Upon discovering that former All Star center Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with yet another injury, the Houston Rockets have officially closed the book on the Yao Ming Era and have begun shopping his expiring contract around the league.

This move all comes in light of the fact that the Rockets have played well without Yao. With Yao and Aaron Brooks both sidelined, the Rockets still managed to succeed and win with a surprise breakout year from Kyle Lowry, whom played nothing less than brilliant as the starting point guard, leading Houston to a respectable 15-15 record.

It seems like the Rockets’ roster is packed with players whom can step it up on any given night. Shane Battier is always good for back breaking threes, but on certain nights you will get a gem performance from the likes of Chuck Hayes, Chase Budinger, or old man Brad Miller will put his savvy veteran game on display.

If the Rockets can dispose of Yao’s contract and get something, say another center, or better yet someone young and talented, in return the Rockets should dump Yao as soon as possible.

In Houston it is clearly time to end the old, and replenish the roster with more young talent.

At this point, Yao is on the outside looking in, looking for some hope.

The Rockets have been rumored to be in discussions with Sacramento, but that is bunk because Daryl Morey asked for DeMarcus Cousins in the swap, which has proven to be an automatic deal breaker.

Perhaps if Houston includes Aaron Brooks in the deal they could sway Sacramento into a deal. Brooks is undersized but  a valued shooter who can put up huge offensive lines in addition to provide deep threat scoring.

Kyle Lowry has proven to Houston he can indeed shoot during games and is a stronger defender than Brooks. Lowry has more size than Brooks, and he strengthens the Rockets defensive presence because he can defend the leagues bigger point guards,whereas Brooks clearly weakens the team. Selling Brooks high is not a bad idea since Lowry has proven his worth.

Regardless of where Yao is traded, the odds are he will never play again in the NBA. Yao is a proud man and will do everything to prepare himself for a comeback, wherever that might be, but in reality he possesses peanut brittle for bones and there’s just no way he can come back without being another year slower and removed from the game.

Trevor Ariza of the Houston Rockets celebrated his ring ceremony with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.

He overcame a woeful shooting night (2 for 12 from the field) by contributing a solid all around game of 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks helping the Rockets defeat the Lakers 101 to 91.

Ariza got his ring and then did his thing. (Credit: yahoo.com)

Ariza and company have already been turning heads this season by playing far above what was to be expected of them. Without Yao and McGrady, Ariza has instantly seized the light as Houston’s go to guy.

Alongside Aaron Brooks, Houston has two young and reliable building blocks.

Brooks and Ariza are cornerstones of the new school Houston. (Credit: picapp.com)

Everyone already knew Ariza is a defensive stalwart, and although his shooting last night might make you think otherwise, he is blooming into a complete player.

He is off to a 40% FG shooting percentage, but over his career he is 46%, and as he becomes more accustomed to shooting in volume, he should catch back up to his normal rates.

Ariza got his ring, and beat his old team.

I tip my hat to the Houston brass. They got rid of the problematic Ron Artest while managing to add younger players to offset the loss of the league’s best center. In doing so, the Rockets are still capable of competing to win this year.

The Houston Rockets are playing their hearts out these days, winning games with tough defense and solid fastbreak basketball.

Houston fans should cringe upon reading the following update: Tracy McGrady has announced that he is coming back November 18th.

He then rescinded and called it a target date.

Does Houston need T Mac, or Yao Ming for that matter, moving into the future?

Yao, you should consider retirement. (Credit:picapp.com)

Sure, McGrady has put up big numbers during his career, but has he helped his team go anywhere when it counts?

It is a huge asterisk to his career at this point. Coming in close at second: missing X-Amount-of-games due to Variable-Injury-Y.

Anyone who has ever played team basketball will tell you that nothing disrupts team chemistry like an injury-plagued player. Sure, you know the talent exists, but is he going to be too sore, off his game, rusty perhaps?

McGrady, in a “Forrest Gumpian” sense, is similar to a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get.

Houston plays noticeably better without Yao slowing them down in transition. Sure he is the biggest giant in the league, but he also has the slowest feet to match that body. At least in Yao’s defense, you know what you are going to get, and the guy would try to play on crutches if he was allowed to.

Trevor Ariza is playing like an All-Star these days, and is thriving in his new starter status. He has doubled his scoring output with the offense now running through him.

Chuck Hayes gives the speedy young rendition of the Rockets everything a team loves and heralds most. Hayes is all defense and hustle possessing a strong will to battle with any big in the league. Hayes is a constant disruption to teams and they must focus on him, or pay the price.

Hayes creates multiple fast break opportunities with his whopping 2.43 steals per game. His solid passing skills allow Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariz to score easy buckets using their speed on transition in the open court.

When speed cannot match an opposing teams strength, the Rockets have Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola to equalize with tough, gritty muscle.

Carl Landry is playing out of his mind. Maybe getting shot last year woke up his inner beast, as near death experiences tend to do so in most people. Knowledge of seeing solid minutes all year also boosts confidence, and he is making his mark as the Rockets’ best reserve.

It’s unfortunate the Rockets have $39 Million invested in T Mac and Yao this year.

It would be nice if the Rockets trade McGrady’s expiring contract to a team in need of cap space for 2010. With $22 million in trading chips, the Rockets could add depth to their roster with the talent they could net for McGrady.

Furthermore, if Yao can’t play again due to his injuries, the Rockets are currently proving to be in a solid position without him.

I speculate McGrady gets traded to one of several teams who are in the forthcoming LeBron James sweepstakes in 2010.

I can honestly start this off by stating this is the most bizarre morphing we have ever done. Yao Ming (姚明) of the houston Rockets and Robert Pattinson of the film Twilight are polar opposites in  many ways.

Where should we start? With Yao, of course!

Similar jawline and eye brows.......

Yao Ming is a beyond tall. He is gigantic. I have stood next to life-sized likenesses of Yao and found myself disturbed. I stand 6’3”, which is not too short by everyday standards.

In addition to this somewhat freakish height, his body shape is quite awkward to look at.  He does not look like a natural basketball player. Nor does he look like a natural athlete for that matter.

"Yes, i am awkward." (Credit: yaomingmania.com)

Yao’s achievements on the court are a result of his complete dedication and hard work ethic. Nothing comes easy for the big man.

Yao might be the King of China, but definitely not the sector Robert Pattinson is considered to be quite possibly the Emperor of: the teen heartthrob.

Enter Robert Pattinson: this guy is in a different world, not just league, than that of Yao. His acting comes seemingly natural and effortlessly to him. He does not appear mechanical and or laborious while moving around.

Not trying to be mean folks, just comparing apples to oranges. This is a morphing piece after all….

Heartthrob= no sweat! (Credit: contactmusic.com)

Pattinson  starred in the movie Twighlight, portraying the vampire Edward Cullen who falls in love with Bella Swan, an ordinary high school girl trying to adjust to a new high school.

The ensuing result of Pattinson’s performance was his elevation to global teen heartthrob status while “slam dunking” the box office sales to the tune of $75 million during the opening weekend. Twilight has grossed $379.9 million globally thus far.

Some people claim they look alike. Others argue that those people have a hardcore crack addiction.

We say: have a look and decide for yourself:

Click here to see all of Protect the Paints NBA Look-ALike Morphings

Have a NBA look alike comparison that you would like to see us morph? Please submit the form below or mail morphing@protectthepaint.com to submit!
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This past Thursday, Trevor Ariza verbally committed to a 5-year, mid-level exception deal good for $33 million with the Houston Rockets–a much more lucrative deal than the Los Angeles Lakers, his former team could offer. As irony would have it, he joins Houston hours after former Rocket Ron Artest agreed to a 3-year, $18 million deal with the world champs.

Ariza reportedly decided to make the move to Houston after L.A. declined to make an immediate offer once the July 1st free agent market officially commenced. Ariza should become an immediate contributor with Artest leaving, and Yao Ming out indefinitely. Tracy McGrady is also reportedly on his way out via the trade market.

Ariza was the glue for the 2008-09 Lakers team. (Credit: nydailynews)

With the Houston youth movement unexpectedly beginning because of the injury to Yao, the Rockets essentially are planning for Ariza to be one of the focal points of the offense. Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Ariza represent a solid nucleus for years to come.

The Rockets will further alter the landscape of their roster by moving McGrady, although his value can’t be that high because of injury issues and the fact he’s never been on the roster of team that advanced out of the first round of the playoffs. New York seems interested in McGrady and has young players they could include in a deal.

Ariza and Kobe's friendship will have to be maintaind on the phone or via twitter now (Credit: ABC)

Ariza took the riches over a chance to win another title, and who could blame him. He capitalized on his maximum NBA free agent value after being one of the key guys on a team that won the NBA Championship. The Lakers obviously had a backup plan knowing they could sign enforcer Artest for less than Ariza.

The former UCLA Bruin was the “glue” guy for the champs. He did all the intangible dirty work, the stuff that doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score. He didn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Trevor Ariza is a tenacious and active defender showing no signs of mental instability (Credit: lakers.topbuzz.com)

Ariza earned himself a nice paycheck and he will see the floor a lot more in Houston. At this point, he has more upside than Artest, but the question is how effective–without Kobe–can he be as a “go-to” guy.

Click here to vote for the best free agent move of the summer!

Yao Ming now has huge burden for his extremely large yet fragile feet (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Will Yao Ming  be jealous of fellow countryman Sun Yue becoming a part of Chinese history in becoming the first Chinese born player to achieve wining an  NBA Championship? The answer is YES.

We here at protect the paint touched this topic briefly yesterday while introducing a series of images of the Lakers Championship parade.

Amongst rumors circulating about Yao Ming’s whereabouts next season,  he told reporters in Shanghai “There’s a little bit of envy,” followed up with “If I didn’t have feel even some jealousy, then I’m afraid that really would make me a little too much of a slacker.”

The latest rumors have Yao Ming possibly moving to Cleveland.  The Asian investment  group  including JianHua Huang, a Chinese businessman who has past sponsorship deals with large franchises such as the New York Yankees, has acquired approximately up to 15 percent of Cavaliers Operating Company, the business entity owning the Cavaliers and operating Quicken Loans Arena.

Chinese players have a reputation for playing with teams with surrounding Chinese communities. A team with Chinese ownership must have even more appeal.

If Yao Ming makes the move to Cleveland, he would be playing with Lebron James, unquestionably the best 1-2 combination of his career. If Yao remains healthy, Cleveland would be an instant title contender. It is hard to imagine any team in the Eastern Conference moving past the duo of Yao Ming and Lebron James in the NBA Playoffs.

Sun Yue had no real role in the Lakers success. He played a combined total of 0 minutes during the entire post season. Yet he gets the ring while Yao Ming, whose team was eliminated by Los Angeles,  sat around watching while he recoverd from his injuries.

It is a safe bet that if  Yao Mings does not win a title soon, he had better be ready to see Sun Yue billboards dominating the scenery in China.

Yao1_billboard

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Yao Might not be a billboard icon in China.