Finally Yao was handed a bottle of water.

He looked up and announced: "Oh, thank you. All right, I'm going to stay!"

If only it would be that easy.

Yao, who is heading to his seventh All-Star start Sunday, could not say that he will opt out of his contract to join the celebrated 2010 free-agent class. As a player likely to receive the largest contract allowed by NBA rules, he is expected to become a free agent at the first opportunity, particularly with the league collective bargaining agreement to expire the following summer. (The owners have the right to extend it for an additional season.)

Yao and fellow All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Joe Johnson could flood the 2010 free-agent market.

The Rockets' plans are clear.

"Obviously, we are focused on keeping Yao in Houston long term," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "He is an elite center, and we expect him to play an integral part in this team's future success. We plan to continue building our roster around him."

Morey would not predict if he will offer a max contract, but that has been the Rockets' history under Leslie Alexander. Max contracts are based on salary-cap figures that have become increasingly difficult to predict.

Based on a $64 million salary cap often suggested as in the likely range, a max contract for Yao if he remains with the Rockets would be worth roughly $133 million over six years. Other teams would be able to offer five years and roughly $102 million.

Because of the depth of talent expected to be available that summer, many teams have positioned themselves to have the cap room to make max offers, with much of the trade talk expected in Phoenix this weekend to be about salary-cap maneuvers with 2010 in mind.

When asked about 2010, Yao, 28, initially joked about his plans, saying he looked forward only to "an off summer, to not play any Basketball."

When asked if he would opt out, he said, "I will retire."

Wants to remain a Rocket

The center did finally say he would like to play his entire career only with the Rockets. But he did offer the the disclaimer that he would remain with the Rockets if he believes the team can contend for a championship.

"I've played for this team for seven years," Yao said. "It's hard to just drop it and switch to another one and start over. I want a full career and I feel like the Rockets are like home. Why change?"

But Yao (7-6, 310 pounds) has always been a rarity for reasons beyond his unprecedented combination of size and offensive skills. He arrived in the NBA with a sense of time running out, and often refers to the short professional time span of athletes.

"About 2010, that's when I am 30 years old," Yao said. "I tell you what happened when my parents are 30 years old. When my dad was 30 years old, he was already two years after he retired and I was already 1 year old. And my mom was coaching when she was 30 years old.

"I feel that. I obviously played longer than them, plus, well, think about it."

With that in mind, he said the strength of the Rockets will be a key to his decision-making.

"That's a big part, a very big part," Yao said. "That will push me, sometimes really push me through something. You are not 24, 25 anymore. You will feel time will fly, like the next tomorrow. Your eye will open and close and it's like one day. One day you will open and close and your life is past.

"From my parents and from my coaches, my former coaches, I know. My coaches will say ?Time is the most expensive stuff in this world.' I started thinking about that back when I was 24."

But for now, that same motivation keeps Yao from looking ahead to decisions to come. The All-Star break offered a respite from the Rockets' struggles, but they remain he said far more pressing than his decision in 2010.

This season top priority

"I think this team has enough talent to win big in this league," Yao said. "I see this talent. We already have that talent. I think it's too far to think about that right now. It's a year-and-a-half to think about. At the All-Star break, I will not worry about that.

"We have a lot of questions we need to worry about right now, the team record and where we go this season. Whatever happens in 2010, let's take care of the business of right now, right here.

"At least I'm not leaving right now."

Told that sounded as if he might leave in 2010, Yao said: "That's what you are thinking, but that's not what I think. That's not the way I think."

Rockets update

Wednesday: Rockets 94, Kings 82.

Record: 32-21.

Tuesday: New Jersey at Toyota Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV/radio: FSH; 610 AM and 850 AM (Spanish).