Yao: Not Now

Okay, so you can forget about the Houston Rockets (+3000 to win the NBA title at BetUS) cashing that ticket for you this season in the futures money. Center Yao Ming has completely ruled out any return to the lineup at ANY time in the coming NBA season, saying that while he certainly plans on being back in action in the 2010-11 campaign, he will simply sit at home and rest for now.

Yao and the Rockets had been hinting that there was the possibility he might be back in time for the end of the regular season and/or playoffs, but that was nixed by the center himself. "The answer is no. You don't want to rush it, because they want it to totally heal this time. I have been in this situation enough," he told the Associated Press.

Fair enough; now what does Houston do to make up for his absence?

Well, suffice it to say there is going to be a heavy case of the "too's" in Houston this season. They've got a guy who is too old (Dikembe Mutombo), one that is to green (Joey Dorsey), another who is too short (Chuck Hayes) and still another who may be too much of a journeyman (David Andersen, an Australian who has played a lot of international ball).

Andersen actually may be an interesting case. He is a seven-footer who is regarded by some as the best professional center in Europe. The last seven teams he's played on have won titles. He is, however, generally known as a finesse-type, which means he can pass and shoot a little from the outside, but he is not necessarily the guy who is going to bang it out with the more physical centers in the league. When it comes to veteran players coming here from across the pond, so much is unknown.

There is one thing you can almost guarantee yourself though - the Rockets will play about as well as they possibly can with a coach like Rick Adelman at the helm. He may not have a lot of bulk at his disposal, but he's got some players who may be well-suited for the up-tempo game he wants to employ, and if they can get a healthy Tracy McGrady at any point, this is a team that may just "small" its way into the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, the Rockets will look good superficially, as they have unveiled new jerseys which resemble the old jerseys - the ones with the red and gold; oh excuse me, the "ketchup and mustard" color scheme, and management is encouraging fans to "Get Red" by wearing those colors to the games. They would really get "red" if they had the Chinese guy )OK, bad joke), but hey, you can't cry over spilled milk.

BIG INCREASE IN "NET WORTH"

Mikhail Prokhorov, who is reputed to be one of the wealthiest businessmen in Russia, has bought a majority stake in the New Jersey Nets and in effect has facilitated their move to the proposed Barclays Center in Brooklyn, because his cash is being invested directly into the building itself. If the deal goes through, there wouldn't be any doubts as to whether the project can be paid for, which was a stumbling block in being able to follow through on its eligibility for tax-exempt bonds. The whole thing is not out of the woods yet, since the arena is being challenged by some Brooklyn residents on the basis of eminent domain issues.

Prokhorov has an estimated $9.5 billion in net worth, if you pardon the pun, and if the NBA is serious about "expanding its reach," it wouldn't have any difficulty approving his bid, pending a little background check of course. Anybody who is familiar with Brooklyn knows that the borough's Russian contingent is very strong, so he will fit right in.
What does this mean for the Nets (100/1 to win the NBA title at BetUS) on the court? Well, not a lot, this year, but what the team is trying to do is position itself to plunge into the free agent market next season. The Nets are expected to have anywhere between $29 million-$32 million in cap space available starting next July.
By all accounts the team will be in the market for any number of players, including Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The attraction of getting to the Big Apple, even if it's in a "bedroom community," will look mighty good to some.


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