I just got back from Friday’s practice. The interview sessions were short, but I was able to get the tail end of Rick Adelman‘s interview, as well as Yao Ming‘s first session with the Rockets media.

Here are some of the audio clips.

Rick Adelman – was very impressed with Yao in his first practice

Yao Ming – He was very funny, like with his responses to questions about married life, as well as “Steve.” Even while suffering from a cold and understandably tired from all the travel he went through to get to Austin, I was pleasantly surprised how upbeat and humorous he was with the media.

Click here for a couple of more photos I took of Yao on Friday.

Yao arrived in Austin late Thursday afternoon, 3 days late due to his commitment to the Special Olympics in China. Jet-lagged from his flight from Shanghai, suffering a cold, and having just driven to Austin from Houston, Yao insisted on getting to work one hour after arriving in town…even though the coaches said he could have the night off. Wow. That’s dedication.

You can read all about Yao’s return to the Rockets in this Houston Chronicle article.

I’m sure Yao will be exhausted, but happy and excited to be back with all the new talent around him, and the new offense that should be an interesting challenge for him to learn. I’ll be at camp on Friday and will share my thoughts, as I’m sure everyone else reporting on the Rockets will. Yao’s return will no doubt be the most talked-about event at Cooley Pavilion on Friday.