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Previous summaries
(before the 2002 NBA season started)
as of 10/30/02


Yao dwarfed David Robinson in a preseason game
last Wednesday night against the Spurs.

Tonight is the night. Yao makes his NBA regular season debut against the Pacers in Indianapolis tonight. We've got some special content in store for you here at YaoMingMania.com, so check back the day after almost every game for Yao-specific reports.

Of course, we all are wondering what we can expect from Yao not only tonight, but for the rest of the season. So it's time to get your predictions in. Before tonight's tip-off (6:00PM CST), go to the Discussion Board link below and post a message, for the record, what you think Yao will average this year in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. At the end of the year, we'll come up with some type of prize for the person closest in their predictions.

We believe Yao will average 10.5 points a game, 10.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, shoot 46% from the field, and 78% from the free throw line. We look forward to seeing your predictions!
as of 10/28/02
Compiled from various snippets from recent editions of The Houston Chronicle:

The Rockets held Yao out of the second half of Saturday's practice to rest his sore right ankle. Yao sprained the ankle during the Asian Games.

"It's not great, but it's getting better," Yao said. "It shouldn't be a big problem. It hasn't been reinjured."

Yao's Good Morning America appearance, which had been planned for Tuesday, was canceled to help lighten the load on his schedule.

Yao said after Saturday's practice that he still had not had any free time and that he filled the hours after Friday's practice with errands. He did not plan to be adventurous before tonight's scrimmage and was planning to "read a book or listen to music" with his first time off in a week.

But Yao has begun the rookie duties of carrying his teammates' bags. He said his rookie interpreter, Colin Pine, will carry his bag.

Yao spent about four hours on Sunday signing basketball cards, and replied the biggest adjustment so far to his move to the NBA was simply "autographs." But he is adding more English to his vocabulary, greeting the media on Sunday with a "Wassup?"
as of 10/25/02


Yao records his first block in the NBA Thursday night against 76er Art Long.

Yao brought the crowd to its feet many times Thursday night on an evening that represented what he can do when given time to adjust to his surroundings. In his first ten minutes of first-half action, he electrified Compaq Arena with 8 points on 3-4 shooting. After completing 28 minutes of play, he finished with 13 points on 4-7 shooting, 5 rebounds, a steal and two blocks. However, a predictable trend of whistles from the refs is developing, with the big guy getting no leeway at all. But Yao is smart, and he'll learn how to avoid the ticky-tack fouls like Hakeem eventually did. By the way, the 76ers won the game 93-89.

It was another whirlwind day for Yao, having visited with Chinese President Jiang Zemin earlier in the day in College Station, Texas, at the Bush Presidential Library about 100 miles north of Houston. It was a total coincidence the President was visiting the area, and Yao was honored with an invitation to meet him up close and personal, something he never had the opportunity to do before. To see a photo of Yao at the library, and for other game night photos, click here.
as of 10/24/02


On Wednesday night, Yao shows he's not afraid to go to the rack
against tough guy Malik Rose and last year's NBA MVP, Tim Duncan.
Yao was fouled on the play, and sank both free throws.

Yao saw his first NBA action against the Spurs on Wednesday after landing in the USA only 3 days earlier with just two practices under his belt. Yao scored 6 points in thirteen minutes, going 1-5 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. When he sank his only field goal for the night via a fadeaway jumper over 7-foot David Robinson, the Admiral looked helpless. Right after this swisher of a shot, you could hear the loud oohs and aahs from the SBC Arena rafters. Perhaps Yao's first field goal in the NBA will become his patented go-to shot, similar to Kareem's Sky Hook or Hakeem's Dream Shake. Click here for some photos from the night, and here for photos from Yao's first night in Houston, 10/20/02.
as of 10/23/02
On Monday, Yao worked out with the Rockets for the first time by participating in the scrimmage portion of the practice. Check out his post-practice comments below in "What Yao is saying" on the home page. As we predicted here a couple of days ago, Yao will make an appearance in Wednesday night's preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs, which means he'll go up against 'Twin Towers' David Robinson and Tim Duncan. It will be really interesting to hear what these 'small guys' have to say after facing the 7'6" Yao.

      
Left photo: During his first practice on Monday, Yao talks with Rockets assistance coach Jim Boylen and new interpreter Colin Pine.
Right photo: Yao warms up with Rockets guard Moochie Norris.

The first regular season game for the Rockets is Wednesday, October 30th against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. Even if Yao doesn't score many points for awhile, just having the 7'6" center underneath the basket altering shots, cleaning the glass, and shooting 75%+ from the free throw line is good enough for us.
as of 10/22/02
On Sunday night, Yao finally arrived in Houston to much expected fanfare. After landing at the airport with a large crowd waiting for him, Yao said a few words both in English and in Chinese (with the help of his new interpreter, Colin Pine). Yao then went to Houston's Compaq Center and met his new Rocket teammates before their preseason game against the Orlando Magic. He was introduced to the crowd by Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis, and another Rockets jersey presentation took place in front of the cheering crowd. After watching some of the game from the bench, Yao went to the locker room to start his customary physical exams. Those exams could take until Friday to complete. For more photos from Yao's arrival in Houston, click here.


Yao leaves the court at halftime Sunday night.
as of 10/18/02

Yao stands in line at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for his visa.

Yao told reporters while waiting in line at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for his visa that the soonest he could leave China for the United States, the NBA and the Houston Rockets would be October 21st. However, late word has it that Yao might arrive in time for Sunday's game (the 20th) against Orlando at Compaq Center, although there is no way Yao will be expected to play. At least he would get a taste of the NBA from the Rockets bench. The next Rocket game will be in San Antonio on Wednesday, October 23rd.

The situation regarding Yao's contract and getting clearance from FIBA has gone according to plan. A deal has been completed. $17.8 million over four years, which includes a one-year club option. No one ever had any doubt things would go awry, but you can understand how elated all the Rockets' brass are after having worked so hard in unchartered territory. To read more details, check out the Latest Articles section below.

On Yao's personal front, it was learned that Yao's mother will be staying with him throughout the entire season, and his father will stay for about a month before returning to China.

Editor's Note: Take a gander at a new article that recently came to our attention entitled "The Rise of the Asian Superjocks - Baseball. Hoops. Golf. They're everywhere". They have good references to Yao in it.
as of 10/14/02
In a shocking turn of events Monday, Yao's Chinese team was upset in OT by South Korea 102-100 in the gold medal basketball game of the Asian Games in Busan, Korea. The Chinese had breezed through their previous six games, but could not hold a 13 point lead with slightly more than three minutes left in the final. Yao had 23 points, going 6-9 from the field and 11-11 from the free thrown line. Yao also racked up 22 rebounds. The last time China lost in an Asian Games men's basketball final was also against South Korea in 1982.

Until the gold medal basketball game, the Asian Games really didn't turn out to be a great showcase of Yao's talent during clutch time, because there were no clutch moments in these blowout games. China beat Kazakhstan 131-62 on Saturday, with Yao scoring 19 points (4-5 FGs) on a mix of dunks and jumpers that showed off his soft touch. Both Yao and teammate Menke Bateer sat out the fourth quarter. Against the Philippines the previous Tuesday, Yao scored 9 points en route to a 92-51 win.

Yao scored 19 points and tallied 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in just over 20 minutes of play as China routed Japan 104-59 the game before.

Yao scored 22 points, going 9-9 from the field, and racked up 13 rebounds on October 2nd. China defeated Taipei 113-50 to achieve a 3-0 record.

In their first game on September 28th, Yao's China team easily defeated Kuwait 78-45. Yao scored 15 points, shooting 7-10 from the field, and had 13 rebounds.

In their next game on September 30th, China blew past the Hong Kong team 112-38. Yao scored 6 points (3-3) and had 8 rebounds. They didn't need Bateer either, who had 6 points and five rebounds.

We'll be going through a lot of excitement soon with Yao's first season in the NBA starting in only a couple of weeks, and here at YaoMingMania.com we vow to cover him every step of the way. The Rockets' regular season starts October 30th at Indiana.
as of 9/07/02
Yao was named to the All-World Championships team after averaging 21.0 points, 9.25 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in eight games. He accompanied on the all-tournament team proven NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic and soon-to-be NBA sensation Emanuel Ginobili. Not bad company. By the way, if you haven't heard of Ginobili yet, you will--when he starts his rookie season with the Spurs this year.

Against Angola on September 7th, Yao led China with 27 points and a tournament-high of 15 rebounds--10 of them offensive. After scoring 13 points in the second quarter, Yao did not have a field goal attempt in the third quarter. Angola defeated China 94-86 in a game that started with an unusual 8:30 AM tip-off.

Showing some unexplainable stupidity and cockiness, Angola coach Mario Palma stated after the game, "Our defense killed Yao Ming in the second half." Hey Mario, don't you realize the problem is the inability of Yao's teammates to get him the ball, not Yao? Just look at Yao's stats and you'll realize he is not the problem. Going 9 for 13 from the field, Yao was the tournament leader in field goal percentage at 75% (55 for 73). For those comments, it will be payback time in the 2004 Olympics when you face China again. Idiot.
as of 9/06/02
Yao had a double-double on Friday against Turkey in the World Championships, scoring 26 points and racking up 14 rebounds. He scored 10 of China's first 12 points and also had his tournament high of 5 assists. He was 10-13 from the field, bringing his overall tournament field goal percentage of 76.7%. This will probably give him the tournament high in that category.

China is now 1-6 in tournament play, and faces Angola in the 11th place game on Saturday.
as of 9/05/02
Against New Zealand, Yao went a perfect 8-8 from the field, and 11-11 from the free throw line. I don't care who you're playing against, those statistics are astounding! As a minor side note, China lost to New Zealand 94-88.

In the third quarter, Yao started to get frustrated with the officiating. A minute-and-a-half after being called for a defensive foul, he was called for traveling just feet from his basket. Yao then chased one official to the other end of the court to protest, earning him a quick technical. This was a surprising act for Yao, who many have perceived as being gentle and polite. However, this act of protest resembles something Charles Barkley would do, thus matching Rudy T's comment that Yao has a passion for the game like Sir Charles had. From that moment to the end of the game, New Zealand outscored China 26-14.
as of 9/03/02
On Tuesday night, Yao scored 13 points on four-of-six shooting, and collected a game-high nine rebounds. But the Chinese team lost again in the World Championship Games, this time to Russia 95-68. China is now 1-4 in tournament play. So Yao was forced by his coaches and his government to miss the NBA Draft so he could practice with his China team for this? What was the point? China could have gained a ton of mileage if Yao had shown up in person for the NBA draft in lieu of 'preparing' for these games. A public relations machine China isn't.

On Monday night, Yao's team lost to Argentina 95-71. It's a disturbing pattern that Yao's Chinese teammates don't know how to get him the ball. Yao didn't have foul problems this time around, and played 28 minutes, but was only able to take two shots in the first half since Argentina's quicker backcourt put full court pressure on China's inexperienced guards. It appears China's concept of playing "team" basketball is being carried a bit too far at the expense of under utilizing a superstar. Something tells us the Rockets' Steve Francis, Cat Mobley and Moochie Norris will make teams pay in press situations by getting Yao the ball this coming NBA season. Yao finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

On other fronts, the Rockets expect to sign Yao to his contract late this week or next. The issue with Wang ZhiZhi, who went AWOL on China, will not affect Yao's signing with the Rockets, according to Rockets attorney Michael Goldberg and Yao representative Erick Zhang.
as of 9/02/02
Yao got in foul trouble again in the World Championship Games, as he did against Germany the other night, which limited his playing time. However, he showed flashes of his brilliance. Through the TNT television coverage, you could hear the gasps of the crowd as he easily hit a turnaround jumper with absolutely no chance of anyone blocking it. You heard the ooohs and aaahs after he hit a three-pointer to put the Chinese team up by six points early in the first quarter. Are you kidding? Are we going to be seeing this kind of unusual skill for the next 15 years from this guy? The U.S. team had to think for a couple quarters there might be no answer to this guy and his overachieving teammates. They must have been saying, "This game could get away from us." It didn't. The USA team eventually caught up and blew by the outmatched Chinese team and its young and inexeperienced guards.

Back to Yao. He had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. More importantly, this was his U.S. network television debut. Yao's face was continuously featured on the TNT screens during this prime time telecast. Even if he had scored 2 points, it wouldn't have mattered--the increase in awareness levels among average American Joes were immeasurable, and will only become larger as he continues to improve.

For a glimpse of the mania for Yao among the Chinese and Chinese-American community, check out this recent Houston Chronicle article.
as of 8/31/02
Yao dominated Algeria on Friday with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks. He was 12-for-15 from the field, mostly coming from layups or dunks, and was equally impressive on the free throw line - 14 for 17. As great as Yao performed, though, Algeria resembles the Little Sisters of the Poor. So don't expect stats like these when Yao is a Rocket. I've been lauding how great of a team player Yao is, but now we know Yao has a killer instinct and will put teams away if given a mismatch.
as of 8/30/02
We watched the tape-delayed game on NBA TV between China and Germany Thursday night, and don't pay attention to the sportswriters who say Yao was disappointing. He may be disappointing if you measure success by his China team winning games, but that's not relevant if you care about how Yao will fare in the NBA.

We don't care that he got in early foul trouble and didn't play most of the first half--he'll learn to stay out of foul trouble like Hakeem did early in his career. We don't care how many points he scored versus Dirk Nowitzki. All we care to see is Yao's potential: his athleticism, shot blocking, and shooting skills. No guy can beat a team all by himself, especially considering the talent of his Chinese brethren. He's going to have plenty of help with the Rockets. So don't listen to the naysayers dissing him about his inability to beat the team he's playing against.

Here are some of our China vs. Germany play-by-play observations:

  - In the first half, we were impressed with Yao's ability to block out. He's NOT afraid to bang when the ball is in mid-air. He also cleaned up around the boards, and when he gets it down low, no one is going to block it when he goes back up with it.

In the third quarter...

  - He threw a nice little drop pass to a cutting guard for an easy layup. Nice job. He later blew by his man and went baseline on an athletic move, but was fouled. He made both free throws with a flawless stroke. Rotating to his right, he showed a quick dropstep that, I swear, reminded me of Hakeem's quick move. Fouled on the move, he made both FTs again.

  - He caught a pass down low in traffic, jumped straight up and did a reverse layup in mid-air. Great athleticism. It's also an easier move when you're 7' 5".

Yao could have done more, but for some reason his teammates are not able to get him the ball, and as we stated last week from Oakland, he doesn't demand it. We can live with that. The Rockets already have players who aren't afraid to take shots in clutch time. All we want him to do is block and alter shots, get rebounds, make some garbage baskets, pass the ball over the defense using his height, not turn the ball over often, hit 75% of his free throws, and make over 45% of his shots. If he does that, which he has already shown he can do, the Rockets will win many more games this year.
as of 8/23/02
We had the good fortune to attend the USA vs. China game on Thursday in Oakland, and wanted to file a report that provides a unique perspective--different from the highlights you may have seen on the news, ESPN Sportscenter, etc. [Click on the link directly below for photos].

First of all, this game was heavily promoted to the Asian community in the Bay Area. You can tell it worked. We would say roughly 50-60% of the crowd was Asian, but that’s just a guess.


These guys were wow for Yao

The Golden State Warriors ticket staff was present promoting a ticket plan that included games against those teams with Chinese players, with the catchphrase “got yao?” Because of shrewd marketing, the game was a sell-out with over 19,800 present—an amazing feat since everyone knew the Chinese would get blown out even before tip-off. If the Warriors had won the #1 pick in the lottery like they had hoped, the marriage between Yao and this community would have been incredible. Fortunately for Houston, Yao is headed to a town with an Asian community not too shabby itself...Click here for more, and for a few of our photos from the evening!  
as of 8/17/02
Things are heating up again on the Yao-watch front! Yao played his first game in North America on Friday night. The China national team played the Canadian team in Vancouver, and the reports were good. Yao was a perfect 6-6 from the floor and made all five of his free throws. He also had five rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals. He recognizes he has to bulk up, though. "I need more training. No. 23 (6-6, 260-pound Canadian backup ceter Richard Anderson) is so strong. He was so physical. Maybe I can get stronger with him." See the links below in the "Latest articles" section for more game notes. Some writers are saying he got pushed around, but those guys are inclined to hype things up like that so they can try to get people to read their stories.

Steve Nash had some great comments about Yao, as did Rudy T., who was in attendance to see his future Rocket. Check out those quotes in the "What they are saying" section below.

Next stop for Yao: Oakland, CA to play Team USA in an exhibition on Thursday, 8/22. If you are lucky enough to be going, let us know at feedback@YaoMingMania.com and maybe we can meet up before or after the game.
as of 8/3/02
If you've checked out the site over the past few weeks, you probably have noticed not much new content. One of the reasons is because we've been dealing with the pain of moving our offices and trying to get settled into our new location. It also has been pretty quiet after the NBA Draft on June 26th. Not much has happened on the Yao front. However, I have posted a few new items on the site.

First, check out some of the new article links below since June 28th.

We've also posted three new pages of photos. You can click on the first new page of photos here, or the Photos link below.

I've also posted a link below to our new YaoMingMania Discussion Board. Feel free to post a message and get things rolling again. Our plan is to create an online forum within the YaoMingMania site someday.We're also planning to attend the China national team game vs. Team USA in Oakland on August 18th to watch Yao's US real game debut. We've heard most of the tickets to the game are gone, but if you are lucky enough to be going, let us know at feedback@YaoMingMania.com and maybe we can meet up before or after the game. If you aren't going to the game, we plan on taking alot of photos and posting them on the site.
as of 6/27/02
It's done. Now that Yao has been selected as a Rocket, we've busted out the Rockets background on YaoMingMania.com. We've been anxious to put it up, but we didn't want to jump the gun before it was official.

Now it's time to patiently wait to get glimpses of Yao on the tube through the summer. More importantly, before the World Championships, Yao and his Chinese team will be playing an exhibition game against the USA team in Oakland, CA on August 22nd. You can buy tickets online to the event on tickets.com. We're definitely going to make the trip. We bought sweet seats at a pretty reasonable price--not many people seem to know about this game yet. We're sure these tickets are alot easier to get than the World Championship games in Indianapolis. Those games will be on television anyway, whereas the August 22nd game probably won't because it's an exhibition game. Let us know if you've got YaoMingMania enough--like us--to fly to the Bay Area to watch this game. Maybe we can all get together a couple of hours before tip-off and revel in the fact we could be watching history. Couldn't you use a trip out of hot and humid H-Town (or wherever) in the dog days of August to get some cool air out West anyway (where the high will probably be 70 degrees)? Email us at feedback@yaomingmania.com and let us know, and we can coordinate meeting up before the game.

I don't know about you, but watching and listening to various draft ‘analysts’ on draft night, were you astounded at how stupid some of them sounded in evaluating Yao's talent? If you've been reading this site and listening to Rudy T. and Carroll Dawson, you know you can discount those idiots who say Yao is going to get pushed around by guys who are big, like "around 270 pounds." Excuse me, but Yao weighs more than 270 lbs. These guys think he’s such a pushover, but Confucius say, “You underestimate the strength of the gentle-looking giant…You also obviously haven't checked out the hamstrings and calves on this dude.” How can these analysts be paid so much money to be talking heads on the tube (or radio), and not do their friggin' research. They obviously haven't been reading YaoMingMania.com or any other reputable news sources out there.

The only thing I now ask is that we pray the Chinese don't get the Houston satellite feed of Calvin Murphy and his announcing shenanigans. If they do, they are really going to think Houston is full of hicks. Instead, can we hire some Chinese broadcasters just for the purpose of hiding the Calvinisms? I wish I could speak Mandarin or Cantonese--I would be all over that gig.
as of 6/26/02
It’s a done deal. The Rockets will draft Yao on Wednesday night. The China Basketball Association will recommend to FIBA (International Basketball Federation) that Yao is cleared to play in the NBA this season. FIBA will then will notify the NBA by letter the same information, which is a formality. The main issue leading up to the CBA’s approval was if Yao would be able to play for the Chinese national team for key international competitions. At the same time, the Rockets want him for the entire regular season and playoffs. All those concerns have been addressed, and it’s now time for Yao to be selected as the top pick in Wednesday’s draft. Yao is expected to be take part in the festivities remotely via satellite during Wednesday’s televised draft coverage on TNT starting at 6:30pm CDT.
as of 6/25/02
As of late Tuesday, we're still waiting to get word that the China Basketball Association has given its approval for Yao to play in the NBA this season, the last hurdle in the month-long negotiation process. We were expecting to hear something Monday, but chances are the CBA is trying to negotiate the best terms it can with Yao's representatives by making them sweat to the last minute. Yao has already given his word to the CBA that he won't go AWOL (a la Wang ZhiZhi) and will honor his Chinese national team commitments. It is clear the Rockets have nothing to do with these last set of talks--it's all between Yao's reps and the CBA. Everyone on all sides agree that it will be a shock if the CBA doesn't give their approval by the time the draft starts. There is too much to lose for everyone if this deal doesn't get done.

Yao's co-representative John Huizinga said Yao and the Shanghai Sharks agreed Saturday on the amount of compensation Yao would pay his former team out of his NBA income. Negotiations are continuing with the China Basketball Association, which then needs to recommend that Yao be given a letter of clearance from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). A reply from the CBA is expected on Monday (Shanghai time). No roadblocks are foreseen.

Yao will not be in New York on draft day, but the Chinese have strongly indicated his absence should not be construed as him not wanting to play in the NBA. Yao is currently practicing with the Chinese team for upcoming international competition, and the Chinese state it's a "critical time" in his training. Perhaps their training is more rigorous and focused than we thought! This did not surprise the Rockets. They knew there was a high likelihood he would not be able to attend. For basketball fans watching the draft on television, his physical absence shouldn't make much of a difference. A live video feed and interview is expected once Yao is selected.
as of 6/22/02
Yao's US-based representative, Erick Zhang, said late Friday he expects an agreement soon since everybody wants Yao Ming to play in the NBA this season. One of the remaining issues is how much compensation Yao's Shanghai Sharks team would receive. Yao's reps are also negotiating the same with the China Basketball Association, although those discussions are going much sooner.

Under Chinese rules, half of a player's income is divided among the national sports bureau, the local sports bureau, and the China Basketball Association. The other half of Yao's income would be split between himself and the Sharks. After finalizing an agreement with the Sharks on Saturday, Zhang expects a response from the CBA on Monday (Shanghai time), and is confident the details with the CBA will be ironed out before Wednesday's draft. Zhang said other issues are involved with the CBA other than compensation, but would not reveal what those concerns are. It shouldn't be the issue regarding Yao's ability to play for the Chinese national team in the Olympics, World Championships or Asia Games--the Rockets have already committed they will let Yao participate in those games. Whatever those issues are, they are not considered show stoppers.

The issues with the Sharks are also not considered significant. It mainly involves what percentage of Yao's income they will receive. Once agreements with the Sharks and CBA are in place, then those entities would make their recommendation to FIBA, who in turn would provide a letter of clearance to the NBA allowing Yao to play in the league.

Yao will not be in New York on draft day, but the Chinese have strongly indicated his absence should not be construed as him not wanting to play in the NBA. Yao is currently practicing with the Chinese team for upcoming international competition, and the Chinese state it's a "critical time" in his training. Perhaps their training is more rigorous and focused than we thought! This did not surprise the Rockets. They knew there was a high likelihood he would not be able to attend. For basketball fans watching the draft on television, his physical absence shouldn't make much of a difference. A live video feed and interview is expected once Yao is selected.
as of 6/19/02
Things are relatively quiet after the very productive trip the It turns out that when Rocket attorney Michael Goldberg went to China to help Yao get the recommendations he needs for FIBA to give the okay for Yao to be drafted, he took Rockets physician Walter Lowe with him. In addition, after spending 6-7 hours with him, Lowe gave Yao a clean bill of health (see quotes below). The Rockets had heard that Yao had a stress fracture in his foot, which would have been very bad news, if true, given Yao's young age. However, Lowe determined it was a simple break that occurred six years ago and is no longer a concern.

Yao's US-based representatives, John Huizenga and Erick Zhang, are making significant headway in China. They are negotiating with the Shanghai Sharks and China Basketball Association (CBA) so they will recommend to FIBA (International Basketball Federation) that Yao should be made available for the NBA draft. The feeling from Huizenga is that everyone is confident that it will be a done deal, and not at the last minute leading up to next week's draft on the 26th.

Goldberg left China Monday night after trying to help Yao get the recommendations in China needed for FIBA (International Basketball Federation) to give the okay for Yao to be drafted. Goldberg stated that he believes Yao's Shanghai Sharks team will thell the CBA they have no problem with releasing Yao, and the CBA along with the Chinese national team and other government officials will tell FIBA they have also approved the release. In turn, FIBA will tell the NBA that Yao can play in the NBA.

An important note is that the Chinese don't want to let Yao go without getting their cut, which is customary when Chinese players end up playing in other markets. They basically feel they are entitled to recouping some of their 'investment' in helping make Yao as great as he is, and then some.

Even though the NBA has a rule that teams cannot pay over $350,000 to foreign entities to obtain a player, there is no rule that prevents a player from exceeding that amount from his own pocket. Yao has indicated through his representatives that he does not mind paying much of his own way out of China. He wants to play in the NBA badly, and is willing to pay the price financially. After all, he only makes US $70,000 per year, which is a pittance compared to roughly half of the $11.5 million he will make over three years, the maximum allowed by the NBA for the top choice in the draft.

The Rockets have done all they can to this point. The only thing that can derail the Rockets not drafting Yao is if someone Chinese gets a big ego and demands something unreasonable from them (it won't be Yao), or if some international incident between the U.S. and China makes things very tense suddenly. Regardless, the Rockets are sitting pretty because there is still extreme interest from other teams who would love to trade for the #1 pick and select Jay Williams.
as of 6/16/02
Things are relatively quiet after the very productive trip the Rockets made to China last week. They met with the Shanghai Sharks and the China Basketball Association, and both parties have given the Rockets confidence and encouragement that Yao should be able to play in the NBA this fall. No contract terms have been offered as of yet, but the Rockets feel confident they are overcoming many of the hurdles that faced before embarking on their trip to China.

In addition, after meeting with the commissioner of the China Basketball Association, Rocket officials were able to watch Yao practice and train for about three hours with the Chinese national team. [See Rudy Tomjanovich's quotes below]. After the meeting, the commissioner indicated he will endorse Yao's entrance into the NBA this season.

The Rockets are excited with how well the meetings went, but they realize they will need many more follow-up meetings to get this deal done. All indications, though, are that they received the necessary approvals they wanted before starting their trip. Next up--a letter of clearance from the International Basketball Federation [FIBA] that would announce his availability for the NBA Draft. After that--Chinese government approval. The China Basketball Association has also invited Rockets attorney Michael Goldberg back to China for further negotiations.
as of 6/7/02
The Rockets are continuing to negotiate with Yao's representatives so they can feel comfortable picking him first in the NBA Draft on June 26th. However, some of Yao's reps didn't want to start negotiating until the Rockets could guarantee they would pick him #1. Of course, the team doesn't want to pick him until they can be assured they can sign him. No one said these negotiations were going to be easy.

However, Houston front office personnel are scheduled to fly to China on Saturday. After finally receiving the invitation they were looking for from the Chinese, they are eager to start face-to-face discussions.

One recent development is that Wang Zhi Zhi, the Dallas Mavericks player who was granted permission from the Chinese to play in the NBA last year, has not reported to China for national team commitments. The fear is that Wang may be planning to defect, which could damage Yao's chances to play in the NBA this year because how it would roil the Chinese. Reportedly, Wang and Yao have feuded in the past (partly due to Yao's belief that he's the best Chinese player and should have been the first one to play in the NBA), so Wang may feel no obligation to improving Yao's path to the NBA.
as of 6/6/02
On May 19th, the Houston Rockets won the rights to the first pick in the NBA draft (to be held on June 26th), and they are likely to pick Yao. The Rockets are currently negotiating with a bevy of people to sign him, including a distant cousin (an MBA student at the University of Chicago) and a deputy dean from the same school. It will be a complex deal to pull off, but the Rockets should be encouraged they have someone representing Yao on their own continent with whom to conduct negotiations. Obviously, most of the other parties needed to sign off on a deal are in China.

Needing a center and also realizing the franchise could benefit from the world visibility derived from having Yao on their team, the Rockets are unlikely to trade the pick. Several obstacles could derail the Rockets from successfully signing Yao, including Yao's availability to attend training camps this summer and Fall because of Yao's commitments to his Chinese teams (Shanghai Sharks and Chinese national team). The Rockets are likely to give in to these demands. However, a bigger sticking point could be the Chinese government's potential desire to bring Yao back to China when they feel it's necessary, such as in the event of an international incident. This demand would be unacceptable to the Rockets, for good reason. They don't want to pay big money to Yao, only to have it go to waste anytime there's a tiff between the U.S. and China.

A deal will probably be struck between the Rockets and the Chinese because the Rockets are unlikely to trade the pick. The Rockets could use the publicity, excitement, and hundreds of millions new Chinese fans following the team. The Chinese government realizes how much they have to gain by Yao succeeding on the world's best basketball stage. It could not only put the country on the basketball map, but would give a boost to getting Chinese school children more excited about the sport, ultimately improving their talent pool on the hardcourt for future international competitions.