The Franchise
09-25-2010, 08:22 PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/7218170.html
As Rockets guard Kevin Martin went to the line for a pair of the post-practice free throws that determine how much running will end the day, his teammates began the mandatory distraction efforts, hopping with arms raised like fans along the baseline at a college game.
The effort was not much more demanding than a schoolgirl’s with a jump rope, but Rockets coach Rick Adelman looked over to Yao Ming and shook his head, making sure Yao knew he was permitted to keep both feet on the ground.
Yao had done enough. He had returned to Rockets practices, inspired raves from Adelman and teammates and checked off another milestone in his comeback from extensive surgery to repair and rebuild his left foot.
“Words cannot express how happy I am,” Yao said. “I can’t say if I was the first guy here (for the 1 p.m. practice), but I was here at 9 o’clock.
“I still had some limits on the scrimmage. I finished most of it. I’m very tired. For today, it’s fine. No foot pains, just conditioning. I’m still working on it. Actually, not bad today, better than I thought.”
He was not the only one happy with his first practice since April, 2009. His timing was off and Yao said his conditioning needs work. But he said he had no problems with his surgically-repaired foot and Adelman said the jump hook remains automatic.
“I was really pleased with Yao,” Adelman said even before he could be asked. “He was able to do a lot of things today. Now we’ll see how he responds tomorrow – if he can walk.
“For the first day, he probably did a lot more today than he did in a week. We’ll have to be real careful watching tomorrow.
“He went through all our drills defensively. He went through everything we did, except they limited his time scrimmaging.”
Even with the limits, Yao offered reminders of his game before he was hurt in Game 3 of the 2009 playoff series against the Lakers, and of how long he has been out.
“He’s just such a force around the basket,” Adelman said. “He can score. The biggest thing is getting his balance and his timing down. The ball comes off the boards, for instance. He might be a count late to get it. He’s not reacting like he used to. And there’s some things he’s not comfortable doing. But when he gets his footwork down and he gets that jump hook, it’s automatic.
“Right now, he can’t expect too much. I just like the way he went through it. You can see the presence he gives us on the court. His presence is huge.”
For those that have played with Yao the longest, however, his return was a reason to celebrate a long day at training camp.
Yao had worked against the athleticism of Jordan Hill and bulk of Jordan Eglseder. He fell to the floor during one battle for a rebound and with the gym silent, and likely more than a few watching holding their breath, he popped back up quickly and easily.
Eventually, Yao did jump during three throws. Adelman said he only offered Yao to skip that effort because he had been sitting out for a stretch of the scrimmage. But when the practice ended, Yao ran with his teammates.
“I’m inspired, impressed,” forward Chuck Hayes, the next most-tenured Rockets player, said. “Just seeing him run and up and down the court, working hard, even when he’s tired, he is still getting after it, trying to compete.
“He’s the hardest-working guy I’ve ever played with or seen. He’s also the most stubborn. We need him. If coach says, “You don’t need to jump up in this simple free throw conditioning drill,’ don’t jump. Knowing Yao, he wants to be with the guys and be out here with us and be part of the team.”
Finally on Saturday, he was.
Enjoy.
As Rockets guard Kevin Martin went to the line for a pair of the post-practice free throws that determine how much running will end the day, his teammates began the mandatory distraction efforts, hopping with arms raised like fans along the baseline at a college game.
The effort was not much more demanding than a schoolgirl’s with a jump rope, but Rockets coach Rick Adelman looked over to Yao Ming and shook his head, making sure Yao knew he was permitted to keep both feet on the ground.
Yao had done enough. He had returned to Rockets practices, inspired raves from Adelman and teammates and checked off another milestone in his comeback from extensive surgery to repair and rebuild his left foot.
“Words cannot express how happy I am,” Yao said. “I can’t say if I was the first guy here (for the 1 p.m. practice), but I was here at 9 o’clock.
“I still had some limits on the scrimmage. I finished most of it. I’m very tired. For today, it’s fine. No foot pains, just conditioning. I’m still working on it. Actually, not bad today, better than I thought.”
He was not the only one happy with his first practice since April, 2009. His timing was off and Yao said his conditioning needs work. But he said he had no problems with his surgically-repaired foot and Adelman said the jump hook remains automatic.
“I was really pleased with Yao,” Adelman said even before he could be asked. “He was able to do a lot of things today. Now we’ll see how he responds tomorrow – if he can walk.
“For the first day, he probably did a lot more today than he did in a week. We’ll have to be real careful watching tomorrow.
“He went through all our drills defensively. He went through everything we did, except they limited his time scrimmaging.”
Even with the limits, Yao offered reminders of his game before he was hurt in Game 3 of the 2009 playoff series against the Lakers, and of how long he has been out.
“He’s just such a force around the basket,” Adelman said. “He can score. The biggest thing is getting his balance and his timing down. The ball comes off the boards, for instance. He might be a count late to get it. He’s not reacting like he used to. And there’s some things he’s not comfortable doing. But when he gets his footwork down and he gets that jump hook, it’s automatic.
“Right now, he can’t expect too much. I just like the way he went through it. You can see the presence he gives us on the court. His presence is huge.”
For those that have played with Yao the longest, however, his return was a reason to celebrate a long day at training camp.
Yao had worked against the athleticism of Jordan Hill and bulk of Jordan Eglseder. He fell to the floor during one battle for a rebound and with the gym silent, and likely more than a few watching holding their breath, he popped back up quickly and easily.
Eventually, Yao did jump during three throws. Adelman said he only offered Yao to skip that effort because he had been sitting out for a stretch of the scrimmage. But when the practice ended, Yao ran with his teammates.
“I’m inspired, impressed,” forward Chuck Hayes, the next most-tenured Rockets player, said. “Just seeing him run and up and down the court, working hard, even when he’s tired, he is still getting after it, trying to compete.
“He’s the hardest-working guy I’ve ever played with or seen. He’s also the most stubborn. We need him. If coach says, “You don’t need to jump up in this simple free throw conditioning drill,’ don’t jump. Knowing Yao, he wants to be with the guys and be out here with us and be part of the team.”
Finally on Saturday, he was.
Enjoy.