You probably thought after the Olympics that it was going to be quiet here from a news perspective, right? Thanks to Raymond in China, not at all. Here’s Raymond’s latest update on Yao’s calendar:

* Yao left Beijing this morning (Friday, August 29th) for Shanghai to start his vacation.

* Before he left, he hosted a dinner for Steve Francis and Luis Scola on Wednesday night before Steve and Luis left Beijing for Guangzhou to continue their Anta China Roadshow on Thursday morning.

* He also hosted a dinner for Shane Battier last night (August 28th) upon Shane’s arrival in Beijing.

* He will stay in Shanghai and rest for a week or so before he resumes his rehab.

* He will pay a visit to the earthquake-affected areas of Sichuan mid-September (probably after his 28th birthday on September 12th). Tentatively, he will visit Qingchuan and Dujiangyan, two of the most severely hit areas.

* The Rockets will dispatch assistant coach Jack Sikma to Shanghai sometime in September and Yao Ming’s personal trainer, Anthony Falsone, will also return simultaneously to supervise and assist Yao Ming in his rehabilitation for 12 days to 2 weeks.

* The reason why the Rockets are dispatching Sikma to Shanghai is because according to Keith Jones, even though Yao Ming played well in the Olympics, his form and condition is still below NBA standards and requirements. The Rockets hope that with the help of Sikma and Falsone, Yao Ming can restore and his physical strength and be ready for the pre-season training camp that starts in early October.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 11:59 pm and is filed under Rockets' off-season. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.