With Yao Ming's sore left big toe keeping him off the court, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy pointed directly at the culprit he suspected of causing Yao's ongoing problems.

It's got to be the shoes.

"This is a reoccurring issue with Yao's feet, and he's not getting the shoe on time from Reebok," Van Gundy said. "He is not getting the shoe fitted properly so he doesn't have reoccurring issues with his toe and feet. Yao's got to be more demanding of this company. He's not getting the results he wants. It puts him at risk.

"It's the same issue here this year. Nothing's changed. It's problematic. Some things can't be prevented. This one I think can be with more attention to detail on the shoe he's getting from the company that really should care about him."

Yao Ming checks his injured toe and feet.Yao will sit out October 8th's workout with his bruised left big toe and have .[sina.com]

Yao, who along with the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson is one of Reebok's top athlete-endorsers, missed Friday's practice and will sit out today's workout with a bruised left big toe.

Rockets trainer Keith Jones said Yao could return to practice Monday.

But Reebok officials said the shoes being redesigned for Yao are not late and that he is playing in the ATR Pump shoes he prefers with the revisions he wanted.

"The product guys here at Reebok work very closely, not only with Yao but with all our athletes to make sure the products they wear are sufficient to perform in," Reebok spokeswoman Denise Kaigler said. "The feedback taken is very specific and incorporated into the product."

Reebok's Kevin Leary, who works specifically with Yao, said the Rockets center, like most big men, requested the collar of his shoe be raised with stiffer foam. If Yao's problems had been caused by sliding inside the shoe, Leary said the stiffer, higher collar might have prevented the foot moving within the shoe. But Leary did not know the nature of the injury or its cause.

Yao, 7-6 and 310 pounds, lost the nail on the toe last October, leading to an infection and eventually to surgery Dec. 19. He missed 21 games because of the condition. He missed the season's final four games after breaking his left foot.

Yao has used a variety of orthotics and linings in his shoes, but because of the injuries on both sides of his foot, the fit is crucial.

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