Yao still hopeful he can make Olympic appearance February 27, 2008 2:19AM http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/02/27/yao.china.ap/index.html?eref=T1 BEIJING (AP) -- Yao Ming's season-ending injury prompted shock and concern in his native China on Wednesday, though hopes were high he would still make August's Beijing Olympics. The emotional response highlights the NBA star's role as the world's best known Chinese athlete and far and away the most popular sports figure in China. For many Chinese, Yao embodyies the country's collective hopes for global competitiveness and international acceptance. While China is not considered a leading Olympic medal contender in basketball, the 2008 Olympic hosts see Yao as one of the faces of the games and are counting on him to lift the event's global profile. "The only thing offering Yao Ming any solace at this time is that his injury will not force him to miss the Beijing Olympics of his dreams," leading newspaper Titan Sports said in a front page article. China's Basketball Association called a snap news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss Yao's condition, portraying the development almost as an issue of national security. "This is highly sensitive, so don't send any foreigners" to attend the news conference, the association's deputy director, Hu Jiashi, told The Associated Press, without explaining further. Spokesmen for the Chinese Olympic Committee said they had no immediate comment. The Houston Rockets and NBA All-Star center was ruled out for the season Tuesday with a stress fracture in his left foot, dealing a major blow to his team's playoff hopes. While word of Yao's injury arrived too late for most Chinese newspaper deadlines, it was a leading item on the main national midday television news report. Doctors blamed the injury on accumulated stress on the bone, rather than any single incident. Titan said the true cause was the Rockets' failure to provide a reliable substitute for Yao, forcing him to play long minutes every game. "In fact, exhaustion was really the major reason behind Yao Ming's injury," the paper said. Yao's injuries elicit major concern among Chinese sponsors and television stations broadcasting Rockets games, since viewership tends to fall dramatically when he is not playing. Apart from Yao, the Chinese national team also boasts former Dallas Mavericks center Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese player in the NBA, along with 2.11-meter (6-foot-11) power forward Yi Jianlian of the Milwaukee Bucks. They blame the Rockets for Yao's injury!?!, try the Chinese play this guy every summer in meaningless games and not giving him a summer off!
Hey, I think it's pretty terrible to lay all of this on the Rockets, too, but calling games for the Chinese national "meaningless" ain't right either, IMO. You may not care, but Yao does, and his entire country does. You act like playing for the Rockets is the only thing that should matter to Yao.
Well yep, I'd agree with them. Exhaustion. I got this same deal running 100 miles a week in college. All I did was workout, run, eat and sleep. You're not much good for anything else. All you do is think about your training. The thing about training and playing at a top level is like you're sharpening a knife to so that it's razor thin. That blade is honed to such a high level but the slightest stress can break that blade too. That's what happened to Yao and that's how I got my own stress fracture. When you train at an elite level, the risk of breaking down is much higher. I'd say that Adleman takes a good hard look at himself from now on and how he plays Yao's minutes.
Ok not meaningless, how about totally unnecessary!! Sakes, China is hosting the Olympics this summer, they don't need to qualify. The hosting country is automatically in! No need to over play Yao!
Why did they even allow him to play in the NBA if they have a problem with him playing too much? I find it hilarious that they sent him here for selfish reasons (hoping he would win a title and elevate China's athletes' status) and then complain when we use him in the best way possible to make him and our team a winner.
It is funny how much finger pointing is going on.... When in reality it is an accumulation of all parties.... CNT has horrid overbearing training proceedures, which cause Yao to be uneccessarily overworked. The NBA is a very long grind - and you need those summer months off for your body to recover. Both sides are looking out for their own best interests. What needs to happen is YAO looks out for HIS OWN INTERESTS. Perhaps train a lot less with the CNT, and limit his minutes with the Rockets. DD
I'm actually a little surprised at the fact Yao is playing the most minutes per game this year: While the fault can't be completely dumped on the Rockets organization, I think Adelman needs to find ways to reduce the playing time for the 7'6 guy.
"This is highly sensitive, so don't send any foreigners" to attend the news conference, the association's deputy director, Hu Jiashi, told The Associated Press, without explaining further" Propaganda at its best. If they forcing Yao to play in the Olympic without letting it fully heal that would be a big mistake. Oh well, all they care about sacrifice at the expense of the mass for common good of the few.
Well, both sides have to sacrifice something for Yao's sake. With the exception of this summer (which is a special case), China should stop telling Yao to play for the CNT. Adelman should also learn to cut back on Yao's minutes like JVG did.
Stress Fractures are caused by overuse. What is a stress fracture? A stress fracture is an overuse injury. It occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone causing a tiny crack called a stress fracture. What causes a stress fracture? Stress fractures often are the result of increasing the amount or intensity of an activity too rapidly. They also can be caused by the impact of an unfamiliar surface (a tennis player who has switched surfaces from a soft clay court to a hard court); improper equipment (a runner using worn or less flexible shoes); and increased physical stress (a basketball player who has had a substantial increase in playing time). Where do stress fractures occur? Most stress fractures occur in the weightbearing bones of the lower leg and the foot. More than 50 percent of all stress fractures occur in the lower leg. What activities make athletes most susceptible to stress fractures? Studies have shown that athletes participating in tennis, track and field, gymnastics, and basketball are very susceptible to stress fractures. In all of these sports, the repetitive stress of the foot striking the ground can cause trauma. Without sufficient rest between workouts or competitions, an athlete is at risk for developing a stress fracture. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00112
CBA didn't blame rockets, it is "titian", one of the popular sports newspapers in China, who blamed rockets. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3266723 quote: Hu (CBA deputy director) refused to blame the Rockets, however, saying: "Injury is unavoidable in any competitive sport."
Haha who's the mass and who's the few? China has 1.3 billion people and it'd be ridiculous to think that the Rockets fanbase is anywhere near a fraction of that.
I agree. But, Yao's been on loan ever since he was drafted. That was the risk we took in drafting him over amare and whoever else. (even jayson williams, yikes!) Look, we're hurting because he's a rocket. But 82 games + playoffs is alot. The grind is ridiculous and compared to china which they only play like...40 games? (someone correct me on this), that's insane! They kind of have that right to say "well the NBA over played him too much" But hey, as a fans here, we can say he's COMMITED to houston. It's his friggin JOB. He gets paid a great salary, is a franchise player and is bringing honor to the homeland. China needs to respect that he's on the biggest stage, which is hard as hell and he needs to be at the top of his game in order to bring any respect they want him to bring back to china. If he fails (see wang zhi zhi) well, he's just considered a big fat disgrace now isn't he? Both parties want yao to commit 100% to them but lets face it. He can't do it! His body, his schedule, everyone else's scheduels just won't permit it. The finger pointing needs to stop, and everyone just needs to support yao's decision on whether or not he gets surgery and comes back strong. Several posters have posted yao needs to look out for his own interest. I agree too. This is stupid with all the blaming.
That really IS propaganda. No foreigners allowed? What is that about? "Quick, let's blame the white man before anybody else has a chance to find out the truth!!" Instead of pointing their fingers at the Rockets, why don't they instead find out the best possible way for Yao to recover quickly? This is no longer about China, or Houston, or anybody else....it's about Yao and his health....and his career, both for the CNT and the Rockets.
I think the Rockets are being very sensitive to China by shutting him down now and letting him get fully healed by the Olympic games. Good job Rockets, and I hope Yao does well in the Olypics and comes back stronger than ever. DD
Well, this is how it's gonna be. The Chinese will blame us. They'll falsify some stories and quotes (why else not let foreign reporters into their press gatherings?). We'll be mad at the Chinese for playing him all year. And so on and so forth.
