This article on FoxSportsHouston.com has some interesting quotes from Yao that he provided after helping open the playground at the Chinese Community Center on Saturday.

When asked if he would opt out of his contract and become a free agent, he didn’t provide any details, but he did provide this:

“I think my future is still in Houston. Still, my agent will handle this. We will communicate with (Rockets General Manager) Daryl Morey and we will work this out.”

As many of you may already know, even if Yao opts out, that doesn’t mean he does NOT want to be a Rocket and test the free agent waters. With variables like a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and a new salary cap amount the teams will have to work with, it may make sense for many players who are happy with their current team to opt out and sign a longer-term deal with their own team rather than risk getting penalized with a worse contract under the new environment after next season. So don’t get all upset if you hear that Yao opts out. It still means he wants to remain a Rocket, and he’s doing the best thing for his long-term future as a Rocket.

In regards to his action on the court next season, Yao said he expects his minutes to be reduced at the beginning of the season, and perhaps beyond. When asked if he thought this was a good strategy, Yao replied, “I think so, yes.”

Click here for the entire article.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Rockets' off-season. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.