Yao Ming isn’t going to test the water of the free agency pool, he’s going to stay with the Houston Rockets instead. According to SI.com, Houston general manager Daryl Morey said that there is no doubt in his mind that the 7-foot-6 center isn’t going to opt out of his contract in order to become a free agent.

Yao Ming may be riding the pine this season, but he'll be back with the Rockets in 2010.

“He’s very loyal, and he’s going to opt in,” Morey said in an interview Monday night with FanHouse. “He’s definitely coming back.”

Yao is currently out for the 2009 season, as he recovers from the foot surgery he had over the summer. Knowing what a decent guy he is, I’d be as shocked and surprised as Morey would be if Yao decided to jump ship.

I agree with the GM. Yao isn’t going anywhere.

Image: Zuma Press

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Yao To Stay With Houston

Yao has fractured his left foot twice. A third fracture would likely end Yao’s basketball career. In an attempt to make sure his foot won’t fracture a third time, doctors are going to conduct a bone graft and they will also lower his arch to lower the amount of stress his foot takes on during basketball activities.

While this is obviously bad news for Yao, the Rockets and fans of the Rockets, there is some hope. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a similar procedure and it has let him play the last eight years without suffering a career-ending fracture.

Last season, Yao averaged 19.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 33.6 minutes. He was able to play in 77 contests and shoot 54.8% from the field and 86.6% at the line.

Yao is being upbeat about the situation.

Said Yao: “I am confident that the path I have chosen is the best one. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me before I can be back on the court, and I am committed to do whatever I can to make my recovery 100 percent successful. I have full confidence I’ll play again.”

Yao Ming Surgery (Image: Zuma Press)

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Yao Ming to Undergo Surgery on Foot

However, right now nothing has been finalized. The only thing that is certain is that Yao’s foot fracture isn’t healing as expected. He’ll have second, third and fourth opinions before the Rockets decide what to do.

Sources close to the Rockets believe that the prognosis is grim. If Yao has surgery, the best case scenario has him returning around the 2010 All-Star Break. If rest or surgery doesn’t help, there’s a definite chance the 7-foot-6 center out of China would have to hang up his sneakers for good.

In this past season, the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. In the second round, Houston took the eventual champions to seven games. Although the Los Angeles Lakers won, the Rockets’ future seemed to bright.

Not anymore.

Yao Ming - Career Over (Image: Zuma Press)

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Is Yao Ming’s Career Over?

Kobe Bryant led the way with 26 points in 31 minutes. Paul Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell and Lamar Odom also joined Bryant in double figures. Gasol, specifically, was helpful with his 16 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 33 minutes of action.

For the Rockets, it was a long night at the office. As a team, they shot just 32.6% from the field and hit only 5-of-29 three-point attempts. Point guard Aaron Brooks led Houston in scoring with 14 points, while Luis Scola chipped in with 12 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

The Lakers will try to eliminate the Rockets in Game 6, which will be played on Thursday in Houston.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Newscom)

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Lakers Hammer Rockets By 40 in Game 5

The Rockets got a big game from their big center Yao Ming. In 40 minutes, the native of China had 28 points, ten rebounds and two blocked shots. Yao got help from Ron Artest (21 points and seven assists), Aaron Brooks (19 points in 36 minutes) and Luis Scola (10 points and eight rebounds).

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was held in check. Before a late surge, Kobe was mostly quiet. He ended the game with 32 points and eight rebounds but he was defended very well by Shane Battier and Ron Artest. The other players in double-digits for the Lakers were Paul Gasol, Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum.

Game 2 will also be played in Los Angeles and will take place on Wednesday. Another Rockets win would put Houston in the driver’s seat and could score the underdogs the knockout punch.

Yao Ming, Houston Rockets (Image: Newscom)

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Rockets Stun Kobe and Lakers in Game 1

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and the rest of the so-called USA “Redeem Team” prevailed over Yao Ming and Team China in their opening game of the Olympic men’s basketball competition to win with a score of 101-70. The two teams were close for the first half of the contest, but the US team pulled away during the second half of the third quarter. Dwayne Wade contributed 19 points for the US and LeBron had 18. Ming was the high-scorer for the China team with 13 points.

The game, one of the most anticipated of the Olympic Games, was said to draw more than a billion viewers worldwide (according to NBC.com).

Team USA will face Angola in their next game, on Tuesday.

Other Sunday Olympic men’s basketball results are as follows:
Russia over Iran – 71 to 49
Lithuania over defending Gold Medalist, Argentina – 79 to 75
Germany over Angola – 95 to 66
Spain over Greece – 81 to 66
Croatia over Australia – 97 to 82.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

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USA Tops China in Men’s Basketball

Texas’ three NBA teams are well represented in the 2008 Olympics. The Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki, Houston Rockets Yao Ming, and the San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobili, who each just a few months earlier competed in the NBA playoffs are now set to perform for an even larger world wide audience.

After propelling German men’s basketball team to its first Olympic appearance in sixteen years, Dirk Nowitzki was assigned the honor of carrying the country’s flag in the opening ceremony.

Now with that celebration over, the real work begins. In the preliminary round for group B, Germany’s first match is against Angola. Even greater challenges awaits the erman squad in the upcoming week when they take on European champions Greece, World Champions Spain, the highly motivated and extremely talented USA squad, and China, the host country’s celebrated team.

Leading China’s team is Yao Ming, who is making his third Olympic appearance. China reached the quarterfinals in the 2004 Olympics and will have plenty of fan support this summer as they strive for further progress. Yao Ming, who humbly carried the Olympic torch in Beijing, has a fire in his belly when it comes to competing.

In an interview with local Chinese media, Ming said, “I think we should focus on how to do well at this Olympics because (the Beijing Games) has been a dream for us all.”

Manu Ginobili along with a battle tested Argentina squad is looking to make their dream of Olympic championship repeat come true. Argentina’s first obstacle to overcome is the team from Lithuania. Both teams have been assigned to group A, along with Australia, Iran, Russia, and Croatia.

When asked to describe his team’s chemistry, Manu said, “We are hard workers and we just want the best for our teammates. On every team, that’s huge. We got all the roles well-covered and we’re all looking for just one simple goal.”

For all these players, though the goal is clear, the results remain to be seen.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Texas Olympic Trio

The Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics will be held tomorrow night at the Olympic Stadium, and although many components are being kept secret (such as the final torch bearer), much is known about the festivities.

The date and the time are symbolic. Eight is a lucky number in China. Hence, August 8, 2008 at 8:08:08 pm is about as lucky as you can get. The ceremony is expected to last about 3 1/2 hours.

Entertainers will include Britain’s Sarah Brightman (of “Phantom of the Opera” fame), Canada’s Celine Dion, and Taiwan’s Jay Chou.

Among the 104 foreign dignitaries attending the event are US President George W. Bush, Princess Haya of Jordan, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Russian President Vladmir Putin, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and N Korean leader Kim Jong II.

As for the procession of athletes, the Australians are skipping the event due to concerns over the air quality in Beijing; basketball star Yao Ming will carry the Chinese flag; and Sudanese refugee-now US citizen and long-distance runner, Lopez Lomong will carry the US banner.

The order of the activities follows a rigid agenda set up by the International Olympic Committee. Mike, who blogs at 08:08:08, was kind enough to post a copy of it.

This article on the Vancouver 2010 site, a group that’s already hard at work on their own opening ceremony preparations, offers additional insight on what goes into producing an Olympic Opening Ceremony.

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What to Expect at the Opening Ceremonies

The Olympic Torch arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday and began its two-day relay around the city leading up to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremonies on Friday. Among the 433 torchbearers were Olympic basketball star Yao Ming (pictured above). Many guessed that Ming might be the one to light the cauldron at the ceremony, but as each torchbearer by tradition can only touch the torch once, he is now eliminated. Could it be Liu Xiang, the Chinese hurdling star?

^{(photo courtesy of the BOCCG)}

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Olympic Torch Arrives in Beijing

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LeBron – Yao Ming Coca Cola Commercial