Lol... You've got some issues man, seek counseling. If I ever got so worked up at the mention of some guy's name, I'd check myself in.
Nothing is wrong with remembering Yao's old days when he was first with the organization. Steve, Cuttino and Yao Ming brought good memories.
Tmac and Yao were definitely friends, but it just never seemed as natural as what Yao had with Steve. A lot of NBA players have special connections with the first teammates they had in the NBA - look at Dirk and Nash.
Errrrr..... There is nothing that shows "friendship" in this vid. The only connection between SF3 and Yao is that at the beginning, they have an intro saying that SF3 will never blame Yao for getting trade away from Rox. However till today. I still think what would have happen had Rox never traded SF3 away. And also what would have happen when SF3 did returns and played like SF3. Haizzzzz......
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I AGREE with tinman Nothing wrong with honoring the days of Yao Ming and his "Lao Da", regardless of what happened afterward
It's quite obvious that alot of fans now don't know about the Yao/Steve era much less their friendship. They must have joined after Steve got traded.
They had a good relationship, but I always found it funny that Steve's court vision was so bad that he couldn't see the 7'7" guy standing in the paint.
The Yao Ming retirement has hit me hard since he's an original Rudy T Rocket. Sorry if I helped flood the site with Yao Ming threads, but I feel that Yao's early years with the organization were important. Steve played an important role for him being accustomed to the NBA and life in Houston.
What's kind of sad about Yao and Steve Francis is that in different ways both never lived up to their potential. Yao due to injuries but Francis due to lack of discipline and focus. Both are good guys who loved the game and loved the Rockets and both worked hard but while Yao improved himself Francis didn't. For whatever reason it just wasn't in Francis' make up to really evolve in his development and once his athleticism left him he couldn't continue to be a great player.
Great interview, all of us who followed the Rocket when Yao started here know that Steve is his pal. I remember when he got traded to Orlando, Steve still showed up to China for his friend.
