Yao Downplays Tension With McGrady

With so many players injured in Houston, it's not surprising to hear that people are frustrated. But what was surprising was yesterday's report from NBA.com's David Aldridge that Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the cornerstones upon which the Houston roster has been built, were no longer on speaking terms.

Local sports radio guy Raheel Ramzanali of 1560 AM caught up with Yao yesterday to ask about the report, and as you'd expect, Yao denied that the situation was quite so dire -- the transcript of their conversation appears below.

Ramzanali: David Aldridge reported that you and Tracy are not talking. Is there truth to that?
Yao: We just talked today.

Ramzanali: He also reported that you wanted Tracy out on NBA.com.
Yao: Who's that guy?

Ramzanali: David Aldridge, the NBA reporter.
Yao: He call me?

Ramzanali: He said there's a source close to the team that said it.
Yao: He didn't ask me, I don't know where he got this from. (Laughter)

Ramzanali: You and Tracy are okay?
Yao: See, we have a very good locker room, everybody is close.

Could Aldridge have really missed the mark so badly? Or is Yao simply blowing smoke, knowing nothing good comes from airing the team's dirty laundry for all the world to see? It's probably somewhere in the middle.

Perhaps not being on speaking terms was an exaggeration, but Aldridge is as connected as they come when it comes to NBA writers, so I don't doubt for a moment that he has a valid source backing up his opinions. And when combined with what other reporters are hearing -- just last week Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News cited a source saying McGrady was bad-mouthing Yao behind his back -- well, it's hard not to figure that something is amiss.

McGrady was brought to Houston four-and-a-half years ago to help the Rockets take the next step. It hasn't happened, and it wouldn't be surprising if the big guns are getting antsy for change. Even when McGrady is healthy enough to play, he's clearly not the same player he was just a year ago -- once one of the leading scorers in the league, he's now the third-leading scorer on his own team, averaging just 15.4 points, trailing both Yao (19.5 points) and Ron Artest (16.0).

Even if Yao doesn't want McGrady out, well, perhaps he should.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/01/15/yao-downplays-tension-with-mcgrady/#cont