Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports that the letter giving Yao Ming clearance to play in the NBA hasn?t arrived in Houston yet. The Rockets will likely draft Ming with the first pick in tonight?s draft whether or not they have that letter or not.

With the Chinese Basketball Association dragging its feet on sending the written authorization to free Yao, there were plenty of rumors swirling about what the Rockets will do with the pick. But a person with knowledge of the Rockets' plans said the holdup likely will not keep them from selecting Yao, 21, who will be the first foreign-born player to go No. 1 who hasn't at least played college basketball in the U.S.

"They want Yao Ming and that isn't going to change," said the source last night. "But they thought they'd have the letter by now."

Because of the delay, several teams have contacted the Rockets about trading the first pick. Among the offers, the Clippers wanted to ship Lamar Odom, along with the eighth and 12th picks, for the No. 1 pick, and an unidentified Rocket. In the market for a star playmaker, the Clippers had hoped to move up seven places to take Duke's Jay Williams. But Houston is leery of Odom's drug history and wanted no part of the third-year forward.

If the Rockets do decide to trade the pick, they will likely trade down to the #3 or #4 range to try to pick up UConn's Caron Butler or Maryland's Chris Wilcox. They will not use it on Jay Williams, who is expected to go to Chicago with the No. 2 pick.