"Substantive" talks with Rockets, Sharks to occur tonight

thanks,

good to know.

 

Good scoop job. Better hope hp already went to bed.

On an aside, I wonder what Bai Li and Li Yaomin gave Rudy and CD in their little gift exchange?

 

Thank You!!!! JW

 

Well Rudy was no doubt hoping for a case of TsingTao

 

One note about this...

Michael Goldberg is their LEAD attorney. He is there for a reason. When the Rockets were negotiating the arena deal, it was basically he and George Postolos doing everything. Between him and CD, there should be no question they are wanting to have serious talks. Goldberg is the top legal dog with the Rockets and, no doubt, he went for one reason alone: to negotiate.

 

I think Bush senior needs to drop a dime, or jet to China. He might be able to help us lure ming.
Go Bush!

 

I wonder what else the Rockets gave them. I doubt that the "traditional exchange of gifts” is covered by any clause in the CBA. What do you think it would take to grease the wheels with Mr. greedy troublemaker?

 

Um, they're not real crazy bout Bush over in China. During the early part of his term our relations with them were lower than they've been since Tiananmen Square. In my most paranoid moments I worry about how Bush's inappropriate posturing might affect our deal with Ming down the line. I doubt the Chinese government would pull him due to our cowboy 'president's' special brand of Tourette's Syndrome, but he's the last person I want talking to them on our behalf.

 

No news so far - is likely BAD NEWS

 

Isn't that supposed to be "No news is good news."

BTW, off-topic, but Pippen's nickname is "No Tippin'."

 

I don't understand what takes 10 days. There are very few things we need to know.

The Chinese like to do business this way or that way..blah blah blah...yeah they are deliberate in the way they do things but...

Yao's salary is non-negotiable...PERIOD. It's a rookie pay scale so there is no mystery there. What Yao chooses to do with 50% or 60% or 70% of what he earns is his business and shouldn't be any of our (the Rockets) concern

The only things they need to tell us are whether Yao will be available from the start of pre-season through the end of the postseason with no interruptions and is there any compensation due from the Rockets to the Sharks (if thats even allowed by the NBA). Am I missing something?

If the answer to the 1st question is "no", then it's sayonara Yao and hello trade.

 

NJ: There is a lot of formality in China. First, they had to get there and have an exchange of gifts and then be taken on a tour of the city. Next, they have dinner and polite exchanges. Next, they meet and have actual negotiations.

They have to do that at least three, maybe four, separate times - with the Sharks, with the CBA and with members of the Chinese government. Add in the plane flights and you get at least 10 days assuming talks don't take longer.

 

I'm not sure why they need 10 days---"Hey, CD, while we're here, let's go see the Great Wall"; "Rudy, if we draft this guy, you'll have the next 15 years to come back and see it"---but I do know they want to set up meetings with everybody: the Sharks, the CBA, the Chinese gov't, Yao Ming's parents...

 

I see what youre saying Jeff...obviously the Rox contingent doesn't want to be there any longer than they need to. However, there really are very few things that need to actually be negotiated.

 

What's the hurry? The last thing the Rockets should do is to try and hurry negotiations unnecessarily. Both sides know what the other side needs and they're taking the time to meet. That indicates both sides believe they can work the important issues out. Seems to me that, other than the negotiations, the main thing they need to work out is a level of comfort with each other. That takes time. Ten days isn't that long, even if it feels that way to us fans. And if the talks break down, there's still time a week from now to enact a plan B.

 

What's all this business of needing Yao's parents' signatures??

At what age does someone reach legal adulthood in China?

 

Let's show some patience here, boys. It took more than 10 days for college coaches to recruit me out of high school, much less a Chinese citizen who's the #1 pick in the NBA.

 

Think of it as more than just a business transaction. This pick will be one of the most intriguing in a while. This is an extremely high-profile foreign player coming to the NBA. There's more than a meeting of minds and money here. There's a meeting of traditions, cultures, and, in general, ways of doing things. This takes longer than the usual #1 pick in the draft which would be a no-brainer.

I think this is kind of cool on so many levels that go way beyond basketball. I hope it works out if we do draft him because we may add several million new fans to the fanbase.

 

Respect and taking the time to form a good business and social relationships (which are very important to doing business in many parts of the world) is a big reason. This will probably be a very involved relationship when all is said and done. There is much interest and potential benefit to both sides by being more heavily involved with each other. From the Rockets side, apart from establishing a positive relationship that will aid them in any ongoing issues about Yao’s availability, there is IMMENSE business potential in China. Shanghai alone has 10 million people, IIRC. Given that Yao is China’s Michael Jordan, in terms of basketball popularity his appeal will likely extend to the whole nation, of 1.3 billion people. As we’ve heard on this board, the Chinese are interested in NBA coaching, NBA players, the whole “big league” image, and other things I’m sure. There is HUGE potential for win win arrangements and deals that will make both sides happy and make both sides $$$$$$E6. I don’t suspect that the Rockets will send a player to play for the Sharks, (I should add before anybody starts resurrecting old bogeymen.) I’m thinking more along the lines of sending some players over to do a publicity tour, and play few exhibition games. Or send some coaches over to do a camp. There are many possibilities, and this time will likely be spent taking about some of them, but more importantly it will likely be used to help form a positive relationship that will form the foundation for such arrangements in the future.