Yao Ming is on the trading block and the Rockets have recently engaged in talks with both the Kings and Bobcats regarding Yao’s availability and what they want in return for their former franchise cornerstone. Also, Jason Richardson has been mentioned in trade rumors despite playing in just five games for the Orlando Magic since the team acquired him in a blockbuster trade earlier this month. Boris Diaw, the Charlotte Bobcats’ current starting forward, has been linked to Richardson as a potential big-man target for the Magic.

Interesting…

Those Richardson/Diaw rumors are still in the early stages right now, although the deal certainly appears to make sense for both sides.

The Bobcats are desperate for scoring (29th in PPG) and the Magic are extremely thin on the frontline.

As far as Yao is concerned, I don’t think everyone understands just how potentially interesting this situation is. Yao is easily one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and would generate instant interest, even if he doesn’t see the court until next fall, in whatever team he lands on.

I mean, he’s going to be an All-Star starter this season after playing just five games!

I don’t know if the Bobcats or Kings are the right fit but if Yao returns even close to form next season the Rockets will be sorry they traded him.

There will obviously be a plethora of rumors surrounding Yao in the coming weeks and I will include them as I find them.

I also included an excerpt from ESPN on the age-limit restriction being challenged by the players union. I wrote a column that YOU CAN READ BY CLICKING HERE on this issue this afternoon and would like your opinion.

Other news items I’ve discovered today include:

  • The players union plans on asking for the age limit to be lifted

  • Are the Knicks after Sebastian Telfair?

  • Kevin Love responds to LeBron James’ comments

  • Will Kings star Tyreke Evans be sidelined for four months?

Onto the news and rumors:

(NOTE: As usual, please click on the bold headlines to view the entire column from the original source)

The Rockets have begun talks regarding a variety of options designed to motivate teams seeking cost savings to make a deal, a person with knowledge of the Rockets’ thinking said.

The Rockets have spoken with Sacramento, which has the sort of young talent the Rockets would seek, and Charlotte, which would more likely have to include attractive draft picks along with contracts, according to one individual familiar with the talks.

The Kings have been steadfast in a refusal to deal first-round pick DeMarcus Cousins, despite a rocky start. The Bobcats are more likely to offer players who don’t fit in to the Rockets’ plans, such as Boris Diaw and Nazr Mohammed, along with desirable draft considerations.

Nothing is close, with a deal much more likely closer to the February trade deadline, as with last season’s trade of Tracy McGrady’s expiring contract.

They could offer Yao’s contract in a deal, an option Yahoo.com reported Monday that the Rockets are “exploring.” In that sort of deal, the Rockets would have to take back roughly $17.7 million worth of contracts, but a team acquiring Yao would not only have the contract expire during the season, but would have insurance pick up the bulk of Yao’s contract for the remainder of this season.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe advises his readers to “look for” the possibility the Charlotte Bobcats, looking to trim salary, to offer veteran big man Boris Diaw to the Orlando Magic for newly acquired swingman Jason Richardson. The Magic famously need size after trading prized backup center Marcin Gortat to the Phoenix Suns in the deal that brought Richardson to Orlando, while Charlotte could use Richardson’s $14.4 million expiring contract, as well as his scoring, to improve its standing in the ledger and on the scoreboard.

Washburn isn’t alone. Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated also expects the Bobcats to try to unload Diaw, and names the Magic as a potential suitor due to their need for size and ability to dangle Richardson, a former Bobcat whom they acquired from Phoenix, oddly enough, in a deal involving Richardson.

The versatile Diaw won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award during the 2005.06 season, his breakout campaign with Phoenix, in which he averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. This season, he’s posting 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for a 9-19 Charlotte team in upheaval following the resignation of head coach Larry Brown and dismissal of his coaching staff.

“We want to go back to the way it was,” a source from the National Basketball Players Association said. “The players have always been philosophically opposed to it. The vast majority of players feel a player should have the right to make a living. If he has the talent and wants to make money to help his family, he should have that right. It’s just a matter of principle.”

NBPA executive director Billy Hunter sent an audio podcast detailing the union’s proposal to every player last week. The proposal, which includes the end of the age restriction, has been obtained by ESPN.com and confirmed by a union source.

In its proposal, the union, while rejecting the owners’ call for a hard salary cap and salary reductions, is also willing to negotiate a reduction in league revenue guarantees for players. The union also proposes rule changes that would provide more flexibility for sign-and-trade deals.

The age restriction, which requires a player to be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft as well as at least one year removed from his high school graduation class, has been in place since the 2005-2006 season. A league spokesman refused to comment when asked Wednesday about the union’s proposed change to the age restriction.

*Before this season started, D’Antoni said he might go 10 or 11 deep, but because of the team’s initial struggles going 3-8, he has put greater weight on his first unit to produce and has mostly only played Toney Douglas, Ronny Turiaf and Shawne Williams off the bench. There is some worry that D’Antoni will burn out his starting five too early in the season and not get some other guys experience in the rotation, especially the young and talented Anthony Randolph. The Knicks are in talks about trading for a backup point guard — the latest being New York native Sebastian Telfair of the Timberwolves — to reduce Felton’s minutes, which would help Douglas find his comfort zone as a shooting guard in the second unit and less as a distributor. *

As of now, the numbers show that D’Antoni’s aggressive style of play and thin rotations this season has led to his team playing better on both sides of the ball with two days or more rest.

James tried to clarify his comments Monday, saying he was not suggesting the Wolves, New Jersey Nets and other struggling teams be contracted to put certain players on better teams. Love was one of three players — along with the Nets’ Brook Lopez and Devin Harris — who James used as an example when he was asked before the Heat’s game in Phoenix on Thursday if the league would be better off with fewer teams.

“I feel it was a complement to be mentioned in that regard by a player of his caliber,” Love said before the Wolves’ 113-98 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night at Target Center. “But at the same time, I love playing here and I love the teammates I have and the coaching staff. I like Minnesota a lot … and Minneapolis and St. Paul.”

Though Love said he agreed with James that the NBA had more competitive teams in the 1980s, Love’s comments appeared to defuse any speculation that he would welcome moving on to another team.

“I was a fan of the NBA in the ’80s, too,” Love said. “It seemed like all the teams had three or four superstars and a bunch of really good players.”

*Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans, last season’s Rookie of the Year, hasn’t been having a great year and a lot of that is due to the plantar fasciitis he’s been dealing with all year. Now AOL FanHouse reports that Evans is considering surgery on his left foot, which could take him off the court for three to four months. *

“Hopefully [the plantar fasciitis] will go away soon,” said Evans to FanHouse. “I talked to my agent [Bob Myers] today, and I was thinking about [the procedure]…He’s going to let me know and we’ll see what’s up. I’ll just keep that in mind, whether I want to just keep playing through it or get [the procedure] over with.”

A source close to Evans told FanHouse that the 21-year-old has already decided to go forward with the procedure.

“I talked to coach, and told him, ‘If I have a chance to [fix it], and that is my decision, would it be all right if I just get it done?’” Evans told FanHouse. “He said, ‘Yeah, just do whatever it takes to get healthy.’ That’s my main thing. Do whatever it takes to get healthy. Without my body, I can’t perform, so that’s the most important thing.”

That’s about it for today. If I hear any breaking news I’ll be sure to post it.

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