It was a tough week for Rocket fans as Houston got mathematically eliminated for the second season in a row. It’s going to be an interesting off-season regarding Yao Ming‘s potential return to the NBA, if he does return where he’ll play, if head coach Rick Adelman and his staff will be back, what players they will try to pursue, if a lockout will be averted, etc.
This current Rockets’ team played very hard and almost pulled off the impossible by making the playoffs after a poor 0-5 start and not having Yao Ming for virtually the entire season. You’ve got to be respect what they did. I’m already looking forward to next season, and this season hasn’t even finished yet.
On a completely different note, if you are looking for a good read about NBA basketball and sports in general, I highly recommend a book I’m currently reading titled “Scorecasting – The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports are Played and Games are Won.” If you subscribe to the Daryl Morey school of sports analytics, There’s lots of great information in there about NBA officiating and many other topics too numerous to mention. Check out the book’s web site here.
After returning with his teammates from their 3-game road trip that ended in Philadelphia the night before, Yao Ming was a trooper on Thursday by showing up and helping out at the Rockets’ annual Recyclefest where Houstonians could drop off at Toyota Center their donations.
Click here for more photos of Yao at the Recyclefest, including a photo of Yao not wearing his walking boot (which is good news, hopefully, that his recovery is going well).
Even though there is no guarantee Yao will be playing next season in Houston, or even at all, it’s great to see Yao still wanting to help out the community.
Now that Yao is off crutches, he has been able to get out more often. On Wednesday night, he appeared at the Rockets’ game against the Warriors to cheer his teammates on.
Click here for more photos of Yao at the Rockets-Warriors game.
Then on Thursday, Yao appeared at Toyota Center along with other Rocket teammates to thank season ticket holders for their patronage.
Click here for more photos of Yao at the season ticket holder event.
Yao also told reporters that he will be traveling with the team on their next road trip when they play Miami, Philadelphia and New Jersey. This road trip is obviously huge since it will have a big bearing on if the Rockets make the playoffs or not, so it’s good to see that Yao will be supporting his teammates even though he isn’t required to go.
Yahoo Sports’ “Ball Don’t Lie” blog threw alot of love today at Chuck Hayes by writing an entire post about his triple-double last night. It’s an interesting read. They analyze various players’ stats to determine if it was the most improbable triple-double in NBA history. Check it out here.
All of this brings to mind what Yao had said last summer when after working out with Hayes, was very impressed with Chuck’s improved offensive skills. Looks like Yao knew first that Chuck was on his way to do some special things this season.
Yao made an appearance last night at Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill‘s charity bowling event in Houston benefitting Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Yao is now off his crutches from his ankle surgery, and is in a walking boot. It’s still a long road for Yao’s comeback attempt, but it’s great to at least see him in good spirits.
Click here for more photos of Yao and Rocket teammates at the event.
Yao Ming revealed Thursday night before the Rockets’ annual “Tux & Tennies” charity gala some hopes that might surprise a few folks, but not YaoMingMania.
Yao said that he would like to try to make a comeback from his ankle stress fracture and surgery, and that he would like to come back to the Rockets. It also didn’t surprise us that the Rockets would like for him to come back and play for them, too.
But for an organization that doesn’t make strong statements about keeping any player, especially one that has an expiring contract, I think the strong words they used about wanting to keep him are still noteworthy and significant. Very few players could command that kind of respect from an “all business” organization like the Rockets.
“I’ll try continuing [to come back],” Yao said Thursday. “A lot will depend on this foot.”
Asked if he believes he will play again, he said, “That’s the direction.”
In the final season of his contract, Yao added he hopes to be back with the Rockets.
“I like it here. I’m used to playing here,” he said. “I’m comfortable, really, really comfortable to play here, and I have my family here. I’m not really planning to leave.”
Told of Yao’s comments, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey would not discuss the team’s plans, but he was as clear about his preference.
“I hope Yao Ming comes back to play again,” Morey said, “and I hope that it’s here.”
“If he’s healthy and the doctors say he can play,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, “of course we want him back again.”
Click here for the entire Houston Chronicle article.
Here’s a photo of Yao and his wife Ye Li at the gala Thursday night.
Click here for more photos of Yao and Ye Li at the event.
Last summer I had the opportunity to go to China and Taiwan to cover Yao’s Foundation Charity Tour. On that trip was Hasheem Thabeet, who was traded to the Rockets yesterday.
I shot lots of video of Yao and Hasheem on the court together in a Taipei gym in late July. As I watched them on the court together, a little part of me thought it was feasible one day that Yao could be a mentor of Hasheem’s on the same team, not just on a charity tour. That could happen if Yao signs with the Rockets again after this season, and the Rockets keep Thabeet.
One thing is for sure: if Thabeet can learn from Yao the same work ethic that made Yao such a good player, then Hasheem will have a chance to prove lots of his naysayers wrong.
In this video….
0:00 – Hasheem shows some athleticism as he does some spin moves to the basket.
0:54 – Yao and Hasheem take turns shooting jump hooks. Surprisingly, Hasheem shows some nice touch around the rim. Notice at the 2:23 mark how Yao gives Hasheem a tip by flicking his wrist more, presumably at the top of his jump, rather than hoisting it up, perhaps to avoid getting the shot blocked.
6:19 – Yao and Hasheem work on a variety of low post moves.
11:51 – Hasheem again shows some nice athleticism by scoring on a reverse breakaway dunk in the charity game he played in Taipei.
What’s nice to see in this video is that the Rockets FINALLY have someone who approaches Yao’s height in the middle of the lane. That’s got to be worth something.
I honestly don’t care if Hasheem becomes an option on offense for the Rockets. Houston has plenty of scorers to not require him to score. I just want him to be a defensive presence in the lane, block some shots, grab some boards, and not pick up cheap fouls. It will take some good coaching to get him to improve. Is Jack Sikma up to the task? Carroll Dawson? Hakeem Olajuwon?
Here is a great article from StreetballBlog.com that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the state of basketball development in China. It’s kind of long, but it’s worth the read.
Here’s a video from CCTV5 that has a message from Yao Ming wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year (in both English and Mandarin). The video also includes a bunch of video of Yao in action to Avril Lavigne’s “When You’re Gone” that conveys to him that he is missed by all his fans in China, they wish him a Happy Chinese New Year, health in the Year of the Rabbit, and they await his return.
If the video doesn’t play in the player below, you can try viewing the video by clicking here.
As you may already know, it was announced yesterday that Yao Ming was voted by the fans as the starting center for the Western Conference All-Star team, his eighth time in nine seasons. Of course, Yao won’t be able to play because of his stress fracture and ankle surgery, but he did make this announcement yesterday:
“It’s always an honor to be voted in as a starter for the All Stars Game by the fans. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me as I continue to rehab from my surgery.”
Injured All-Star players are expected to attend All-Star game activities, but Yao has been granted a waiver. NBA spokesman Tim Frank stated yesterday, “Yao’s doctors have informed the Rockets and us that he should not travel and therefore he will be excused from attending All Star.”
