While Yao Ming hoped against hope he could be back on the basketball floor before March, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander on Monday de-scribed a goal perhaps as lofty.

"If we get Yao back and Tracy (McGrady) stays healthy and the team stays healthy, we can be an excellent team going into the playoffs," said Alexander, speaking at the annual Tux & Tennies Gala. "I'm not going to define it that precisely. I just think going deep into the playoffs is a start.

"I'm very pleased where we are, how many games above .500 we are, and the fact we're near the top of the Western Conference."

Yao said nothing has changed in the prognosis for his rehabilitation from a fractured tibia.

He is still scheduled to begin on-court workouts around the All-Star break, Feb. 16-18. He said he will "definitely not" be in Las Vegas for the All-Star Game but hopes to be back sooner than the scheduled mid- to late March.

"It's going pretty well so far," Yao said. "Right now we're looking for some rehab to make the muscle stronger so when I'm back to play, I'm not hurting."

Yao said missing All-Star Weekend is "good timing" because he gets several days in rehab without missing games.

"Actually, it's pretty good to me to stay home, do my work and get back to the court," Yao said.

Alexander described the Rockets' injury problems the past two seasons as "unbelievable. I don't want to be a whiner and crier, but it has been unbelievable. Sad."

Monday's event was to raise money to build a Rockets Room for teenage patients at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

(China Daily via Houston Chronicle January 24, 2007)