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Edited Title: Is Yao's Cultural Impact overstated?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by treyk3, Oct 7, 2019.

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Yao's reputation

Poll closed Oct 8, 2019.
  1. Fickle

    29 vote(s)
    28.2%
  2. Forever our legend.

    74 vote(s)
    71.8%
  1. treyk3

    treyk3 Member

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    While Yao was undoubtedly very good to great during his tenure, he only had a handful of truly healthy seasons. In those seasons we only got out of the first round once and he went down after. If he was healthy our limit was through the roof (Josh Smith would never).

    A lot of our and the rest of the NBA's outspoken praise for Yao is the idea that he opened bridges between two countries. We now see how fickle that relationship is. A single tweet by a member of the front office was enough for the entire country to change course within minutes. Our relation with China is clearly one sided and we have bent at their requests for nearly 2 decades.

    Our jerseys have been so ugly to appeal to that market, who in reality roots for whoever is the best at the time. I believe the Lakers and Warriors have an equal footing in the country.

    Yao is the Commissioner of the CBA and has acquiesced in denouncing the Rockets and essentially the city of Houston. After we opened our arms to him and continued to clearly overstate his impact, he's displayed that we truly mean nothing to him. I know there is a lot at play here in international relations but this shouldn't have become such a big deal.
     
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  2. sealclubber1016

    Supporting Member

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    Do you not know how Communist countries work? He's too high profile for anything to happen directly, but they have many, many other ways to make life miserable for him if he openly comes out against them.

    Yao has on numerous occasions displayed he is a good human being, and he made every attempt to give this franchise his best. He's forever golden in my book, as he should be with all Rockets fans.
     
  3. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    Yao wants to maintain his livelihood and protect his family

    What would u do if u were in his position? What would u do if your livelihood and family could be at stake? 1 tweet has China acting like Morey was in Hong Kong leading the protests himself. Yao displayed that he doesn’t want to deal with a tremendous amount of problems.

    not everyone is willing to just risk it all

    it’s very easy for everyone here to be yelling out “fck China” from our phones and keyboards since we have nothing to lose by doing so...our life won’t be negatively affected in any way...matter of fact, u will he praised for doing on social media or whatever platform...that ain’t the case for Yao, he has to think about himself and his family, u don’t
     
  4. REEKO_HTOWN

    REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

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    Up to Yao. If he denounces the Rockets he denounces this city and i'll denounce him.

    I wonder if he'll give up his kid's American citizenship though. I doubt it.
     
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  5. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    if we revoke our undying admiration of Yao, I'm out. Bye Cluthfan, bye Rockets.
     
  6. treyk3

    treyk3 Member

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    I agree there is a lot to it but within hours of the tweet, the organization that Yao leads banned the team. Why was that needed? The Rockets don't play in the CBA. We wouldn't theoretically play the Sharks for a year. It's a silly exhibition that the Rockets win by 40+ every year. The CBA needed to do nothing on the issue. Let Tencent and Li-Ning show their loyalty to Pooh and stay out of it because the Rockets truly have no benefit from the CBA liking them. Yao made an immediately decision to show that Houston means nothing to him and China is all that matters when he really didn't need to that. He could have just made a statement that he supports China but instead banned the Rockets from a league that means nothing to them.
     
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  7. Hippieloser

    Hippieloser Contributing Member

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    I am sure that Yao Ming will play the good soldier, just as he has always done. But Yao Ming will always be my mother****in' SOLDIER, though.
     
  8. lnchan

    lnchan Sugar Land Leonard

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    He will always appreciated the significant support his Houston fans and sponsors have provided and he hopes that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not his intention. His tweets are his own and in no way represent the Chinese Basketball Association or the CCP.
     
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  9. Garner

    Garner Member

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    Hong Kong should fight for Democracy.

    Yao is still the coolest.

    Both can be true.
     
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  10. htwnbandit

    htwnbandit Member

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    Couldn't box out Boozer and get a rebound to save his life in Game 7 though...
     
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  11. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    they were probably all over Yao’s ass to do this...it doesn’t matter that the Rockets don’t play in the CBA, if u got any affiliation with the Rockets whatsoever, then u better do something to show that u denounce what Morey just did or your life will be hell

    we don’t truly know what pressures Yao was facing once this came out, and like I said, not everyone is ready to risk it all
     
  12. Ziggy

    Ziggy QUEEN ANON

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    If you're one of those people that likes or loves your country... why would you choose a place you worked at over your country?
     
  13. fchowd0311

    fchowd0311 Contributing Member

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    Yao is a victim here. He has deep rooted family in China and he fears for their safety. No need to attack him. He will always be a Rockets legend.
     
  14. REEKO_HTOWN

    REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

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    I bet the Chinese government has Mehmet Okur on speed dial to put Yao in his place. Our will just stand in front of Yao until he submits just like in the Jazz series.
     
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  15. treyk3

    treyk3 Member

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    What he did wasn't necessarily wrong it was just something he did and how we react is up to us, but his impact on the league is overstated. I will always appreciate that 5 -6 year run and especially the series against Portland where he put it all on the line, but my image of the relationship he created is over. Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton were also great talents whose careers were cut short by injury but you never hear people talking about them as the greatest players of all time. In a discussion about Mount Rushmore a lot of people put Yao up there for his cultural impacts. His cultural impact is allowing China to control the NBA with the power of the dollar nothing more nothing less. Anything more is just a silly mirage.
     
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  16. Roomba

    Roomba Member
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    This whole debacle really has very little to do with Yao, who's now caught up in a very unenviable situation. I don't know Yao well, but he's always come across as thoughtful, intelligent, and a genuine person who truly loves the game of basketball and the city of Houston.

    But there's literally NOTHING he can do in this case but to side with the gov. Yes, he's the commish of the CBA...but in China the commissioner only has power to a certain extent. Now I don't know if Trump can overrule any of Adam Silver's decisions, but I can assure you that something comparable is absolutely possible in China. So what can he do but comply with his higher ups' demands? As many others have stated, his life can be miserable (though absolutely not in danger) if he doesn't.

    This is just my opinion, but Yao really doesn't deserve any hatred over anything that's happening right now.
     
  17. treyk3

    treyk3 Member

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    I would never hate Yao. He's an animal activist and was a model citizen while here. He can also be overrated for his cultural impacts that aren't real.
     
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  18. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    Yao is loyal to his family 1st, not the Rockets
     
  19. Roomba

    Roomba Member
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    I wish his career would've turned out a bit differently, and that we could look on his playing days fondly instead of with bittersweet nostalgia. To this day I often wonder what could have been. But the way he conducted himself on and off the court has always been worthy of respect.
     
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  20. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost not wrong
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    Yao has to do what is best for Yao.

    I'm not expecting him to literally put his life in danger over this.
     

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