Everybody is talkin about 15 years of Ming Dynasty if we choose him. How do we know that Ming will stay with us after his rookie contract expires? What if the Chinese government interferes and forces him to like go to another team like N.Y.? Can the Chinese govt do that?
I don't know if they can do that or not,but I'm not worried about it. We will know by the end of the first two to three years how good Yao can be.If he plays well for four years,the Chinese Government might change their mind and let him play in Houston although it's possible that they might want him to go to a bigger city but we might be able to match any salary offer that another team proposes at that time.
I wouldn't worry about that at all. There's reason to worry about a lot of things... Yao Ming not getting a lot of pre-season training camp time (he will NEVER be pulled from the post-season), or summer league time. The Rockets might have to commit to playing in Shanghai in exhibition games, or sending over players/coaches for a quick development tour... or maybe helping to pay the salary of some 2nd round draft pick the Rockets were about to ship off to the NBDL, so that he'd play in China... But there's no reason to worry Houston isn't a good enough city for China and Yao Ming. Time to put that fear aside *now*. Houston is a big cosmopolitan city with a large Asian/Chinese population. As has been mentioned a thousand times, there's a Chinese consulate in Houston. Yao Ming has always had a love affair with the city thanks to Hakeem Olajuwon. Yao Ming had committed to playing college ball at Houston before the NCAA nixed his attempt. Houston is a more than adequate home for Yao Ming. I'd put it at only a *hair* under New York and Golden State, but definitely comparable to Chicago.... if this was a Memphis or Denver board, I'd have concerns whether Yao Ming might stay for the long run. Houston won't be an issue.
Yao Ming was known amongst college basketball followers a few seasons back when he was trying to make the jump. He played at adidas, and had committed (verbally I assume) to playing for Drexler at Houston. Here's one brief mention in a usenet group: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=7b38dv$pq2$4@its.hooked.net&oe=UTF8 And a recruiting update from '98: http://archive.basketballnews.com/content/archives/recruiting_1998/kaplanreport_051099.asp "The [Houston] Cougars also inked 7-5 Yao Ming of Shanghai, China, and 6-11 Chris Andersen of Blinn, Texas, both of whom are very gifted low-post players." And more: http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/hot-may99.htm "We also have now confirmed that there is no way that 7'5 Yao Ming from Shanghai, China will play for the University of Houston next year, because he has signed with Evergreen Sports, which is a Cleveland based sports management firm. As a result, Chris Johnson, our Ohio and International Editor, believes Ming is a professional athlete. However, he's not sure whether he will enter his name into the NBA draft or continue to play for his current club team - the Shanghai Sharks. " And search around, you'll see Yao Ming consistently names Olajuwon as his inspiration and favorite NBA player. For example, from September 2000 (way before this draft nuttiness): http://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/sep/07basket.htm "He draws inspiration from NBA centre Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets -- and his parents. "
The chineese govt? Don´t you think they have other things to doo than tell athletes what to do with their careers?
