HOUSTON, Texas, 18 September 2004 — The Houston Rockets have exercised the fourth-year option on the contract of Chinese center Yao Ming, General Manager Carroll Dawson announced Thursday.
The decision was no surprise as the Chinese superstar, who carried his country’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympics last month, was an All-Star in each of his first two years in the National Basketball Association.
The seven-foot-six-inch (2.26m) giant was chosen first overall in the 2002 NBA draft and signed a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year in 2005-06. Yao averaged 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and shot over 52 percent from the field in leading the Rockets back to the postseason in 2003-04. He also was a defensive force, averaging 1.89 blocks per game.
In his first season, Yao earned a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie first team after averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Toronto GM Says No to Carter’s Trade Demand
Unhappy Toronto Raptors superstar Vince Carter wants out, but team general manager Rob Babcock says Carter will stay put. Frustrated by the lack of progress on his desire to be traded, Carter publicly admitted he wants to be playing for another team when the NBA tips off its regular season on Nov. 3.
“It’s time for the truth,” Carter told the Toronto Star in a phone interview on Wednesday night. “I want to be traded.” However, on Thursday, Babcock said he had no plans to deal his marquee player.
“It’s nothing surprising,” Babcock told a group of reporters in Woodbridge, Ontario, where he was helping promote an Oct. 20 exhibition game between the Raptors and Italian Club Benetton at the Air Canada Centre.
“My reaction is the same as it’s always been. Vince is under contract with our basketball team and like all players on the team we expect him to be at camp and to be in shape,” he was quoted by the Star as saying.
Carter said his decision had nothing to do with the city or the fans but about his future with the struggling Canadian club. “It’s just time for me to look after me,” he said. Carter said in the Wednesday interview he wasn’t quite sure Babcock and rookie head coach Sam Mitchell were pursuing deals for him as strongly as they could be. “I want a fair shot at being on the market and being traded and I feel I haven’t had that fair shot,” the 27-year-old Carter said.
Babcock, however, disagrees that he has done little to step up talks with other clubs. “I have a pulse on what’s going on out there,” he said. “I know what teams have interest in what players and nothing has changed and this (Carter’s public outcry) will not change anything at all. Right now it’s very quiet out there. I don’t comment on trades, but I can say this: There’s nothing out there that we would do at this moment. We’re going to camp with the players we have. And we’re ready to go. We’re very happy with what we’ve got.”
