DISQUS

I'm sure when asked, Yao would definitely consider sacrificing his pay. But T-Mac is still the highest paid Rocket at 21 mil. And he doesn't have to contribute any to the Chinese sports federation.

Yao was pissed off after the game. He wanted to win, but the coach just wanted to play it safe. We'll go all out for Lithuania!

I agree with Joe, Sun Yue should have been running the point and handling the ball in the Spain game. We would have won that one as well.

I love Liu Wei, been a fan of Shanghai Sharks from way back. But his style is not suitable for team play. He dribbles too much, yet he's turnover prone. All my American friends' first impression on him is that he's a gunner. Liu Wei takes shots that make you scream "What the f**K are you doing?" Fortunately for us, my reactions to his shots lately were more like "What are you doing? Oh, ok. thank God it went in."

I understand Coach Kaunas sticking with Liu Wei because at this point, even though Chen Jianghua is more talented, but Liu Wei has a little more control. But I thought Sun Yue should've been used more at the point as well. That Rubio kid would never have been able to strip Sun Yue without fouling.

From the way it looks, if we beat Greece, we play Argentina. If we lose, we play Lithuania. I'll take my chances with Lithuania.

I've never watched a game with so much nervousness and excitement. Be honest with you, I've never thought China could advance out of this group. The difference has been China's role players, they have stepped up when needed. They are playing a lot better team ball than in the past and they definitely deserve this win.

I'm all for that. Yao should be only required to play for World Championships and the Olympics. Not even sure that he's needed for the Asian championships.

Actually, I guess the online broadcasting schedule is subjected to change. Today's Spain game was played on MSNBC, and I couldn't find it on NBCOlympics.com. I guess it was either a glitch or a last-minute change.

BTW, that game was heartbreaking! China had a few key possessions down the stretch and couldn't convert. Yao played fair and he knows it. But once again, Yi Jianlian put up a quiet game and he needs to get his mind back from Mars.

It's amazing after all these years, Wang Zhizhi has more offensive repertoire than Yi and he can put the ball on the floor like Dirk. Only if he had learned how to play tough and box out! This is like a what-could-have-been for him. Props to him for hitting those big shots though. Sun Yue was pretty much mute, and I really want the coach to have him running the point instead of Liu Wei, even though Liu played fairly well today.

I think with today's game, China's confidence is boosted even more. I don't think they'll beat Germany but they have a great chance against Greece. And they need to pounce Angola as hard as they can to make up some point differences, they are at -41 right now.

Most of the CNT games will not be on TV, but they will be broadcast live online in High Def at NBCOlympics.com.

8/12 4:45A EST China vs Spain
8/14 2:30A EST China vs Angola
8/16 8:00A EST China vs Germany
8/18 2:30A EST China vs Greece

Hopefully there will be more games for China after the 18th. We pray for a miracle!

Just watched the opening ceremonies, it was awesome! Yao was the flag bearer, with Li Ning ultimately lighting the cauldron.

This is the same Iran team that beat Serbia and only lost to Argentina by 10? Wow, China really showed them.

Yeah, it was just the cultural difference in the two languages, I think you've addressed it perfectly. Yao is not worried, he's just saying that the team chemistry is an area that needs to be worked on by everyone (including himself).

Obviously Ron is not taking offense to the comments, so it is not a big deal. I'm sure once the Olympics are over, or perhaps in the next few days, Yao can give Ron a call and really expresses his excitement.

Let's hope Ron will pay this site a visit in the near future to see how excited Yao and Rockets fans are.

I just saw this news and am shocked as well. Well, unfortunately I think either Shane or Landry is gone. I hope not Scola either.

Good for the Rox in getting a solid player. As a fan in Indianapolis, I know what Artest is capable of doing on the court. Hopefully he's matured enough to control his off-court actions. But Ron Artest isn't a thug nor he hangs at strip clubs like the rest of the troubled Pacers players. He just does dumb stuff at the wrong time. (Rap album, fights with his wife, etc)

Artest will be a fan-favorite, as he was here in Indy before he suddenly bails out and asked for a trade. But during his tenure here in Indy, with Reggie Miller giving up his playing time, Artest was really the leader of the team, not Jermaine O'Neal. So as long as his head stays clear (I hope that's not too much to ask for), the Rockets are gonna be better.

With that being said, I think I'm convinced that Shane is moving on, since they play the same position. And that's a bummer, cuz he's one of my favorite players.

Seriously, Vince? Wow, that's hilarious. I think you were the one that said you bought 10,000 tickets, right? haha, congrats man, have fun over there!

I believe this ends the 11-game winning streak for China. Doesn't matter anyway, the streak was against weak teams.

Well, another season ends in disappointment, although I really didn't know what to expect so I wasn't that disappointed. I mean, I feel a lot better than last year's game 7 loss at home. The Rockets needed another key player who can create his own shot/play key defense that would stop the other team's momentum. Now we might have to agree that had we kept Bonzi, he would probably have made a couple of plays that would have stopped the momentum of Utah. Of course, depending on which Bonzi shows up. But I'm not going to bash on Jackson, he played tough, the shots weren't falling for him, and sadly that was the case for the whole team outside of McGrady and Scola.

I have enjoyed this season the most. Some of the best memories were the 22-win streak, the big numbers that Yao was putting up, The play of "Carluis Scolandry", the emergence of Alston, and others. I really hope that everyone can stay healthy next year. I believe if for one season that all the key players are healthy, the Rockets would have a good chance of winning it all.

Thanks for your work throughout the season, John. I can't believe that you have been doing this for six years now! I will check back here from time to time during the off-season, but I will see you and all of the other Rockets and YaoMania fans in November!

Here is that classic saying again: Better luck next year!

I feel the same way you do -- this isn't as bad as last year's Game 7 loss at home. As Peter Vescey said last night on NBA TV, after Alston went out, the Rockets had no chance. When the national media recognizes that Yao and Rafer being out was too much to overcome, it makes you realize there was no way they could have done much more, and that in life, "stuff happens."

Thanks for your kind words, AirChina23. Six years is a long time. I appreciate it. -- John

Despite what seems to be his arrogant remarks on air, Mark Jackson is one humble human being though. I enjoy listening to them when they announce the Rockets games. It's like Van Gundy turning into a different person when he's not coaching. He's always tense when he's coaching (understandably so), but he comes up with the most random stuff to say when broadcasting.

You're right. I think JVG is a great announcer. I learn something from him every time I listen to him. I think he's a better announcer than coach, which is saying something. I think Mark Jackson is mediocre. How he got the job is beyond me. He doesn't really say anything interesting, throws too many platitude toward coaches and players fawning over them with man love, says the same thing over-and-over again, or uses bravado in his voice to make it sound like what he says is gospel. Over time he will be off-the-air announcing national games, just like other announcers who no longer announce games on ABC, like Tom Tolbert, Matt Goukas, Bill Walton, etc. -- John

Wesley, it just shows that you're not a true Yao fan when you don't even care about the very team he plays for!

John, what do you think about Landry's future development? He's currently an undersized power forward/center, like Barkley was. Do you see him keep playing in this position? I know he's very athletic and he's getting stronger. But do you ever think he might be shifting to the small forward position? The Landry I know has a good shot and also pretty decent ball-handling skills. I'm not saying he should be competing with Shane for the job, which is a no-brainer given Battier's contributions and experience. I just don't know if he'll continue to have an advantage among the trees in the 4 and 5 positions in the years to come.

Landry is very unique and is unlike most power forwards. I don't think he'll be a small forward. He's got too much power to be relegated to the outside like most small forwards, and doesn't good enough ball-handling skills for that. I think Shane's playing time at SF is very safe. Landry is the same height as Carlos Boozer, 6' 9", but I think he attacks the rim more than Boozer. On the boards and on defense, maybe he could get close to Rodman, who was about the same size. If he ends up being like Boozer or better, or like Barkley as you brought up (which is a good comparison, too), then I think he'll be able to handle his own among the trees.

As a proud Boilermaker alumnus, I take pride in watching Carl Landry play!

Wilson, I can be 100% positive that there are not any Yao-haters here. So I'm not sure to whom are you directing your comments.

Without Yao, the Rockets would have problems against teams like Boston because of their star players as well as an equally hustling bench. We shouldn't have lost to New Orleans last night but as I said before, this team is not up to it mentally at this moment. And I agree with John that the Wells trade is backfiring even though Bobby Jackson had been providing some offense during the streak. When Carl Landry gets back, I think he'll help out with the spark off the bench. As of right now, starters cannot score, neither is there someone on the bench that is able to help.

John, do you know what's going on with Dale Davis? I was for sure that he would end up with the Rockets but then I saw him today playing some pick-up ball at a college gym in Indianapolis.

I haven't heard anything about Davis yet, but I have been traveling today so I haven't been connected today. Good scoop on how you saw him today playing pick-up ball, though.

Chill, guys, it's normal for the Rockets to blow a couple of games after their winning streak is over. It is indeed mentally draining, even though they don't want to admit it. They will get back on their feet and make a push in the playoffs.

We needed him tonight! But it was a great run for the Rockets, and the season has really just begun for the Rockets with endless possibilities!

And I don't know why Xinhua news didn't name him by his western name, Jet Li came in second.

Vince, there wasn't a bandwagon to jump on for trading McGrady, Alston and fire Adelman. It was just common sense. The way Alston and McGrady were playing were almost detrimental to the team. Especially Rafer Alston, his three point shooting ability and timing were sometimes being mocked by the opposing network announcers. It was not because of the tough schedule that we've lost so many games, it was the way we lost them. Things started to turn around when Luis Scola started seeing more minutes, when Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry had significant PT (although Brooks has hit the wall recently). Most importantly, during those few games that we have won without McGrady, Tracy studied and came back a much different player than he was at the beginning the season. McGrady has shown true leadership and confidence in his teammates, something he did not reflect earlier.

Now is really not a time for "I told you so", rather a time for all of us to root behind this history making team to shock the world!

Lol, Bobby Jackson said "block-shotter"

My bad, it was not Rod Benson. But here is the blog that has the video embed:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/po...

Thanks! I'll post it on the main page of YMM (sorry for the delay in responding) and give you credit for finding it. -- John