Blinebury: A Yao And LeBron Future?

By: Fran Blinebury Last Updated: 5/29/09 6:37 PM ET | 2659 times read

Already standing literally head and shoulders above so many other players, what could possibly make Houston Rockets center Yao Ming a taller obstacle to climb in the middle of an NBA lineup?

Already having collected one MVP award for his trophy case at the tender age of 24, what could turn the runaway freight train that is Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James into a more unstoppable load hurtling down the tracks?

In China, there are millions of NBA fans who have the answer : Yao and LeBron together.

Consider it still a flight of fantasy dancing in the imaginations and message boards of anyone with an Internet connection. Yet it should not be simply dismissed out of hand as preposterous.

Not when the New World Development Company, representing a group of Chinese investors, is set to buy a 15 percent ownership interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Hong Kong-based group is led by Kenny Huang, a Chinese-born investor who has in the past brokered marketing deals with the Houston Rockets and New York Yankees.

On the surface, it may be merely the next most logical step in the growing relationship between the NBA and China, where basketball is wildly popular.

But that is not the way the announcement was greeted by on-line fans in China, where some are already predicting a Yao-LeBron dynasty.

"It is not like you can get whatever you want, a player like Yao," Huang told Titan Sports of China. "I think every owner of the NBA would love to have him. It will all depend on Yao's wish, depend on what he wants. That will be his decision."

If you're the Rockets, it is just one more ingredient you don't want poured into the mix.

Despite their long-sought successful foray into the 2009 playoffs, with a first-round win over Portland and a hard-fought seven-game loss to the Lakers - without Yao (stress fracture left ankle) for the final four games - the Rockets have no small amount of work and maneuvering ahead of them for this off-season and beyond.

Yao's contract calls for more than $34 million through the 2010-11 season. But the seven-time All-Star center has an option to become a free agent after next season.

The Rockets had already approached Yao several times during this season about the possibility of signing an extension. But the fact that he'll be able to sign for more money and more years in 2010 or 2011 makes it unlikely that he'll agree to commit himself at this point.

When Yao boarded a plane back to China two weeks ago, he was definitely quite happy that the Rockets had finally won a playoff series for the first time in his NBA career. He let it be known to those around him that he was happy with the cast of players around him and happy with their intense style of play.

The big question hanging out there for Yao as they all go forward is how the Rockets handle the situation with Tracy McGrady, who was finally forced to shut himself down in early February and underwent microfracture knee surgery. McGrady is due more than $23 million on the final year of his contract.

There is definite sentiment inside the Rockets organization to allow McGrady to rehab at his own pace and see what he can give the team when he returns to the lineup. There is no doubt that, despite their success, there were times in the playoffs when the Rockets missed T-Mac's 1-on-1 skills and ability to create his own shot.

However, there is belief in some corners of the locker room that McGrady's soap opera dramatics have run their course and Yao may be in that group.

Yao has made no demands or even suggestions to Rockets management about what course he'd like to see them pursue with McGrady. But Yao also knows what he has all of the cards in his hand concerning his future.

At 28, with a history of foot and leg injuries, Yao knows the clock is ticking quickly on his career. Now that he has seen the core of the Rockets as they are currently consisted as capable of pushing the Lakers in the West, he does not want to backslide into all of the old questions and inconsistencies.

Yao has often spoken of his preference not to turn into an itinerant star, hopping teams in pursuit of playoff success. Yet he has made it clear that a championship is the goal that sits high above his world wide success as a celebrity and a marketing icon.

In addition to getting more money and more years from the Rockets if he waits to sign a new contract until 2010, he also keeps the pressure on the club to continue putting pieces in place around him that make Yao most comfortable and effective.

From their side, the Rockets will move heaven and earth to get Yao re-signed.

While Huang does the soft sell about his group's entry into the NBA and says all of the right things about a player who is currently the property of another club, the leader of the investment group has told several Chinese contacts that his dream scenario would be to get Yao to Cleveland and put him in the same lineup with LeBron.

Yao has led the Forbes China list of top celebrities for six consecutive years and James has become a major marketing icon in China, especially after his experience at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Talk about a fantasy. Talk about your dream team. In China, they already are.

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