The 7-foot-6 Yao sweated through a gray T-shirt during a vigorous workout for reporters at the Toyota Center. He mostly worked on post moves with teammate Chuck Hayes and 7-footer James Cripe, a player in the NBA’s developmental league. The amount of times Cripe and Hayes fooled Yao with the ball fake was tad troubling.
“I am very excited,” Yao said Tuesday. “I am just looking forward to playing a great season. I think I can count on my foot now.”
Tuesday’s activity served as the latest indication that the 7-time All-Star is well on the road to recovery from the fractured left foot which cost him the entire 2009-10 season. The workout came a day after Rockets Consulting Physician Dr. Tom Clanton revealed that the hairline fracture in Yao’s surgically repaired foot has fully healed.
“That’s just the confidence,” Yao said. “I think everybody would have that after a foot injury, and (I’m) just still a little bit weak on that. I just need to continue to build on that. Compared to two months ago, it’s really a lot better.”












