Not necessarily a lot of new information to the dedicated Clutchfan. Still, a JVG quote-of-the-year candidate. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3797717.html April 17, 2006, 12:49AM Chinese upset about Yao Recovery time might keep center off national team By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle While Yao Ming begins the first steps in his recuperation from surgery on a broken bone in his left foot, the Rockets could be faced with trying to mend a suddenly anxious relationship with basketball officials and fans in China. The concern is over the recovery timetable — four to six months — the Rockets originally announced and Yao's subsequent availability to play with the Chinese national team at the World Championships this summer in Japan. Wire service stories out of Beijing and Internet chat rooms have been filled with suspicion about the Rockets' motives at bringing Yao back so slowly and with anger directed at coach Jeff Van Gundy. Chat-room fan fumes "He (Van Gundy) disabled Yao Ming! He's more vicious than a capitalist!" fumed one chat-room fan, according to Reuters news service. "The Rockets are already out of the playoffs, yet Yao still plays. I firmly support (Van Gundy's) sacking!" The World Championships will run from Aug. 19-Sept. 3 and even a four-month recovery period would put Yao's return just before the start. Though China is guaranteed a berth in the 2008 Olympics by being the host country, the fact is that outside the United States, the World Championships are considered the most prestigious competition. In addition, the fact the event will be held in Japan — a political and cultural rival — gives China added motivation. Plus, pre-tournament exhibition games featuring the national team are scheduled across China. Those games would lose their top money-making draw if Yao, 7-6, were to sit out. Rockets officials expressed dismay that anyone would think they were attempting any funny business. "I don't want to get into a fight," said Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson. "I've had a good relationship with the Chinese, and I very much want to keep it that way. What we've got to do is convey to them that our only interest is Yao's best interest. That's going to be the way it always is. It's unfortunate that he got hurt. We've got to get it fixed where it won't affect his career." The decision will be left to Yao, who agreed to play for the Chinese national team when he received permission to enter the 2002 NBA draft. There have been indications he would prefer to sit out the World Championships and rehabilitate with the Rockets. But he will feel pressure — from basketball fans, from the government, perhaps from his parents — to play. The player's call "This is Yao's call," Van Gundy said. "We want him to do what's best for his career. But this is about Yao." Yao was injured one week ago in Salt Lake City when he was kicked by the Utah Jazz's Mehmet Okur, resulting in a clean break in the fifth metatarsal bone of his left foot. Dr. Tom Clanton repaired the break — and inserted a screw for strengthening — Friday at Memorial Hermann-Texas Hospital. Chinese basketball officials had wanted to send two of their doctors to Houston to examine Yao before the surgery, but they were rebuffed by the Rockets. Healing varies If the recovery goes fast, it is possible Yao, 25, can be back on a basketball court working out in 10 weeks. That's late June. But there have been other players — Michael Jordan among them — who have taken closer to the four- to six-month timetable. That is the time that, according to medical experts, it takes for a clean break to return to its previous bone density. But the screw was inserted to strengthen the bone. "As you might expect, it all caused much concern in China among the media and the fans," said Jai Li, a reporter for the World Journal who is based in Houston to cover the Rockets. "At first, there was a great deal of alarm. There were even some people saying the injury could force Yao Ming to retire. I think it has calmed down quite a bit since then." "I just want Yao to recover when he can and become an even better basketball player," Van Gundy said. "I've got enough problems already without being a vicious capitalist pig." fran.blinebury@chron.com Rockets Summary Lindsey close The Rockets are close to signing Dennis Lindsey, the team's vice president for basketball operations/player personnel, to a new four-year contract to remain with the team, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. Lindsey was thought to be in line to succeed Dawson as general manager until Daryl Morey was named assistant general manager for a year until he becomes the general manager after next season. Lindsey, Dawson said, will remain largely in his current role. "We're very close," Dawson said. "I was working on that all week. Dennis leaving (Friday on a scouting trip to Europe) interrupted that, but I feel very good about it. Any organization would be glad to have Dennis forever. He's a quality person. He does a great job." Lindsey has been with the Rockets for 10 seasons, the past four as vice president. "The owner ( Leslie Alexander) and Carroll have been very good to me in my career," Lindsey said. "I really appreciate that." After Morey was selected to become the team's next general manager and other teams called Lindsey to look into his availability, Dawson said that he advised Lindsey to consider his options "so he would not regret anything. "I told him, 'Make some calls,' " Dawson said. " 'See what's out there.' But I knew we were doing this because his contract was up." Go Celtics! After three years with the Boston Celtics, it might have taken Daryl Morey some time not to pull for the Celtics to win each night. But now, as Rockets general manager, he has an extra reason to pull for his former team. The Rockets' record is a game better than the Celtics, with every Celtics win potentially improving the Rockets' draft position. "I have thought about that," Morey said. "The Celtics winning is good on many levels. Obviously, as you track things, the Celtics winning is a good thing (for the Rockets.)" Bad finish Every loss potentially lifts the Rockets' stock in the NBA draft lottery, giving them a shot at a higher pick, but it also moves them closer to ignominious history. By dropping their final two games, the Rockets would finish with six consecutive defeats, the longest end-of-season losing streak in the 39-year history of the franchise. Nine losses in their last 10 games would be the second-worst finish in club history, ahead of only the 1982-83 team that staggered 1-11 to the end. The worst finishes in franchise history: Season Finish Record 1982-83 1-11 14-68 1983-84 2-8 29-53 2001-2002 2-8 28-54 JONATHAN FEIGEN and FRAN BLINEBURY
And who cares what the Chinese think! Look here China you get Yao for the 2008 olympics, thanks for coming out!
Yao cares. And I believe he cares more about what Chinese think than what you think. Deal with it, you don't own Yao. You don't own the world. You show respect, then you can get respect.
So a couple guys get pissed in a chat-room and that's the source? I'd be pissed too but there's nothing anyone can do.
Yao will start the first year of a max contract next season that is eight freaking figurs and it goes up each year. Other than the olympics nobody can tell me with a straight face that Yao's number one priority should be anything but the Rockets. The games in China are two years away and last time I chelked this summer is not olympic qualifying and if it was it does not matter the host country gets a spot no matter what.
OK. Money wise, Yao is not only gonna get paid by salary, but also by commercial endorement. And those kinds of contract (probably will bring more money than his salary) is mainly based on Yao's impact on a huge market -- China. So upsetting Chinese fans will definetely be a horrible idea, even if he's just thinking about money. And as we all know, Yao doesn't always put money as the first priority. While Rockets fans and some Chinese fans (including me) think WC is ****, many Chinese fans and surely the Chinese BasketBall officials rank WC higher priority than NBA games. And I think Yao will take his responsibility for that. Nobody can tell Yao what he SHOULD do. He just makes his own choice. Shall I also mention what happened to Wang Zhizhi ...
The rockets pay yao a lot of money, but yao makes a lot of money for the rockets. The rox certainly will advise Yao on what he should do, and he's going listen to what they're saying. But at the same time, if the NBA has shown anything, it's that it's a superstars league and big name players usually get what they want. If yao wants to play in any of these international games, then the rockets are going to let him, period. All the rockets can do is give him all the professional information in terms of his health, so that Yao is making a smart decision whether he should play or not. BTW: Considering how much the Rockets franchise's value has gone up over the past few years, and that Tracy wanted to come to Houston to play with Yao. Yao has more than repaid the value of his max contract already.
A little FYI the NBA is seen all over the globe that is the reason Yao is so marketable. Sabonas was the greatest Euro of all time and nobody ouside of Europe had any clue who he was until he came to the NBA. The same would be true for Yao if China never let him come over here. I don't care how Yao spends his offseason as long as he comes to camp in shape and 100% prepared for the upcoming Rockets season. He could of gotten hurt playing anywhere and for chinese people to be mad at JVG or the Rockets shows how clueless they are. Everything we do here is for injury prevention and at the same time maxing out to your physical peek. If someone like Yao who is in good shape gets injured our trainers did everything they could do. Yao needs to be 100% before he plays again period. Yao don't let them pressure you!
Chinese fans blame JVG because Yao got injured when he's fulfilling his commitment to Rockets. Rockets fans don't want Yao to fulfill his commiment to CNT because that may affect his NBA games. Homer? We all are. No matter what's Yao's decision, I'll respect it. Personally I prefer he stay out of the WC. But I have a strong feeling that Yao will try his best to participate.
Well it's true that he could have gotten hurt playing anywhere... but, how about gotten hurt in a meaningless game? Yao has sprained his ankle the night before in a road trip, JVG should have benched Yao but all JVG did was letting him start in the following game which he broke his foot! Doesn't JVG have the last say on which player to play in a game? like he did on DA, Jon Barry early in the season... I know nobody wanted that to happen but JVG should take most of the blames... Most of the teams played their starters 20-30 minutes in meaningless games, but yet Yao and other Rockets starters was playing like 35-40 minutes in those games trying to win... OK that might be a little out of topic...
There is no guarantee Yao will start next season 100% healthy if he decides to play WCT even if he fully recovers from toe injury in four months. The potential injury is always there. If Rockets does not want Yao play WCT because of potential injury yet they put Yao in a meaningless game after he was hurt the night before just for some reasons like tickets sale, that is something many Chinese fans get pissed off. Rockets gets as much from Yao as Yao gets from it, if not more. It was a win-win situiation for Yao to come to Rockets. And it can be a lose-lose situiation if they do not deal this issue carefully. You may think the Rockets owns Yao because of the salary he gets paid. But Yao did not start playing buscketball in USA. He owes a lot for the fans supporting him and people who helped him become a great player. He also have to consider the contract allowing him to join the Rockets. One-way thinking is never good.
I highly doubt the credibility of the chatroom sh*t. It could been some dumb Yao fans expessing their disappointment for not being able to see Yao play for the next 6 months. Sadly some dumber/evil reporter magnified it and made it a big deal. I suspect it's bc the writer has a family to provide but there ain't much to write about this team other than this dumb sh*t. So chill, man
How is that a double standard? The Rockets played Yao after a minor injury, and the broken foot itself was a freak occurence that had nothing to do with the first injury, right? Isn't there a difference between that and playing in the WC after a surgery for the Jones fracture, when most medical experts say that the recovery time can be up to several months. I'm pretty sure it's not just the Rockets that are saying it takes that long - look it up in the other thread.
