- Yao Ming, ever the voluble foreign star intent on impressing us all with his English wit (we are impressed), has not found himself talking much since his injury in the 2008-09 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, at least until recently. This weekend, Yao spoke at some length to CNN’s TalkAsia program about matters of varying importance. His limitations in the language appear far more often when encountered with questions obviously leading him to say something negative about subjects close to his heart that he is trying to protect (his injured foot, the Chinese basketball program), yet he never seems lost in the way many athletes do when asked to carry the load of a nationally televised interview for 20 minutes. Instead, Yao teems the most cautious optimism. While I’ve mentioned it before, the tenor of Yao’s voice and steadiness of his hand inspire far more confidence in me than the act of hearing about how great his practices are going. Earlier this summer, his interviews felt like admissions of defeat, like sullen insults toward nature. For today, Yao is back to just talking, and he does it very well.
- While Yao may return to speaking at length, playing for extended minutes will have to wait… for another year. Yao will be limited to 24 minutes a game next year, according to Rockets trainer Keith Jones; this has serious implications, both good and bad, all around for this team. It means the back-up center position will not only need to be productive, but deep (more on that later). It means Rick Adelman does not think he will lose this team or his job if he doesn’t play his best player as much as he (or any coach would) wants to. More importantly, it means this team anticipates a long playoff run in which Yao Ming will needed: “With Yao, however, Morey said there will be no uncertainty and no chance of the contentiousness that Noah’s playing time became in Chicago last season, and not only because Morey would want no part of Adelman if it came to that. ’At the end of the day, it’s all about winning,’ Morey said. ‘It’s about winning in the playoffs. We’re choosing to limit Yao Ming and Yao Ming is in agreement that this is the best plan. We want him when it counts the most.’”
- In the wake of the team’s announcement about Yao’s minutes, it has found itself offering contracts to some large men Rockets fans may not like very much: current Miami-Heat-admirer Erick Dampier and the Utah Jazz’s Kyrylo Fesenko. Dampier, who was just waived by the Bobcats in order to protect Michael Jordan’s pocketbook, has already been offered a two-year deal with the team worth $4 million. While Shaq’s former whipping boy (aren’t we all?) may not be able to do much in 2010, he can get on those boards quite ably, and a lineup featuring him and Luis Scola would not seem to be as much of a sieve as a Miller-Scola combination. Simply put, neither of the two of them is David Andersen, and isn’t that all we can reasonably ask for?
- And now, Kevin Martin round-up time! He has been very aware of the rising storm of Carmelo Anthony news (Denver Nuggets Organizational Collapse Watch Day 200,415: The Nets are apparently trying very hard to make it happen) and his own involvement in many of the prospective deals. In a Jonathan Feigen piece in the Houston Chronicle, Martin vows to show Rockets fans exactly why he was the prize of last year’s trade deadline. If the fans still can’t get their minds off of Melo, he’ll even have that covered: ”‘If Houston wants Carmelo that bad,’ Martin said, ‘on Halloween, if I’m still here, I’ll dress up as Carmelo.’ Martin said that even without the Anthony get-up, he will bear only a vague resemblance to the player who finished last season with the Rockets.” For all of the talk, Daryl Morey wants people to know that he is not trying to trade the freshest fade in the league (not belonging to Brandon Jennings) at this time. Mr. Martin can always just subscribe to Basketball Prospectus if he’s looking to feel better about this city’s infatuation with the ballplayer from Baltimore and check out some sweet advanced statistics. Instead, Martin’s made an entire town and family feel just a little better after paying for the funeral of a 6-year-old boy who died in a bus accident earlier this summer, a story aptly covered by Feigen in this poignant article.
- While I may disagree that Cuttino Mobley is the best Rockets second-rounder in recent memory (Carl Landry was/is a bad, bad man), I don’t think anyone disagrees with the sentiment that we all hoped for the best when he announced his effective retirement on joining the New York Knicks and finding out via physical about a heart condition that would prohibit him from ever being on a basketball court again. Now, the world of 1998-2004 Rockets fans can rejoice because of an Adrian Wojnarowski tweet stating he has been cleared to play. Here’s hoping the Cat finds himself a roster spot somewhere, preferably with available two-bedroom apartments for his BFFE.
- This may be well tread territory, but it’s too good not to spread to the cursed few who’ve missed out on it: recently added Chicago Bull C.J. Watson is dating Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ex, who is currently embroiled in a fight with her former boxer/lover. This is apparently a bad decision, as Money is crazy, rich and (by trade) violent as hell. Hilarity ensues (unless you’re Watson, in which case, trying to move to another planet ensues). Mayweather has apparently required a blood sample from Watson, though, if he is going to pummel the point guard (insert cymbal crash here).
- In India, there is a legit 7 footer waiting to try out for the NBA someday. Unfortunately, he is 14 years of age and did not know what the NBA was until very recently. Reportedly, he has watched some NBA action since becoming aware of it. He likes Kobe. There have been no projections regarding what he’d look like in purple and gold in five years.
- I’m sure many Houston Rockets fans who watched the NBA Finals in 1994 love John Starks. When a man tries to gift-wrap a championship for your organization, how can you not? Still, I do find it strange that he is anyone’s favorite player, completely non-ironically. Stranger things have happened (like going 3-18 in Game 7).