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Yao to Hang Out in Houston, Not China

By JOEL ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
Posted May 10 2005, 6:30 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- Yao Ming rested comfortably in a chair and smiled at the thought of a summer without basketball. At long last, the big man will get a break.

"I just want to relax," Yao said. "I don't want to do anything. I'm not too used to being relaxed."  
Yao will head into his first NBA offseason without any obligations, a big change from the previous two summers when he returned home to play with China's national team.

At 7-foot-6, Yao was already one of China's biggest sports stars -- quite literally -- after entering the NBA in 2002 as the No. 1 draft pick. But he won even more fans back home for leading China to the Asian basketball championship in 2003 and helping his national team reach the quarterfinals of the Athens Games.

However, the challenges of year-round basketball and travel have taken a toll.

His commitments to China's national team have limited his ability to improve his conditioning and skills in the offseason and he is often hurt by fatigue during the grueling NBA season.

"What you want and what happens is not totally in your control," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Everybody understood

there were going to be other commitments that he was going to have to honor. We respect Yao for honoring his commitments."

Sitting at the Rockets' arena Monday before he and his Houston teammates scattered for the offseason, Yao said he'd consider

playing for China in the Asian Games, which start July 19 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but wouldn't commit to doing much else

for the summer.

"The first thing about my summer is I don't want any scheduling," Yao said. "I don't want to wake up and think about what I need to do."

The Rockets already have drafted an offseason program in case he sticks around.

An MRI exam will determine if he needs surgery to remove loose particles from his left ankle, followed by rehabilitation and training in Houston for at least a couple of months.

Rockets strength and conditioning coach Anthony Falsone, who traveled to China with Yao and trained the Chinese national team last summer, has marveled at Yao's durability and on-court production despite a schedule that leaves little time for

improvement.

"He's gotten tremendously better in a lot of ways," Falsone said. "He takes a lot of criticism but playing year-round basketball is not easy. It's hard to recover."

Regardless, Yao has gained upper-body strength to match his natural lower-body power. Falsone will try to keep Yao at about

300 pounds, however, saying that any added weight would further limit his mobility and jumping ability.

The next offseason goal for Yao, Falsone said, is to improve his stamina, something that former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon

also dealt with.

Despite the limitations, Yao made modest gains in his third NBA season. He led the Rockets to their second-straight playoff appearance and showed signs that he could eventually develop into the dominant center he once was expected to become.

Yao averaged 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and two blocks during the regular season. His numbers went up in the postseason as he averaged 21.4 points in the first-round loss to the Mavericks.

"I think he has shown a lot of improvement and he's been here for only three years," said Dikembe Mutombo, Yao's backup and close friend. "I think that a lot of it (the expectations) has to do with the weight that he carries while representing the continent that he comes from.

"You talk about a billion people following one person. The expectations are so high for him ... I wonder how he goes to sleep."

The best of Yao could be to come. With more time to prepare, he could make marked improvement over the summer.

"He's not Shaq, he's not Hakeem Olajuwon, but he's going to be the best Yao Ming he can be," Falsone said. "He'll make a name for himself in this league if we give him a little time." （end）