I guess there are millions of Chinese fans like me who began to support the Rockets because of Yao.

I mean, we were die-hard Rockets fans. Soccer is China's biggest sports event, but if you endured what we did in the past 20 years, it's no surprise that many of us turned to basketball, NBA, and Yao.

You know what happened since Yao retired? Well, most people just did not care about the Rockets any more. So did the Chinese journalists. You open any sports website, it's then all about the Lakers, Heats, etc.

And that's why i'm excited that we got Lin. Although we may not be good right away, we can attract more fans. More fans mean higher revenue, which might convince Alexander to spend more.

And that's why i'm excited about this trade. If it gives us playoff boost, and more importantly, a clear vision to the bright future, why not?

My first impression hearing this is that - why OKC makes this trade now? Of course they can try to win now, at least for one more season. After thorough discussion with my friends, I'm thinking that:

• They must think it'll be an big distraction if the issue is not solved now.
• They must feel that the KD-RW-Harden trio is not good enough to rival the Heats. You realize how good is LBJ nowadays.
• They must like Lamb very much. I mean, we have another 16 prospects that's ready for them to choose.
• Do you believe that Kevin Durant, the Mr. Wow, had no idea of what's going on here? I hardly think so.

• We really didn't give much. We won't resign Martin anyway. Lamb is just a prospect. Dallas' pick is top-20 protected until 2017-18? And I didn't realize that the Toronto pick could also be another 3+ years away to materialize (btw, i'm sure Presti have known all this. But there should be a decent chance that, if Lamb fails to develop, and the picks are remote, his whole master plan would not give KD more help and get backfired).
• And furthermore, if there's any team who is WILLING to give more, it's us. We have too many assets. Other than the Dragic one, you can argue that each of Morey's transaction gives us more assets (even if they are marginal). Let alone Lin and Asik. We are willing to pay for a long time. It's just we cannot find anybody to work with us.
• And that's why I'm happy. I'm happy for Morey. You realize we already have 5-6 winning seasons up to now? We are not bad teams (I'm living in Pittsburgh and I'm well aware of the Pirates). If Morey can pull this out, the way to keep competitive AND getting better for a brighter future, without the need to tank in current NBA, hey his "MiddleBall" might be as impressive as the Moneyball story.