Can Yao stay healthy?

October 1, 12:59 AMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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The Rockets depend on a healthy Yao and McGrady

Yao Ming has lost too much time to injury. Just when it seems he's ready to realize his full potential as one of the smoothest big men ever to take the court in the NBA, he gets hurt. Three times since 2005, he's broken bones in his foot and leg and lost time to an infected toe, putting him--and the Houston Rockets--out of contention.

This year, he's determined to change that.

As the Rockets' training camp began, Yao said he needed "to learn something from the last three years," and will look towards changing his pregame regimen to try and take the strain off his legs and feet.

Coach Rick Adelman said, "I think the biggest thing with Yao is monitoring him on off days, too. He’s such a hard worker that he just runs himself into the ground. He keeps saying he wants to rest, but he never wants to sit out."

A player like Yao, who depends on his agility and can move as quickly as a guard, puts extra strain on his feet and ankles. The less stress he can put on those parts of his body, the healthier he'll be.

Playing in the Beijing Olympics, Yao and the Chinese team didn't do well, but he got a chance to test out his surgically repaired feet. "The Olympics was a very good tryout for me to prepare for the Rockets season,'' he said. "Some Chinese fans probably won't be happy, but that's just being honest. It feels great to come out of the injury. I had a good recovery. I feel fresh and ready for next season.''

It's all the more important for Yao to be careful with his feet and legs with several other Rockets already experiencing injury issues. New acquisition Shane Battier will miss time with inflammation in his feet after surgery; Tracy McGrady is still recovering from knee problems, which is healing more slowly than expected, and is predicting he'll need offseason surgery on his arthritic shoulder; and Rafer Alston is also recovering from surgery.

"I never had a team where I had four starters have surgery," Adelman said during media day. One of those starters, Battier, is part of the reason Houston fans are so excited for the year. With Battier, Brent Barry, and Ron Artest in the mix, that will take some different pressure off of Yao, too. It's not just the McGrady-Yao show anymore.

With all the new faces, including three potential big men to back up Yao, it's a sign that Houston is truly ready to win now. And nobody agrees more with that than Yao Ming.

Yao just turned 28 on September 12, and his birthday wish was to stay healthy for 82 games. The Rockets feel the same way.