I am glad you seem to have enjoyed your time in New Orleans. This is one city I have never been yet and would love to visit it sometime in the future.

Thanks for the story.

Thanks for the compliment. — John

Just curious: How far has the NBA or the Rockets accepted you as an journalist?

Is Yao reading this site every so often?

Thanks for the compliment! I’m not sure about your second question. The Rockets occasionally will let me have a media pass, which I understand is rare for an online-only publication like this one. I think it helps that I update the site with a “real” story after every game (not just a blurb), just like a real reporter would do. But I don’t try to request a media pass too much. Just for the important games.

– John

Thanks, Vince. I didn’t get to see Yao this time around. Not sure about the second question you posed. McGrady wasn’t all All-Star this year because he didn’t get enough votes. Usually the next “biggest” superstar who plays along side Yao gets enough votes from Yao’s fans to become an All-Star (like Steve Francis a few years ago), so the fact that McGrady didn’t become an All-Star this season shows that Yao’s fans now have much higher standards before they cast a vote than they used to have. So if McGrady hadn’t been injured for so many games, he had played better, and the Rockets hadn’t lost so many games during the brunt of the voting period, then I think he could have been an All-Star. — John

Wow, I loved this post. Your writing is good and I enjoyed your keen observations as well as the juicy “inside” stories. Thanks!

Thanks, James. I really appreciate that. — John