Yao Demands Freedom

Well not quite. But he took the first step. Yao suggested that the Chinese national team should focus on finding and developing younger players, or, in other words, leave him the hell alone. We all know that Yao cares too much about China and means too much to the country to demand a break from his national team duties, but this is a good start for the Great Wall. For years we've complained that playing for China in the summers has been wearing down on Yao, and, most importantly, those precious feet, but nobody's been able to do anything about it. Not Yao, because he's too loyal, and not anyone else, because we don't want to be taken from our homes at 2 A.M. by seven men in black masks.

But in all seriousness, I'm glad that Yao is finally starting to find ways to avoid or at least cut back on his playing for China. My favorite quote of the article is when he says "I've seen many players still playing in the national team at the age of 30. But it was different that they did not play in a league as intense as the one I do," or in other words, "If I keep playing for you there's a good chance my left foot is going to fall off."

I know, it's not like Yao is going to be refusing to play for China anytime soon. He means too much to the country to do so, and we understood the circumstances when we drafted him. That doesn't mean it's any less painful to wonder if rest in the offseason would have helped every time he goes down with an injury. But as of now, I'm happy that Yao's going to have a full summer of rest to get ready for next year, and hopefully this is the first step towards many more summers of recuperation for him.