often forget what a future star Francis was regarded as, he had such a crappy fallout at the end of his career. But in his day he was basically the equivalent of the current day Russell Westbrook or Monta Ellis.

They had such a promising future with those two; we had just as much or more. We really had more promise since we had Aldridge, they never had a third fiddle close to that level. Now Roy is basically the NY Knicks Francis and Oden is a joke around the leage. After we got the #1 pick I thought we were probably going to win at least 2 titles with our big 3 and possibly more. If Oden gets healthy and we get a ton of other breaks maybe we get one some day but its now a big longshot instead of a realistic expectation. ;(

 

[MARIS61]

At least according to Yahoo Sports.

I just hope we're not headed into that direction with Oden. Seven footers can be so fragile.

It will be a miracle if Oden gives us 1/10th of what Yao gave Houston.

 

[illmatic99]

I think he deserves to be in the HOF, given what he has done to make the NBA a more global game.

 

[THE HCP]

When healthy, he was the best C in the league.

Nah, I'd take Dwight Howard over him.

 

[barfo]

Shit happens, as they say.

barfo

 

[jlprk]

What's surprising is that China doesn't turn out more tall players good enough for the NBA. They have 4-5 times our population.

Yaos should be a yuan a dozen.

 

[illmatic99]

Nah, I'd take Dwight Howard over him.

you must have missed their h2h matchups.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=mingya01&p2=howardw01

JVG:

Van Gundy was emotional on the phone, subdued, because Yao is probably the man he admires the most in the sport. “People forget that when Dwight Howard(notes) and he were young, that was a mismatch. An utter mismatch. Yao scored on him at will. Give Howard credit, because he’s gotten a lot better, but there’s no doubt if Yao had remained healthy, he’d still be the best center in basketball.”

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

What's surprising is that China doesn't turn out more tall players good enough for the NBA. They have 4-5 times our population.

Yaos should be a yuan a dozen.

Agreed. It's certainly a chink in their armor.

 

[jlprk]

All those dents look alike to me.

 

[maxiep]

Foot problems are arguably the most difficult ones for big men to get over. They're small bones and it's a lot of weight they're being asked to carry.

I hope Yao got out in time to live a pain-free life and enjoy his money.