Yao Ming Speaks On Retirement

There are some things in life more important than basketball. When you’re a kid, if you really love the game, you swear it’s all gonna work out for you and that someday you will make money off this game and someday this game will make you famous. Once you get older, things are put in perspective (usually). Only then, professional athletes become our fantasy world and we view them only as how much entertainment can they provide us? How good can they make our teams? How much joy can they bring to our lives? Sometimes when athletes don’t reach their potential or flame out early or just don’t care as much as we do about the actual sport, we get angry. But at least we can respect Yao Ming for his reasons on leaving the game. In his first major interview since his unexpected retirement, Yao told the Huffington Post that he sort of saw this day coming: “First time I was seriously thinking about my retirement is in 2009… when I needed a reconstruction operation and the doctor tells me ‘If you’re not doing this now, when you’re 50 years old, you may need a wheelchair or crutches, and you definitely don’t want to get that way when you’re only 50 years old.’ So I ask him again, ‘What if I had this surgery? What is the chance for me back on court?’ And he said ‘You can play basketball again, but there is nothing is guaranteed.'” Yao also joked that he’s already put on around 30 pounds and needs to get back in the gym … Speaking of injuries, Kevin Garnett says he definitely wants to finish his career with Boston, and that he’ll have to see how his body responds before he makes a decision on playing past his current contract. This will be interesting either way. After next season, KG’s nearly $22 million comes off the books and he’ll be 36 by that time. How much would you give him? And if you’re the Celtics, do you blow it all up and try to start over with a bunch of cap space? It’s cool that Garnett wants to finish up in Beantown, but what if Boston doesn’t really want him? … Manu Ginobili dropped 23 and Argentina beat Puerto Rico by seven in the Americas Olympic qualifier. Carlos Arroyo, who is always a stud in international play, had a game-high 24. The Dominican Republic beat Brazil 79-74 behind Al Horford‘s 22 (and he somehow made all three of his trey attempts) … As for the anticipated Drew League vs. Goodman League rematch, it’s not happening. At least for now. Drew wants it (obviously) after barely losing in Washington, D.C. earlier this summer. But for unknown reasons, Goodman isn’t consenting to another game right now. Our guess? They haven’t received commitments from everyone and don’t want to risk setting a game up without having all of their big guns. Kevin Durant has said he’s down for whatever, but even if he drops 60, they probably couldn’t win without the whole crew … And if we were Corey Maggette, we would’ve been freaking out over the reception he received upon landing in Greece. We’d be scared for our lives. Maggette probably felt like a king … We’re out like the Drew/Goodman rematch.