The China Basketball Association (CBA) yesterday denied a report from Sina.com that injured Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is returning home some day this week.

"We haven't heard any news about Yao coming home," CBA spokeswoman Wen Ying said. "If he does return to China his agent will inform us in advance. But so far we have not received any information.

"We have no idea about the sources for these reports."

Sina.com said yesterday that Yao, who is sidelined with a season-ending foot injury, is scheduled to return home this week, probably tonight, and will undergo tests by Chinese medical experts.

"In the past, every time Yao returned home there were problems. So this time we are not going to reveal his date of return. I hope media friends will understand our decision," the report quoted Yao's agent Lu Hao as saying.

The report speculated Yao would arrive in Beijing tonight.

Yao recently returned to train his upper body and improve his strength at the gym, but his left foot is still swollen.

A Chengdu Evening Newspaper report said Yao is expected to stay in Beijing for about 10 days, when he will be examined by the nation's bone-injury experts.

The group is then expected to submit a comprehensive report to the CBA.

According to the report, China's head coach Jonas Kazlauskas, who is currently in charge of a closed-door training camp in Beijing, will have detailed discussions with Yao about his injury in order to set up a training plan.

As Yao's fitness for the Games is in doubt, Kazlauskas and his coaching staff have been checking out "no-Yao" tactics.

The 2.28 m all-star center, crucial to China's hopes of making the top six at the Olympics, and a favorite to be the country's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in late February and then had successful surgery in the US.

According to NBA.com, Yao is set to undergo a four-month rehabilitation. Rockets team physician Tom Clanton, who performed the surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center early last month, is optimistic about Yao's recovery before the Beijing Games.

(China Daily April 3, 2008)