http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/magazine/magBlog?id=2039748 A rested Yao big for Rockets by Chad Ford With the second round of the playoffs following a (yawn) pretty predictable track right now, the most interesting things going on are with the 22 teams already planning for next year. Let's start with the Rockets, who got the best news possible this week. Yao Ming gets to rest this summer, stay in Houston, and maybe even work on his game a little bit. Don't downplay this. When Yao showed up in Houston in October 2002, he was already exhausted. He had played a full season of Chinese basketball. Then, he represented China in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. By the time he made it to training camp in Houston, Yao was weary. He spent the summer of 2003 traveling around China with his team, helping it qualify for the 2004 Olympics. According to sources on the Rockets, the grueling practice and training schedule over there included traveling from game to game in coach class. That's right – coach. I'm 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and I have trouble sitting comfortably in coach. Last summer, after his second full NBA season, Yao was in Athens, representing China in the 2004 Olympics. He went from there right into his third NBA season. In reality, Yao has played three consecutive years without any significant time off. When he isn't playing basketball, his marketing and other responsibilities in China have taxed him. The bottom line is Yao has been exhausted – mentally and physically – since the Rockets drafted him three years ago. He hasn't been able to work on his game in any concentrated way. His obligations in the offseason have limited his ability to improve. That likely will change this summer. If Yao can continue to resist the urge to play for China in the Asian games, he might actually have the chance to work on strengthing his upper body, improving his conditioning, getting in the gym with top big-man coaches and spending a huge amount of time sitting on a beach, somewhere away from the media, sipping tea. It's in the best interests of China, the NBA and the Rockets for him to do just that. Yao came under unwarranted criticism this year for not meeting expectations. If Yao is ever going to reach his potential, he's going to have to start cutting out some of the extra things he does and focus entirely on the NBA. That's a huge blow to the shortsighted Chinese national team's hopes. But if the Chinese can just let Yao rest for the next couple of summers, maybe he'll have improved enough to give China a real shot in the 2008 Olympics. And maybe, by then, he and Tracy McGrady will have won the real prize – an NBA title. It didn't look impossible during the first few games of the playoffs this year. With a little more help from Yao, and a few more team changes in the offseason, I think the Rockets will be even more formidable next season. posted: May 11, 2005 7:14:07 AM PDT | Feedback
Well the article is basically telling us what we already knew...Yao will try to spend this summer in H-town and try to improve his game (as well as getting some much needed rest).
Maybe Yao has convinced them that it will be more beneficial to the hopes of the chinese olympic team if he trains in the US. I believe Yao wants to win a medal with his NT more so than a NBA championship. But from the fire I saw from him in the playoffs this year. It looks like he wants to win both badly Passion is growing. I like I like
