Poor Yao

It's a tough spot that both Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets are in right now. Quite a unique one as well. Yao, who is the most recognizable Chinese person in the world (come on, he's 7'6") has a stress fracture in the foot and will be out for the rest of the NBA season. That part is not in doubt; here's the tricky side of it: Yao is the centrepiece of not only China's national basketball team but is a key cog in relations between the NBA (maybe even America) and his native country.

Don't forget, the Olympics games are being held this summer in China, and they'll want to show the world exactly what they can do in every sport. It is very possible that they could "persuade" Yao to come back a bit earlier than he probably should to play in the games.

Have you ever heard a story of a player coming back earlier than he should with a positive ending? More often than not, the injury is aggravated and the player's career (and sometimes even life) are adversely affected by rushing themselves into action.

The Rockets did know what they were getting into when they drafted the Chinese big man a few years back, now his and the team's future could be quite clouded due to this horrid politics.

NHL Trade Deadline '08

I will give the NHL credit where it is due, which is not in many areas, but their trade deadline is probably the second most exciting in the sports world. Major League Baseball is first because there are a lot more buyers and sellers than in hockey, due to the retarded amount of parity combined with an even dumber point system and playoff structure.

Some big names even moved, but unless you actually follow this dying sport closely, you may not recognize who the top performers are.

Brian Campbell, a good puck-moving defenceman was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a prospect and a first-round pick. He's due to become a free agent after this season and demand something bigger than the $18-million, three year extension that Buffalo offered him. He is sure to crumble under the pressure of that deal, pretty much ensuring he'll get a no-trade clause and piss off a team for quite some time.

Marian Hossa, another "rental" player was dealt to the Penguins who look like a surefire cup contender. Boasting Hossa, Crosby and Malkin up front, they could score at will if they mesh. There's still that pesky problem of defence and goaltending that aren't exactly top-notch in Pittsburgh. Atlanta got some good young kids back in the deal but are halfway between the Southeast crown and the top of the lottery — which isn't very far apart.

Brad Richards, who earned a big deal from Tampa Bay after winning the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP on their Cup run, was sent packing along with mediocre goalie Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for Mike Smith, a second-line centre at best (Jeff Halpern) and shootout specialist Jussi Jokinen. This looks and smells like a salary dump with the Lightning out of the running. It makes sense after inking Dan Boyle to his big extension.

The Wild traded for crazy Chris Simon. Why? Who knows...

The Montreal Canadiens — fifth in the East, three points out of first — dealt away their starting goaltender for a second round pick. That was their only move. I would completely understand this had they swung another deal for a new goalie, but now they're left with rookie Carey Price to carry the majority of the workload. This sounds almost as dumb as something Toronto would do.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they dealt away three of their mediocre players for four mediocre picks. That's a great way to rebuild guys. They're just good enough to sneak into ninth place still, ruining their shot at a good pick. Also, considering how awful the Leafs are at drafting, were these moves really that smart?

Now with the stretch run at hand, I can safely go back to hardly caring until the playoffs start or some goon does something stupid a la Todd Bertuzzi.

What is wrong with the NHL. Feb. '08 edition

There's a reason that most sports, leagues and teams consistently stray from including no-trade and no-movement clauses in a player's contract. It's because it is dumb. Why would a team willing put itself in a situation where their hands are completely and utterly tied. When should the employee have complete control of a situation over their employer? It makes no sense.

What is a no-trade clause? It's as simple as it sounds. These guys cannot be traded unless they actually want to be moved. So if a player has become more valuable to their team if traded away for, say, some prospects or draft picks because the team's season is all but over.

A whopping 121 players in the NHL have no-trade clauses in their contracts. Compare that to ONE active no-trade clause in the NBA, according to ESPN. That one player is a guy who was willing to waive that clause during the summer as well as being an all-star that the team would be stupid to get rid of, no matter what their situation. It's Kobe Bryant in case you were wondering.

So 121 players in the NHL are at the equivalent of Kobe Bryant? Yeah right. I wouldn't say anyone in the entire league is comparable to what Bryant is doing and has done on the hardwood. There are players like the Maple Leafs' Pavel Kubina or the Bruins' P.J. Axelsson who cannot be dealt without their permission. This guys are mediocre at best and demonstrate how weak the guys running teams are to cave to scrubs demands.

In the NFL, no-trade clauses are a non-factor. There's hardly any trades and many have to demand one to get out of town. With most contracts not even guaranteed, I would severely doubt there will ever be a no-trade clause in the world's best run league.

Major League Baseball, on the other hand, has a stipulation that is interesting regarding a no-trade clause: If a player has played ten seasons and at least five in a row with one team, he gains 5-and-10 status. His loyalty to a team gives him the right to refuse a trade. There are players with straight-up no-trade clauses, but not a wide-spread amount like in the dumbest of all associations, the NHL.

No-trade and no-movement clauses should be allowed only to a certain calibre of players. Why anyone would give this right to menial talents is astounding and another example of what is wrong with the NHL.

The Whitewash

It may be common knowledge or it may not be, but the whitewash is becoming a rare phenomenon in the NBA. What exactly is a whitewash you may ask? Well it was what you could a team that fields a five-man squad of white players. It may sound racist to some, but come on, it's only a joke. Besides, despite the fact that white players has won the previous three MVP awards in the NBA, we all know the best players are black.

An interesting point was brought up by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons. He claimed the Toronto Raptors were not, in fact, rolling out a whitewash with their Calderon, Delfino, Kapono, Bargnani and Nesterovic lineup because European players don't count. How could this be possible? I will give him the benefit of the doubt on Delfino, who has tanned skin, negates the whitewash, but there's no real foundation to the claim that a whitewash has to be made up of American players.

Should a whitewash not be based on the colour of your skin and not include qualifiers regarding nationality? It makes as little sense as the Kansas City Royals fielding a team ever year (We all know they can't compare to the better triple-A teams). So why try to ruin the fun of a whitewash Simmons, it makes no sense. In my books, there will not a be Euro bias.

I'm not sure if the Lakers have tried this one out yet, but a line of Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Walton, Radmanovic and Gasol is a nice whitewash too. They could also put Coby Karl out there too. But then again, how often is Kobe not on the court for them.

And hey, just for fun, what would the ultimate whitewash in the NBA look like right now? Including Europeans, of course. Well the first two members of the squad are easy; Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki are givens for the 1 and 4 spots. Manu Ginobili is a good fit in the 2 spot. At 3, Hedo Turkoglu is having a great season and is worthy candidate. 5 is a toss up in my mind, but the Lakers' Pau Gasol beats out the Clippers' Chris Kaman and Big Z for my team. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting a lot of worthy white boys, but hey, this isn't something significant like the Academy Awards we're talking about.

(Speaking of the Oscars, Ellen Page was robbed.)