Yao Making Progess

Shapecity · Oct 14, 2008

I was in the building that night when Yao Ming limped off the floor in his final appearance at the Beijing Olympics. He had scored 19 points and pulled down 7 rebounds 33 1/2 minutes of a 94-68 loss to Lithuania and the pain in his surgically-repaired left foot was excruciating.

In the post-game press conference, Yao waved off any concern from the crush of Chinese media, saying it was just a blister that developed from wearing a new pair of shoes. But more than an hour after the game, Yao could be seen hobbling through a back hallway of the arena with his shoe off and his entire foot looking swollen and purple and angry. When I saw him four days later, on the last day of the Olympics, Yao was walking without a limp, but slowly and with purpose, like a man trying to convince himself.

Fast-forward to now and look at the remarkable difference. After seeming out of pace, out of rhythm in the Rockets' first two exhibition games at home, he displayed more of his old moves against the Celtics on Saturday. Then he played on Monday night against the Thunder in Tulsa and often looked like the old Yao. In 24 minutes, he scored 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. More important, he moved up and down the floor all around the paint like someone who is not worried about every single step.

First things first for the Rockets. The final scores and the outcomes of exhibition games don't matter. What mattered most coming into training camp was getting Yao back into the shape that had him playing some of the best basketball of his career just before his season was cut short last February. In the first 12 games of the historic 22-game winning streak, Yao averaged 21.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and was moving and playing his defensive position as well as ever.

Getting Tracy McGrady back fully recovered from his surgery is critical as well. Then there's getting a mended Shane Battier in the lineup once again.

But if the Rockets are to have true championship aspirations this season, the man in the middle of those dreams is the man in the middle.

Staying healthy and playing the entire season is, of course, the next hurdle and it is still a quite big one. But if you had seen him limp off the floor that day in Beijing, if you had seen that swollen, painful foot, this is reason for hope.
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Source: Blog Houston Chron

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Yao Making Progess

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Yao Making Progess

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