After the devastating earthquakes in China, I’ve heard that Yao has been catching some flack about the insane proposition that he hasn’t donated enough money to relief efforts.

Yao is too classy of a guy to speak out and defend himself, but I will (as have others). This is a blog where I can express my opinion every once in awhile, and I’m going to do that right now.

First, I can’t believe some people – in the aftermath of this tragedy – have nothing else better to do than criticize how much someone else donates. There are thousands of people who have died, and are dying, under rubble…and that’s the main thing they want to bring up? Ridiculous.

If these people really cared about having lots of money donated to relief efforts, they should go to their local Red Cross office and volunteer to raise money, not throw stones at donators like Yao Ming. I’m so disturbed about what has happened over there, I can’t even think about blogging about the Rockets’ off-season moves, the NBA playoffs, or the upcoming Olympics games. Those topics all seem so insignificant right now. So how can anyone with a heart even criticize someone who has offered to help, no matter how much time or money that person has committed.

Today, I personally learned through Yao’s people that he is so deeply saddened from what has happened in China, it’s the only thing he is thinking about (other than his health). But if people really want to talk about his donation, then let’s talk about that for a minute. I know for a fact he has contributed 2 million RMB, which is close to $300,000 U.S., and with more likely to come. And that’s not to mention that HE approached the NBA, not the other way around, about doing the public service announcement that’s now airing during NBA telecasts. He also reached out to other NBA players to donate. In both cases, he made these requests within hours of the tragedy. There was no indecision. I am also told it’s not the end to what he’ll contribute and do with his time to support the cause.

I just don’t get how people can question that Yao isn’t committed to the problems within his own country. How quickly they forget about his efforts to combat SARS, his dedication to being a global ambassador for the Special Olympics in China (even paying a team fine to the Rockets so that he could participate in last October’s Opening Ceremonies), his work in trying to preserve endangered species in China, trying to help children in China afflicted with the HIV virus, teaming up with Steve Nash last year to raise money for poor school children in rural China. The list is virtually endless.

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On Thursday, Yao recorded a public service announcement to encourage people to donate to the Red Cross to help fund relief efforts in China. Click here for a video from the shoot for the PSA.

I’m almost speechless about this disaster and the Myanmarr cyclone destruction, which makes almost everything else seem so trivial in the world. Click here for Thursday’s update on the earthquake. You can donate to the earthquake cause by clicking here.

In less than 3 months, China will really be able to use the good vibe the Olympics will bring. It’s going to be an emotional Games, and I’ve got to the think the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be modified to pay tribute to the quake victims.

With the tragedy in China taking place, Yao made the following statement on Wednesday:

“It is very hard putting into words how difficult it is to see this kind of destruction in Sichuan. I am very saddened to hear of the large loss of life that has occurred. My thoughts are with everyone back in my home country of China during this very dark and emotional time. Right now, the most important thing we can do is to respond quickly to help those who cannot help themselves.

“I plan to do whatever I can and would like to thank Leslie Alexander and the Houston Rockets for the support they have already pledged. I hope that many others around the world will join us.

Rockets owner Alexander also made this statement:

“On behalf of the Houston Rockets, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to all who have been affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, China on Monday. Over the past several years, we have formed a strong bond with our friends in China, and it is very difficult to see them struggling through this tragic event. We have already begun the process of reaching out to relief aid agencies and have pledged our financial support to assisting those who have been devastated by this catastrophic event. I know Yao Ming is fully committed to helping the people of China recover from this horrific experience, and I will help him in any way I can.”

Raymond found some photos on a Chinese Web site that were taken on the set for an Olympic Coke commercial featuring Yao. Click here for more photos from the set.

Below is a video of the commercial (click the little ‘play’ button in the lower left-hand corner). Yao appears at the very end of it. Note: the video is hosted in China, so for those of you watching it in the U.S., it may take awhile for the whole thing to load.

Today Yao Ming held a pretty cool virtual press conference with members from the media located in Houston, New York, Beijing and San Jose that allowed him to see all the reporters on one screen.

In the interview, Yao talked about how his goal for the Chinese team is to advance to the next round of their Group, which means they would have to finish in the top 8 among 12 teams. Click here for more photos from the press conference, as well as more details about his hopes and plans for the summer.

With the season over, I wanted to bring attention again to the promotion below…

The season may be over, but he doesn’t have to be out of sight. Get the following life-size image of Yao in your home through a company and product called Fathead! And every time you order a Fathead of Yao by clicking on this link here, you help support this site.

If you haven’t seen a Fathead before, here’s a description from their Web site:

Fathead looks great. Life-size images of outstanding quality. Fathead captures the passion and action you’re looking for.

Fathead makes it easy. Just peel and place. No tape, no tacks, no clutter.

If you’re an adult and don’t have a kid who loves Yao, having a Fathead of Yao in your office or game room would be really cool.

If you do order a Yao Fathead by clicking on this link, email me at john [at] YaoMingFanClub.com so I can track the sales with Fathead.

Thanks!
John

Raymond has done another translation (4 hours of work) of a Titan Sports article that was written after the loss in Game 6 to the Jazz. In the article, we learn about the things done different this season compared to the previous 4 years under the Jeff Van Gundy regime, what his goal is for the upcoming season, and much more.

Raymond has translated a Chinese article of an interview with Yao after the loss in Utah in Game 6 Friday night. You can just feel the pain inside Yao when reading the interview. Thanks for the translation, Raymond.

I watched Game 1 of the New Orleans – San Antonio game earlier tonight, and former Rocket Bonzi Wells played very well (no pun intended), scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 18 minutes and getting significant time in the always important fourth quarter.

That made me start wondering if the Rockets could have used Bonzi more than Bobby Jackson. As much as I like Bobby Jack, my answer is…”absolutely.” After all, what was the main problem we heard about the Rockets during the Utah series? It was that Tracy McGrady had to take on so much of the scoring load and he didn’t have much helped. That’s because their backup shooting guard — Luther Head — played so poorly (not that big of a surprise), he probably won’t be with the team next year, and they really didn’t get much from anyone else other than Luis Scola. Jackson did have a nice Game 2 with 18 points, and Game 5 with 9 points. But that was about it.

When the trade happened on February 20th, I wasn’t that big of a fan of it, and I wrote this:

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A picture is worth a thousand words. By the looks of it, Yao wants a playoff rematch against Utah in 2009 when the Rockets will be playing with a full deck. Wouldn’t we all.

In a playoff series where the Rockets had gone so far pushing the series to 6 games by overcoming many obstacles, like:

– Yao’s injury
– Andrei Kirilenko‘s late-game flop the refs bought involving Luis Scola, as well as others
– Terrible officiating in general
– Tracy McGrady‘s disappearing act in the fourth quarter in Games 1 & 2
– Rafer Alston missing Games 1 & 2 because of a hamstring injury
– a bad shot by Utah off the side of the backboard in the closing minute that got a lucky bounce and resulted in a game-winning shot for them

…the Rockets couldn’t overcome the final blow Friday night – Alston severely spraining his ankle in the second quarter and missing the rest of the game. That injury would be the final straw that broke the camel’s back, leading to a 113-91 loss. At least this loss was only about half as bad as the 40-point loss the Rockets suffered in 2005 in Game 7 against Dallas.

Although the Rockets showed heart by cutting a 19-point deficit in the first half down to 1 point late in the second quarter, the loss of their floor general was so devastating, it really showed in the 3rd quarter when they only made 4-of-22 shots.

To make matters worse, without Alston in the game on defense, his absence helped his counterpart Deron Williams go off in the 3rd with 13 points, including 4-of-5 three-pointers, opening the Jazz lead up again to 20 points entering the 4th quarter.

The 4th quarter was merely a formality as the Rockets were visibly deflated and played out their final game of the season.

If you’re bummed about this loss and the fact the Rockets still haven’t won in the first round yet again, you’ve got to look at more than what happened Friday night or even over the past couple of weeks in this series for why they didn’t advance.

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