Yao Ming Knows Nothing of These Cleveland Rumors

Word on the street is that Cleveland’s Chinese minority owners want Yao, but he’s not so sure: “Rumors of a possible move to Cleveland have swirled since a group of Chinese investors signed an agreement last month with the Cavaliers to become minority owners. The move is expected to boost the team’s popularity and marketing opportunities in China, where Cleveland star LeBron James is very popular. ‘This is all an unknown,’ Yao said in the interview, a transcript of which was posted online Friday. ‘I’ve already been with Houston for such a long time, I still have much affection for this team,’ he said. ‘Moreover, this past season we were very successful, and that let me see some hope.’ Cleveland has not publicly expressed interest in Yao, who has one guaranteed year left on his contract with Houston, including a player option for the 2010-11 season.”