Yao finally back at practice

Basketball Betting Lines

08/24/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming returned to the court for a workout at the Toyota Center on Tuesday, one day after Rockets consulting physician Dr. Tom Clanton declared his surgically repaired foot has fully healed.

Yao missed the entire 2009-10 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left foot, a result of an injury he suffered in Game 3 of the second round of the 2009 Western Conference playoffs against the eventual champion Lakers.

"He looks like his old self. He's still got a ways to go on his [conditioning], but it's just good to see him out there," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said of his franchise center. "We're going to be precautionary...We're going to manage him, especially early and limit his minutes based on what the doctors tell us to do."

The top pick in the 2002 draft, Yao has career averages of 19.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 481 games -- 471 starts -- over seven seasons with the Rockets. He has been named an All Star in each of his healthy campaigns.

"I'm excited. I ate a cheeseburger to celebrate," joked Yao, who is scheduled the make $17.69 million next season. "But I'm really, really not in good shape right now, so I'm a little bit away from game shape. The good news is we have one month until training camp and two months until the season...I'm just looking forward to playing a great season in 2010-2011 and I think I can count on my foot now."

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.