Yao Update: Yao Ming reportedly willing to pay former team to play in NBA

[bd811]

HOUSTON -- Chinese center Yao Ming is willing to pay the Shanghai Sharks and the Chinese Basketball Association if they allow him to enter the NBA Draft.

"We feel Yao needs to compensate the club properly for their loss and for the CBA's loss," Yao's agent, Erik Zhang, told Houston television station KRIV on Wednesday. "Yao is China's Shaquille O'Neal."

Zhang was reached in China, where Houston Rockets officials are meeting with Chinese basketball officials and are reportedly moving closer to using the first pick in the NBA Draft on 7-foot-5 Yao.

Zhang said Yao's offer of compensation is independent of talks involving the Rockets and Chinese basketball officials. He also said that the payment that would come out of Yao's income over the next five years is a frequent courtesy in soccer.

The NBA does not allow its teams to pay other basketball federations more than $350,000 to transfer a player from one team to another.

Zhang said the exact amount of the offer has not been determined, but he said Yao would not give up his allegiance to the Chinese National Team.

That allegiance is at the center of the negotiations because the Rockets want assurances Yao can play in the NBA without interruption. The Chinese want assurances they will be able to bring Yao with them when they play in world competitions, according to KRIV.

"We believe it's an honor for Yao Ming to play for the Chinese National Team," Zhang said.

The Rockets declined comment to the station. Rockets officials could not immediately be reached for comment by The Associated Press.

Rockets' attorney Michael Goldberg, general manager Carroll Dawson, coach Rudy Tomjanovich and director of media relations Nelson Luis have been in China since last weekend to meet with Chinese representatives who will decide if Yao is allowed to play in the United States.



AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2002, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[milky_way]

that's good :biggrin: :evillol:. just more assurance that they aren't trading the pick :biggrin:

[Trots]

Reports this morning say Ming isn't coming. China wants him to stay with the national team. As bad as I feel for him, I'd be afraid to take him. Who knows when the government is going to call him back home?

[milky_way]

Originally posted by Trots
Reports this morning say Ming isn't coming
what?? NOOO!! :nope: do you have a link?

[lal4l]

Originally posted by milky_way

what?? NOOO!! :nope: do you have a link?

SAME REaCTION!!!!!!!!!

[bd811]

I was pissed too milky(:pout: :crying2: ). well, until i read this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/story?id=1397544

[milky_way]

that's a relief. thanks for the article :)

i heard somewhere though, that Houston was not gonna trade the pick, even if Yao suddenly became unavailable. i heard they're gonna draft Dunleavy :uhoh: :freak:. but i tell you, if Houston does trade the pick at draft day and someone else steals Jay, i will NOT be a very happy camper! :angry:

[bd811]

i second that. ive been lookin forward to this draft for too long to see some other team screw us over!:hammer:

[milky_way]

i don't want yao either (too much strings attached to him), so if someone steals Jay, we'd really be screwed. there's two number 1 picks in this draft, and after that there's a BIG drop off. we'd probably have to trade the pick! :angry:

...but not like any of that will happen...Houston will draft Yao, the Bulls will draft Jay, and everything will go just as planned...i hope... :) :ohno:

[bd811]

would you be pissed if someone took jay and then we ended up with dunleavy?

[milky_way]

Originally posted by bd811
would you be pissed if someone took jay and then we ended up with dunleavy?
well, i doubt we'd draft Dunleavy. he plays the same position as jalen, unless we move Jalen to shooting guard, which is possible. but Mike's still not Jay :ohno: :pout: and we'd still be missing a PG...unless we resign Travis :)

[bd811]

thats true. and jay is the only PG worthy of a lottery pick

[milky_way]

Originally posted by bd811
thats true. and jay is the only PG worthy of a lottery pick
that's why if we intend on getting a good PG with the pick and someone steals Jay, we'd probably trade the pick + someone else to get a decent PG. or else we could pray to resign Travis...

[lal4l]

The draft is unpredictable:biggrin:

[milky_way]

Originally posted by lal4l
The draft is unpredictable:biggrin:
i know...who woulda ever thought the Bulls woulda traded Elton Brand last year :freak:. just imagine Elton and Jalen and Jay all on the same team :2guns: :fro:

[bd811]

STOP! that frustrates me to think about!:ohno:

[milky_way]

hopefully in five or so years Chandler becomes twice as good as Brand (although i'll happily settle for 'just as good as Brand') and we'll all be saying "Elton who?". Didn't we also get Brian Skinner (was that his name?) in the trade? what happened to him?

[Trots]

I hope the draft works out for all you Bulls fans, but how on earth can the Rockets take him? The Chinese gov't says negotiations are going well, but he won't be there on draft day, needs to be with the National Team in August and might have trouble making the start of training camp. Is it all part of the plan to get more money out of the Rockets or is this the way it's always going to be?

I don't wish to spread any fear, but if I was the Rockets ownership I'd say let someone else take this potential problem on.

[milky_way]

Originally posted by Trots
I don't wish to spread any fear, but if I was the Rockets ownership I'd say let someone else take this potential problem on.
the only thing is, they need a center bad, and Yao is a center. like someone (i don't remember who) said, you can't teach 7'5". Yao could be a big time star, but he comes with baggage. they either gotta draft Yao or trade for a center, and there aren't many good centers available.

[Trots]

I realize everyone is crying for a center, but is Yao really going to counter Shaq? Is he even going to be a force against your average NBA center? He's an interesting player, and I readily admit to knowing almost nothing about him, but he seems more like a very large number three than a true number five. Do they think he can play with his back to the basket?

You can't teach size, but the league is filled with big guys who can't play. He may very well be an all-star caliber player from the start, but I fear he's more of a project with far too many strings attached. Even if he's a tremendous player, is he going to be a game changing force in the middle? Isn't that what you are looking for with the first overall pick? I hope for the Rockets, Yao himself and the league this works out.

[bd811]

Originally posted by milky_way
hopefully in five or so years Chandler becomes twice as good as Brand (although i'll happily settle for 'just as good as Brand') and we'll all be saying "Elton who?". Didn't we also get Brian Skinner (was that his name?) in the trade? what happened to him?

yea we got Skinner and a 2nd round pick(for this year) in the Brand trade, also. Skinner was traded for Oakley(:angry: ), and the 2nd round pick was traded for anthony(i wish we woulda kept the pick)

[bd811]

Originally posted by Trots
I hope the draft works out for all you Bulls fans, but how on earth can the Rockets take him? The Chinese gov't says negotiations are going well, but he won't be there on draft day, needs to be with the National Team in August and might have trouble making the start of training camp. Is it all part of the plan to get more money out of the Rockets or is this the way it's always going to be?

I don't wish to spread any fear, but if I was the Rockets ownership I'd say let someone else take this potential problem on.

well i dont blame em if they decide to take dunleavy instead(which, i think milky said they would do), but if you read the article, the rockets said that they would take yao even if he cant make the draft. lol its all just a big mess!!:freak: