According to a report from Agence France-Presse, many Chinese basketball fans have suspicions that the reportedly career-threatening injury to Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming is not as serious as is being reporter, and that the doom and gloom is just a ploy to lower his value heading into a contract year. Yao could opt out of his deal next summer.

Even the head of the Chinese Basketball Association shares the scepticism of the fans.

AFP reports:

Yao's camp had earlier given a pessimistic read-out on the slow recovery of his broken foot to the Chinese Basketball Association, the sports website of major Chinese portal Sina.com said, citing CBA vice head Hu Jiashi.

"But they did not say that he would miss the coming NBA season, nor did they say he would miss the (2010) World Championships," Hu was quoted as saying.

"I believe his injury has not progressed to such a stage."

The CBA, the report says, still hopes that Yao will be able to play in the World Championships next year—a stance that is doing nothing to quiet the suspicious fans who are leaving comments on Sina.com like: “The Rockets don't want Yao to leave, so they hope to sign him early, this is the way to bring his price down.”

I just don’t quite see how they figure this is what Houston’s up to—the rumours that Daryl Morey was offering Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier to Minnesota for Ricky Rubio make it seem pretty clear that the Rockets are aware that it’s time to change the makeup of the team—but what do I know? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a country’s basketball association were at odds with a player’s NBA employer over a medical diagnosis.