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The Houston Rockets exercised their fourth-year option of Yao Ming's contract. The upcoming season will be his third in the league.

Yao is still on his rookie contract. The first three seasons of players drafted in the first round of the NBA draft are guaranteed. The fourth year is a team option. Needless to say, the Rockets were absolutely going to take this option, and they did.

The 7-2, 300-pound Yao just celebrated his 24th birthday last week. He was born in Shanghai, China, and is the most popular athlete in that entire country. Houston took him in the 2002 NBA Draft.

Houston has a problem every team in the league would love to have: two superstars. While Yao is not quite unstoppable yet, he's the second best center in the league (behind Shaquille O'Neal). Tracy McGrady, after years of dissatisfaction with the Orlando Magic, was traded to the Rockets this summer. It'll be interesting to see how coach Jeff Van Gundy balances the offense between the inside and mid-range game of Yao with the all-around offensive dominance of McGrady. Yao commands double-teams when near the basket, allowing a classic inside-outside offense. McGrady, can shoot over defenders from anywhere on the court, and can also slash, drive hard to the rim and finish.

On paper, the Rockets have the potential to be as good as any team in the league.