Rockets center Yao Ming can decide to opt out of his contract and hit the free agent market this summer.

However, a source close to Yao told Yahoo! Sports that chances of the center doing so are "remote."

Yao told the Houston Chronicle over the weekend that he might think about opting out due to the uncertainty of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Yao Ming said Saturday he was ?not sure? if the uncertainty with the NBA's labor negotiations would lead him to become a free agent this summer.

Yao said he has not considered his options, but was noncommittal about whether he might opt out of his contract.

?I'm sure I'm not sure until after we discuss (it),? Yao said. ?We have not started (to) discuss it yet, so I'm not sure, either way. I have to talk to my agent first before we start to decide where I need to go. If you ask my agent, he will say, ?I have to ask Yao and we will start discussing it.'?

Yao's agent, John Huizinga, had no comment.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has often said he expects Yao to be with the Rockets next season under his contract and has made roster moves with that in mind.

Yao has been running on a gravity control treadmill, but is not expected to begin on-court workouts until July.

?This is my favorite place,? Yao said of his preference to remain with the Rockets. ?I have my home here.?

Rockets guard Kevin Martin missed the team's game against the Lakers on Saturday night with a shoulder injury.

It was the second consecutive game Martin missed with the sore left shoulder.

Houston acquired Martin from Sacramento on Feb. 18 in the three-team deal that sent Tracy McGrady to New York.

The Houston Rockets have signed Mike Harris of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, it was announced Wednesday.  

He joins three other Rockets with NBA D-League experience.

Harris has appeared in 34 games for Rio Grande Valley this season, averaging an NBA D-League-high 27.1 points to go with 10.5 rebounds.  

He has scored in double figures in all 34 games, while recording 21 double-doubles this season.

The Rockets will be without forward Shane Battier for at least 10 days with a sprained left knee.

The prognosis came after Battier underwent an MRI on Monday morning that revealed the sprain.

Battier injured his knee in the second quarter of Sunday's victory over New York.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has fired back at rookie Jordan Hill, who claimed that he was buried on the bench during his tenure in New York.

"Where does that come from?" D'Antoni said. "Seriously. It's something that cracks me up. I don't play rookies? I don't like to play bad rookies."

Hill, who the Knicks dealt to the Rockets in the Tracy McGrady deal last month, helped Houston defeat New York with 13 points and five rebounds on Sunday afternoon.

"What can I say?" Hill said upon hearing D'Antoni's retort. "That's him. He's entitled to his own opinion. If that's the way he feels, that's how he feels.

"I'm entitled to my opinion, so I'm just going to go out there and say what I feel."

Toney Douglas led a fourth-quarter rally that propelled the Knicks to a come-from-behind win over the Sixers at Madison Square Garden.  Douglas scored 14 of his 22 points in the final period and made two crucial steals down the stretch.

After the game, Mike D'Antoni admitted to being surprised by the clutch play of his rookie point guard.

"That was a pretty good fourth quarter, I know that much," D'Antoni said. "I didn't know he could do that. The guy has a big heart, and you can see that. He has some ice water in his veins."

D'Antoni's coaching decisions have recently come under fire from members of the media and other close observers of the team -- particularly those on RealGM's forums -- who have called his rotations into question.

Despite the Knicks' victory over Philadelphia, Friday was a difficult night for D'Antoni in this regard.  Three players who were buried on his bench for the majority of the season turned in noteworthy performances.  In addition to Douglas, Jordan Hill and Darko Milicic -- two big men whom Donnie Walsh brought in during the off-season to give the Knicks some much-needed size -- had outstanding games for their respective new teams.  

Hill registered 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks for the Rockets; Milicic had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves.  Both players were dealt away on the trade deadline day in February, with the lottery pick Hill sacrificed to help the Knicks shed the contract of Jared Jeffries and Milicic simply dumped in a money-saving move as the former lottery pick was seeing virtually no playing time in New York.

Houston Rockets guard Jermaine Taylor was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets? NBA D-League affiliate, it was announced today.  The assignment, which is Taylor?s third of the 2009-10 season, is the 31st time an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate this season.  

During his two previous assignments with the Vipers this season, Taylor appeared in six games and averaged 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds.  In 21 games for Houston this season, Taylor is averaging 2.9 points and 6.8 minutes.  He scored a career-high seven points on two occasions.

The 6-4 rookie out of Central Florida was selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards and traded to the Rockets on Draft night.

Rockets veteran Shane Battier has undergone an easy transition from starter to reserve player.

"Shane, No. 1, has no problem with it," coach Rick Adelman said. "He's told me forever he'll come off the bench, and I told him I'll try it, but I don't know if that's the best thing for our team. What that means is it changes Trevor (Ariza's) role somewhat because now he's got to guard the toughest guy out there who starts the game. The other thing with Shane is he gives me a lot of flexibility. It's something we're going to keep looking at."

Battier started during his first three seasons in Houston and started 59 of the 62 games he played prior to the move this year.

"It might be good. It might be bad," he said. "I think I can handle it. I haven't done it in a while. It may be a good career move. It may be a bad career move. I don't know. Time will tell."

Will Conroy is returning to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Developmental League.

Conroy's second ten-day contract with the Rockets expired and he can only be re-signed by Houston for the rest of the season.

Sources with knowledge of the situation indicate the Rockets will leave that roster spot open for now.

"It's a tough situation, but it's part of the business," Conroy said in an interview Thursday with FOX 26 Sports.

"When you try to make it into the NBA through the back door, the journey is not going to be as easy as the next guy."