Doctors clear Yao for basketball activities

HOUSTON (AP) -Houston Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming is confident that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season after a team doctor said his surgically repaired foot has fully healed.

Yao missed last season after undergoing complex surgery on his left foot. Team doctor Tom Clanton has cleared Yao to resume basketball activities with no physical limitations.

Yao went through a rigorous workout for reporters at the Toyota Center on Tuesday. He worked on his post moves with teammate Chuck Hayes and 7-footer James Cripe, a player in the NBA's developmental league.

General manager Daryl Morey says the team will be cautious with Yao and limit his minutes early in the season. The Rockets open training camp on Sept. 25. They will travel to China in mid-October for two preseason games against New Jersey.