I asked in the yao retirement thread what would be different if Yao was "retired", as oppose to just a an active free agent...someone replied that Yao could now rehab with team doctors, which sounded like a loophole to me....maybe there is something to it. It doesn't matter how good or bad the doctors are, the team would simply want to have control over Yao's rehab, or at least access/input. Imagine if this lockout went on for half the season...that's basically his whole rehab without any communication with the team.
You really think the NBA would actually allow him and the Rockets do this????? If true, this world is greedy........all for the love of making more money...
Maybe the Rockets can have the whole team retire for the duration of the lockout so the players and coaches and front office stat geeks can all go hang out together?
I dont know...maybe they already plan on giving him the year "off"...so he could stretch this retirement thing out for a while...I wouldn't be surprised at this point. Yao could even use his own doctors and just keep in touch with Morey and his staff...maybe that would be enough for the team and not enough proof for Stern?
Kevin McHale already trying to get the Rockets in trouble, have draft picks taken away and a fine. Joe Smith all over again! The Rockets were punished by the NBA for making a secret deal with free agent center Yao Ming to circumvent the league's lockout rules. Before the 2011-2012 season, Yao agreed in secret to retire with the Rockets. In return, Yao recieved a promise that the Rockets would give him access to team trainers, team medical staff and a heavy incentive laden contract in the 2011 offseason. In 2012, after word of the secret agreement got out, NBA commissioner David Stern voided Yao's contract with the Rockets, making Yao a free agent. Stern also took away three of the Rockets next five first-round draft picks and fined the team $3.5 million. Yao sat out for one season but came back to Houston before the 2013-2014 season as a free agent.
If this proves anything, it's that American media is a POS just like Chinese media. How could it not be if their sources for Jiang Zemin is literally Chinese media, unsourced internet sites and Chinese twitter? 20 years ago there was a level of difference but the integrity of American news has plummeted and Chinese media now is as savvy as the West. Yao obviously has not officially announced. So there is room for deniability/change of mind by Yao's team but there has to be smoke behind the fire. Yao's condition medically speaking must be much worse than generally presumed and a return impossible to unlikely. Either way I seriously doubt we'll ever see Yao again in a Rocket's uniform. Even if he could get well it makes no sense for either Houston or for Yao. Maybe Les' pocketbook but that's not enough to get Yao back here.
This report is bogus i believe Yao has retired, he has a family to take care of now and has enough funds for retirement.
I hope Yao clears this up soon. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sports/2011-07/09/c_13974934.htm Yao Ming, one of the pivotal figures in the NBA globalization, sent nothing about his retirement to the Houston Rockets and NBA, confirmed by Rockets official on Friday. "We have not got any news about Yao's retirement," said Talung Lin, China's market manager of the Rockets. "We were surprised by the news spreading around here today." "First Yao Ming has not decided to retire," confirmed Zhang Mingji, Yao's agent in China. "Second, Yao has not informed the Rockets and NBA that he would retire."
i think this is just his way of saying "leave me alone this free agency, so i can take my time recovering, i'll be back when, or if, i'm ready". Like it said in the other thread, since he's a FA he can just retire by walking away, or staying away in this case. He doesn't need to submit paperwork to houston or the NBA. That's probably why his reps are denying it. They are leaving the door open by denying it and are using the lack of official paperwork as proof.
Chris Mannix: Again: Yao is under no obligation-NONE-to inform the league he is retiring. If he did, they would probably say, "uh, OK, thanks."
Yao is pulling a Favre! <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/POyFvDgV2cU?hd=1#t=0m4s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Yao's retired. Nash, Battier, and Hayes have all commented on Yao's retirement and they're with the same agency. Chances are they got confirmation from Bill Duffy before saying anything on record.
yao probably didnt want the chinese agents/reps trying to convince him otherwise, so he just went ahead and did it so he didnt have to hear them whine and beg him to change his mind.
I hate to say but even if Yao isn't officially retiring I have a very hard time seeing him come back. Given what happened this past season when he came back I doubt he can come back and be a major contributor. Barring a miracle I think Yao walking away from the game is the right thing for him to do.
I think Yao cant contact the Rockets front office, because of the lockout. thats why he cant give them the retirement paper work or talk to them.
I feel your pain. I wish this isn't true either. However, he is an owner of a basketball team and a philanthropist. He has got other agendas at hand.
