When I got traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004 I really didnt know Yao Ming. Cheap NBA Jerseys Free Shipping . Hed been in the league a few years, wed both been to the All-Star Game and we played against each other a few times, but I had never talked to him.I didnt think he could speak any English and I was worried about that. I thought: How is this going to work?I had just won the last two scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, but I was so excited to be playing with a great big man that I knew I was going to have to work with him and feed him the ball. But to do that, we needed communication.How would I talk to him on the court? Would I have to look over at an interpreter on the bench every time we needed to say something to each other? I was thinking maybe wed have earpieces or something.When I finally met him, I realized two things: he does speak English and not only does he speak it, he has an amazing sense of humor.I loved seeing his personality come out more and more over the years as he got more comfortable in Houston. Thats how I really learned what an amazing person he is. He will sometimes just pretend he doesnt speak English -- he does that even to this day!I remember when he came to my wedding reception in 2006. My family and friends were so excited and they all wanted to take pictures and get autographs, and he pretended he couldnt understand them. I just had to sit back and laugh.Man, you never really get over his size, a guy who is 7-foot-6 and that big. Even now when we stand next to each other, I cant get over it.Thats why Yao getting into the Hall of Fame is so deserved. His skills for a man his size were just unbelievable. He could do everything. He could post up, score with either hand, shoot a jumper, he had an array of moves. He could block shots. He passed so well and thats so rare for a guy his size.?Id never played with a big man of his caliber. I didnt know he was that skilled before I came to the Rockets, but then I saw it every day in practice, every day before games, after games. He really put in the work to perfect his craft -- he even took our technical foul shots because he was that great of a free throw shooter.He had a mean streak, too. Youd see it come out whenever hed get dunked on.Then there was Yaos impact on the global game. You have to understand, before him, basketball wasnt popular in China. I had made trips there before he came into the league, and there was basketball, but it wasnt a part of the Chinese culture.Now, theres over 300 million people in China playing because of Yao Ming.I saw it. I felt it. That is his legacy. He brought NBA basketball to China and I will forever be thankful that I was able to be a part of it. He introduced the country to Tracy McGrady.?We were their heroes. They didnt see Michael Jordan play, they saw us. They saw Yao.In 2007, there was a game we played in Houston against the Milwaukee Bucks when they had former No. 6 overall pick and fellow Chinese star, Yi Jianlian. It was just a regular-season game, but 200 million people watched in China.Thats Yaos impact. I was in awe.When I think of the six seasons we played together, it hurts. Its tough for me to speak about even now. We never got a fair chance because of injuries.We couldve had a championship team, Yao and me. We had several great opportunities. There were times when we were thriving. But we could never be healthy; its so unfortunate. The one year we had the team -- wed gotten Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Ron Artest -- I was thinking that was the year.Then I blew out my knee. I was devastated. That team was so good. The guys beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round and we were in a battle with the?Los Angeles Lakers?in the second round when Yao broke his foot. That was our?year.What if. So many what ifs.We still had some great memories. We hosted the All-Star Game in Houston together and we both addressed the crowd before the game and he spoke in English, Ill always remember that. It was awesome.We had a 22-game winning streak in 2007-08, the fourth-longest run in NBA history. Even then, Yao got hurt after the 12th win. If we had something to hold onto, thats it. When we were both healthy, we really were great together.Yao is truly a great and humble person. You just cant recognize his accomplishments on the court without seeing his kindness and humbleness off it. I am proud to call Yao my friend.He opened so many doors. He personally put me in position to have a life after basketball. Im so lucky to have had a chance to know him, play with him and to work with him. He has a legacy very few have, and he has been and will continue to be a great influence.Its what he does, its who he is. Cheap Stitched NBA Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Nike NBA Jerseys From China . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. http://www.cheapnbajerseysnike.com/ . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. MILWAUKEE -- For the second straight season, the Milwaukee Brewers hit a snag while trying to trade one of their key players before the deadline.Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has blocked his proposed trade to Cleveland after the teams had reached a preliminary agreement on a deal sending the two-time All-Star to the Indians. Lucroy said Sunday he wasnt going to go into the details behind his decision.When you are dealing with life-changing, life-altering decisions like this, there are a lot of factors that come into play, mostly family, he said before the Brewers 4-2 win over the Pirates. The other half of that is your future in this league and your career. There are a lot of different things to take in. Whenever those things dont line up, decisions have to be made that might be tough, but thats the way it has to be.Last year, Milwaukee had a deal fall through with the Mets that would have sent Carlos Gomez to New York. Gomez was traded to Houston instead.Milwaukee general manager David Stearns said the Brewers would move on after Lucroy refused to waive the no-trade provision in his contract. Stearns said there was no chance of re-working the deal with Cleveland.We know this is part of the process, Stearns said. It is why we engage with multiple teams throughout the entirety of the negotiation. Jonathan elected to invvoke the no-trade clause. Cheap NBA Jerseys China. We were aware that was a possibility.Cleveland, which leads the AL Central, has been looking for a catcher since Yan Gomes separated his shoulder.The 30-year-old Lucroy is batting .299 with 13 homers and 50 RBI. He has a $4 million salary this year as part of a contract that includes a $5.25 million team option for 2017.Lucroy said simply that there were circumstances that came up that caused him to block the deal.Im not going to comment on any specifics, nothing like that, as much as Id like to, he said. Im respecting their process and what the Brewers are trying to do in terms of the trade. If thats going to happen or not, I dont know. As of right now, Im still a Brewer and Im going to be until somebody tells me different.Lucroy appeared as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning. He received a standing ovation from the Miller Park crowd, then flied out to right field in what could be his final appearance for the Brewers.The deadline for trades without waivers is Monday.I still expect the next 36 hours to be interesting and eventful, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. Luc has been here for six years, so having him here is business as usual. 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