Hey WoW!
First of all, you have been generating some great posts today - I'm really enjoying being active in the group again!
While logic would dictate that your presumption that the Rockets would not let Yao get away would be the case, in fact this is not borne out by NBA history. Look at how the Lakers got both Kareem from the Bucks AND Shaq from the Magic, and just when their careers were beginning to peak as well! Jerry West was not piloting the ship when the Lakers got Abdul-Jabbar, BTW - it was the guy who had a LARGE influence on West and his management strategies, Bill Sharman.
TrueLaker QUESTION OF THE DAY: How many NBA titles between them do these two (Shaq, Abdul-Jabbar) have as Lakers team members?
Watch out...it (the Yao - Lakers scenario) MOST DEFINITELY could happen. Yao's fame (and bank) would multiply monstrously if he were based in L.A. rather than Houston. Already, he has a pretty good media footprint outside the world of b-ball - think of how it would increase as a (the?) star of the WORLD"S BEST KNOWN (and most popular
) BASKETBALL TEAM EVER!!!
Now Houston folks, don't get offended - I lived in Houston, I like it there. But Houston compared to L.A. is like comparing Brownsville to Houston...sorry.
-RB
Shaq #1