19 pts, 9 rbs, 2 blks, and 2asts in 24 mins, that?s the stats Yao gave us one year after last time he played in China National Team. Local night on August 28th, China National Team beat Iceland National Team with a large margin with 89:51. ? I have recovered 80% so far.? Yao commented on his state before the game, who just came back to court from the surgery, ?It?s been some while since the last time I put on China?s jersey officially, and I?m quite excited to do it again. Ever since the recovery phase after the surgery, I?ve been contemplating the day to be back joining in the national team. I really have to restore my condition by actual games.? Ten days ahead of Asian Tournament?s curtain being rung up, China National Team and Yao Ming has been hard up for a good opponent to practice and examine their strategy, while Iceland National Team is providing a good opportunity as its style is much close to Korea, the most powerful rival for China in the Tournament. ?He (Yao) is one of the most dominant centers in the world. As long as he?s in low post, there won?t be much chance left for us.? Jon Stefansson, the leading star in Iceland Team who played for Dallas Mavericks in 03-04 season, commented on Yao Ming after the game. ?Before that (the game) I heard about Yao only from TV and Internet. Tonight he impressed my in person as a basketball genius. He?s not a Bradley type as people always say, neither could Bradley be any compare to him. ?To be fair, my ultimate goal tonight wasn?t for winning the game, or could I say winning wasn?t all, but rather how to form the puzzle as a long missing piece with my team in a better way. And that?s more essential.? Yao said. ?It?s been some time since I played a game. And tonight I missed a couple of opportunities to sink the ball, and was a little bit slow in reacting to the pass and judging the placement.? China?s National Team coach Jonas Kazlauskas publicly admitted the critical position of Yao to the team, ?Pretty much as predicted, the team has made a big difference since Yao came back. He held up the opponent so much in low post that the other players were able to seize more opportunities to shoot from perimeter. It was so apparently how much the team relapsed from aggression when he?s back on bench.? There?s no doubt that to some extent China National Team is becoming totally the ?Yao?s Team? in spite of his absence for the whole year.
This can't be good for the Rockets. At first I thought Yao was recovering from surgery and didn't need to play for the Chinese National Team? Anyways, if he is playing for them in the summer, they would be one dominant force. With Yao, Yi Jianlian, and Liu Wei, the Chinese team should be able to crush the other Asian teams. Even without Yao they should be able to win the tournament. Which is why I honestly don't see why Yao has to be there...
I think this is good news for the Rockets actually. Yao has already gotten three months of rest, and playing in the Asian Tournament would help him get back into shape, so that Yao would be peak form by the time the season begins. He also won't be really tired because this tournament is not terribly long and Yao already didn't participate in the six-game Stankovic Cup held late July. The Chinese team without Yao is a disaster. In the Stankovic Cup held in Beijing, they screeched through against Angola by one point, and got blown out even by Australia, a team that didn't even qualify for the Olympics and had no NBA players.
One or two? There are often tournaments and exibition games that the Chinese Team participates in. Last summer, Yao had about a month off before he began training for the Olympics and the exhibition games they play before the big show. In 2003, there was the Olympics qualifying rounds. In 2002, it was the World Basketball Championships and the Asian Games. In 2006, there will once again be the World Championship and the Asian Games. It's always a rotation of tournaments and games for Yao in the summer.
Good look...............So he's getting a couple more months off instead of just 1 or 2. I wonder is he going to have time to get in the weight room, and work on the jump hook this offseason
I actually won't mind if Yao forgets about working out and just rests for a whole summer. Even when he was in rehab for the injury, he had to represent the NBA for some international program in China and was scrutinized by the media everywhere he went. I don't know, but even hearing that sounds tiring. Still, it's better than playing basketball and I think this extended rest could help him stay energized deep into the regular season and into the playoffs.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">I actually won't mind if Yao forgets about working out and just rests for a whole summer. Even when he was in rehab for the injury, he had to represent the NBA for some international program in China and was scrutinized by the media everywhere he went. I don't know, but even hearing that sounds tiring. Still, it's better than playing basketball and I think this extended rest could help him stay energized deep into the regular season and into the playoffs.</div> Your right.............I would hate smiling in peoples face 24-7. I also think he needs time to work on his game. Maybe somebody can help him on his jump hook.
