The Rockets extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Carl Landry on Sunday, as reported by Yahoo.com.

Landry averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds over 42 games in his rookie season after being selected in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Rockets.

Robert Horry wants to come back next season and said he wants to do it either either his current team the San Antonio Spurs or the team he first played for, the Houston Rockets, according to the Associated Press.

The Houston Rockets drafted Nicolas Batum with the 25th pick in the NBA draft but then turned around and traded the small forward to Portland, receiving Donte Green and Joey Dorsey in return, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

Greene, a 6-9 forward, was chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 28th pick in the first round while Dorsey was taken early in the second round with the No. 33 pick that was acquired from Portland.

In the end, it was separate deals that ended up completing a three-way transaction that sent Batum to the Trail Blazers, Darrell Arthur to the Grizzlies, and Greene and Dorsey to the Rockets, along with a second-round pick from the Grizzlies in 2009.

"We needed size, athleticism, and shooting," said Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey. "(Greene) has all of those things. He's a young kid, one year out of high school. He's a future bet. But when you're athletic and can shoot, that's a good place to start."

Yao Ming expects to play in China's pre-Olympic games and will return to light training with China's national team on Friday, the Associated Press is reporting.

A day after returning to Beijing, Yao said X-rays and an MRI taken in Houston on Tuesday showed his recovery was on schedule, with the foot about 80 percent healed. The remaining 20 percent usually takes a full year, Yao said.

"I've now done everything I can possibly do to get fit," said Yao, the most popular and highest-earning Chinese athlete. "In terms of being basketball fit, the only way to do that is to play games."

In each of the last two NBA Drafts the Houston Rockets have identified a player to target but then failed in their attempts to move up to acquire that player, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

The players they wanted - Brandon Roy in 2006 and Rudy Fernandez last season - were taken just two spots before the Rockets' position in the draft.

This season, they're hoping to land the player they want at their own draft position, which is selection 25.

While the team is targeting players who will unlikely be available when it is Houston's turn to pick, they know that the likelihood of getting them is not good.

"Our basic planning is we'll pick 25 and 54," GM Daryl Morey said. "That's the most likely outcome. I do think the shallow drop-off of talent from let's say 16 to 40 creates opportunities for teams to want to trade because the differences of opinion create opportunity. Both teams can feel they're getting what they want."

Chinese officials claim that no decision has been made on whether or not Yao Ming will play in an Olympics' warm-up tournament in July, according to The Associated Press.

"We'll discuss it when Yao Ming gets back to China," Bai Xilin, team manager of China's national team, said Tuesday. "He'll be back before the end of this month."

Newspaper reports on Monday claimed that Yao was cleared to play in the July 17-20 Stankovic Cup at Hangzhou, China.

Yao Ming received a good report from his checkup on Monday; but, according to his agent, he is still a long way from being cleared to play, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

"He's doing great," Yao's agent John Huizinga said. "The reports that he's been cleared to play are not correct. The checkups have been very good. He had one today. But it's much too early for him to be cleared. He has a series of check points to continue to go through. It's too early for him to be cleared, but he was never scheduled to be cleared at this point.

"Everything is going very well. If he is cleared, he might have a chance to play, but it is much too early to talk about that schedule now."

Houston center Yao Ming will return to the court for China next month, according to a report by Reuters.

He missed the second half of the regular season for the Rockets because of a foot fracture but will make his return for China against Iran in July's Stankovic Cup.

"Yao Ming will definitely play the match, and this will be his first match after returning from injury," the organizer of the Stankovic Cup told Sohu.com.

Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has supported the comments made by former Rockets' Coach Jeff Van Gundy that cost him $100,000, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is reporting.

Van Gundy was fined after saying that an NBA official - not a referee - informed him that referees would be looking closely at Yao Ming. In court papers, Donaghy says he received similar information from a supervising referee before Game 3.

The claim stated that referees were instructed to target Yao for setting illegal screens after the league received a complaint from Mavs' owner Mark Cuban.

"I think the fine was unjust then, and I think it is unjust now," Van Gundy told the Daily News Wednesday. "I didn't communicate it in the right manner, but I stand by what I said."

Houston center Yao Ming is going to give $2 million to help Chinese earthquake victims in his native land, according to The Associated Press.

The money will be used to create a foundation to rebuild Chinese schools devastated by last month's national disaster.

"As everyone knows about the recent tragedy in China, the earthquake tragedy was the worst in history," Yao said. "For this reason, I am working to give back funds."