Yao Ming

If you were to walk into your office or classroom on a random morning after a full night of NBA games and say, “Guess who got hurt again?” would Yao Ming be one of the first five names mentioned? The first three? Would he be number one? While Grant Hill probably still holds that crown, Yao is catching up. Last night he twisted his ankle in the second half of Rockets/Kings and didn’t return, which Rick Adelman later said was just a precautionary move. Houston has one more preseason game left on the schedule, so we’re thinking Adelman would be smart to just keep Yao and T-Mac out of it … Did you know Yao does the hang-his-head-and-sheepishly-”run”-downcourt thing even when his teammates get dunked on and it’s not him? One time Luis Scola overplayed Mikki Moore and tried to steal an entry pass, which cleared the lane for Moore to dunk and swing on the rim like he’s actually good. Going back the other way, you saw Yao staring at his own shoes. Lest you think we’re picking on Yao, he was playing really well before the injury, putting up 15 points in about 27 minutes. One time he got Moore posted on the block and gave him a string of surprisingly graceful Hakeem-like moves before dropping a hook shot in his face. All Moore could do was put a forearm on Yao the entire time and try to stay in front, which wasn’t working … Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with 23 points in the win, while Kevin Martin scored 19 for Sacto. Donte Greene scored nine points in a little less than 20 minutes and had a pretty nasty follow dunk, but he looks a little too Matt Barnes-ish with the mohawk and facial hair combo … Meanwhile, back at Donte’s old court, it was Carmelo Anthony Day at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome. The place became unglued when ‘Melo was introduced before Nuggets/Suns, it continued when he got a dunk for the game’s first bucket, and never seemed to stop throughout his 14-point, 9-board, 5-dime showing that lasted just past the first half. Even when ‘Melo was on the bench, the crowd kept chanting “We want ‘Melo!” Now we’re curious to see what would happen if the Jazz (who have Gerry McNamara on the training camp roster) played a game at the Carrier, or the Grizzlies with Hakim Warrick. Or whatever pro team in Uzbekistan Craig Forth is playing for … The University of Illinois crowd wasn’t as crazy for Deron Williams (or Derrick Rose) when the Jazz and Bulls played on the U of I court, but they showed plenty of love. (Imagine if the Clippers and Eric Gordon had been in town.) Deron put up 14 points and nine dimes — including one sick underhand alley-oop to Ronnie Brewer on the break — and Rose had 14 and five assists in Chicago’s win … The Hornets are wrong for going around the world and making the Washington Wizards look like the Washington Generals. In Berlin, Germany, earlier this week, N.O. had a 40-piecing going on in the first half, and yesterday in Barcelona, Spain, they crushed the Wiz by 20-plus. Melvin Ely of all people was a beast, looking like he was back at Fresno State while posting 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks … JaVale McGee led the Wizards with 15 points, after which Chris Paul said about the rookie, “He can fly. He is easily one of the most athletic guys in the NBA. You can put him in that category with Dwight Howard.” … Ricky Rubio and Thierry Henry were in the stands. We never really noticed before, but Henry’s got a hook on the back of his head that’s on par with Gary Payton or Sam Cassell …The Knicks shot 38% from the field, only hit 8-of-24 from deep, committed 20 turnovers — and they beat the Celtics? Believe it. And the Big Three played 20-plus minutes apiece. Nate Robinson led New York with 19 points, and the way he was getting putbacks in traffic, proved that he is in fact a better pound-for-pound rebounder than Eddy Curry, which is just sad. Eddie House hit seven treys and scored 27 for the C’s, who lost Rajon Rondo to an ankle injury in the second half that’s reportedly minor … Here is coach Marc Iavaroni‘s assessment of the Grizzlies after they lost to the Pacers: “We have too many guys going one-on-one and holding the ball,” Iavaroni said. “We need to play harder and smarter as a team.” Other than that, the Grizzlies are in great shape … One of our boys e-mailed during Bucks/Warriors and said, “The kid (Anthony) Randolph looks like a young Derrick Coleman!” Not sure if he meant Randolph plays like D.C. (he had 9 boards and 4 blocks; including one where he sent a Tyronn Lue offering all the way out to half-court on the fly) or if he’s saying physically looks like D.C. Because if anything, Randolph looks more like an older, skinnier Coleman in the face. He’s got the Greg Oden thing going in that he looks a lot older than his 19 years … You know how high schools tend to schedule a weak opponent for their homecoming game, just to try and make sure they can send the fans off happy with a win? Kansas is taking it to another level. When they unveil their official ’08 NCAA championship banner on Nov. 18 (they rolled out a replica for Midnight Madness last night), it’ll be before their game against Florida Gulf Coast. A 50-piecing is sure to follow … We’re out like Yao …