Yao Ming issued the following thank-you letter (in Chinese) to the Chinese media, thanking his fans in China for their concerns and care about his ankle injury. Below is my translated version.
No Thank-You letter for his fans in the states? Yao should write a Big F-You letter for his haters as well
So... Do the Rockets keep Yao on the roster for the playoffs then? Or is he only concerned about the Olympics. You think you know a guy, and then...
u actually r the one who dont know and understand yao, think it over, how many times could yao have if he wants a champ in his career, and how many times could he have if he wants to play olympics in BEIJING?
For those rattling on Yao, keep in mind that 1. I don't think NBA superstars have a habit of writing their fans(American ones that is) for an injury. 2. Dude wrote this in CHINESE... I'm guessing most people who can read it are his Chinese fans, not Houston fans.
Yao wrote it because he love his fans and his motherland,any wrong with him? Is there a rule that ban to psot thread in CHINESE,dude?
he's said it before, the Olympics is priority.. I would love for him to be healthy in time to participate in the playoffs but that's not going to happen
Get well soon big fella and concentrate on getting healthy for the Olympic run. The team will continue to play hard and when you get back next year....WATCH OUT !!! DD
I've been in Houston since 1975. Not born but raised. Has nothing to do with Y O F or whatever crap you guys come up with. For anyone to question Yao for feeling dutiful to his country is utterly ridiculous. Just because us Americans mock the Olympics doesn't mean the rest of the world doesn't take it serious. Not only did he grow up wanting to represent his country, he actually got the chance to and is now the face of the country. And on top of that the Olympics are hosted for the first time there? Who's the selfish one here?
I agree with both points of view here. Yao is loyal to his country and Olympics is by far more important to him. I don't blame him for this, I agree with him wholeheartedly and definitely more power to him. But I also think he should not or does not have to drum up his disappoinment of missing out on the Olympics to the Rockets media without showing as much disappointment for missing the rockets season. He should focus more on his disappointment of missing out on this Rockets run and the rockets organization based on who he is talking to. It would be like talking about how much it is the biggest disappointment of his career (if that were the case) to miss the Rockets season, to the chinese media who is more interested in his views on missing the Olympics. I just think he needs to be more tactful to the crowd he is addressing. This message to his fan is understandable because it is in Chinese and written for his Chinese fans but it could have been more tactful and written as a general message to all fans. Anyways, we are nitpicking.
It's damn-near ethnocentric to criticize Yao Ming for wanting to risk his NBA career on the Olympics, but I can't help as a Rockets fan feeling like Yao should be more mindful that NOT playing in these Olympic games (even though they are to be held in Bejing) will give him a better chance of having a productive/Hall of Fame career in the NBA and of playing well for China in future international and Olympic competitions. With that said, I will support Yao in these Olympic games, and hope that he whips some serious butt in the Olympics against all teams but the U.S.A. team. Hell, he can drop fiddy on Dwight Howard so long as we win.
As a non-Chinese Houston based Rockets fan, I do feel a bit slighted by Yao Ming. Where is the letter of thanks to Houston fans? WE are the ones that are getting screwed by this injury situation, not the Chinese national team fans. Yao will probably be fully recovered and the Chinese won't miss one second of having Yao on the court. I've always liked Yao Ming but his attitude about this injury really puts his priorities into perspective. Maybe we should reevaluate our priorities and rethink him being the centerpiece of this franchise. Not saying we should get rid of him, but maybe we shouldn't be plastering his mug everywhere and talking so much about him. Also, it's ridiculous for the city of Houston to have him in their ad campaign considering the way this has gone down.
I think it's a bit harsh to criticize him fro writing a letter in Chinese to Chinese fans. I don't think you can fault his dedication to the Houston Rockets. Remember the way he played on his bleeding toes? Remember the way he fought through injuries? Remember the performance he put on RIGHT after his broken leg due to his incomparable discipline and persistence in rehab? Himself, the fans, the Houston Rockets benefited from those effort, not his national team. If you want to argue whether he puts Olympics in Beijing over a NBA season on the top, if he has to choose, I don't think he would fault you for blaming him not doing the other way. But I also believe he would still be him - feeling guilty towards his teammates, the club, and fans for missing the rest of the season, but feeling desperate if he would also miss Olympics in Beijing, the once in a life time opportunity. I always appreciate Pryen's dedication and hard-working to get us all the information and pictures from different sources. However, I just think sometimes he could be more sensitive about it, article like that is not necessarily to be translated, just IMHO. On the other hand, not every single comment from clutchfans needs to be propagated to Chinese BBS either. Honestly, lots of comments address any group, would let some other people feel left out. BTW, he did thank the care from his teammates and his club - Houston Rockets. In my opinion, you probably will see an English version of thank you to non-Chinese fans in a few days, given the usual polite and grateful nature of Yao Ming.
