Here's an article about Yao Ming (taken from FIBA.com) written by Matt Jung on July 1, I don't know if it has been posted before or not, I think it's worth a read... *** Yao Ming: Man, Myth, Legend - A first person account of a run-in with Mr. Lottery 2002 By Matt Jung I come up to his chest. At 6'2 (1.80m), I come up to his chest. In Hong Kong, and even in China, there are those who would come up to me and ask me if I were a basketball player, such is the stereotype of height perpetualized in those places. I explain in Chinese that indeed I am not tall. But yes, I do play basketball, and am not tall but am very fast. Disbelieving eyes cast dismissing glances. If only I had a ball to show my crossover to them. But the man in question - I must say it again: I come up to his chest. 1998, Calcutta, India. The Asian zone qualifying tournament for the Junior World Championships, and Yao Ming is in the house. He is 7 feet 5 (2.29m) inches tall, and he is playing in the junior event - two words: not fair. For a week, I was able to understand the hype. Anyone audacious enough to enter the lane would have his shot deposited somewhere far, far away from the basket. When China played Qatar for the top prize, even the Qatari center Hashem Bashir, a natural leaper who stands a lofty 6'10 (2.09m), was incapacitated by the impeccable defense of Yao Ming. Rest assured, it is Yao's defense that sets him apart from his fellow seven-footers. Yao led China to victory there, and easily commandeered MVP honors. Just in case you have not heard of Yao Ming, he's the Shanghainese center who has just been drafted into the National Basketball Association this year, with the number one pick, and for dollars somewhere in the seven figure range. He's the guy being compared to everyone from Rik Smits to Sabonis to Shawn Bradley to fellow Chinese center Wang Zhizhi. He's the guy the scouts say has a long range jumper to go along with his array of post moves. The big guy with the timing of Russell coupled with the size of Bol and the agility of Sampson. For the record, I am laughing at that last sentence as well. The scouts will discover what they already know: Yao Ming is tall indeed, but he is 22 years old, skinny as a rail up top, and has a heck of a lot to learn after spending the past several years not getting any better in the Chinese National Basketball League. His timing has improved with age. He has improved his strength - a little. He is a deft foul shooter. And he needs time and coaching. But that is the NBA: we are discussing the 2002 World Championships, and China is set to make a run at round two action with three Chinese centers who have plenty of experience, spearheaded by Mount Ming. Last year's Asia qualifier had it all: controversy, fights, Lebanon, a Korea loss, and Yao Ming, whom the best international basketball players in the world's most populous continent could simply not solve. He was an absolute defensive machine, and he walked away with top rebounder and Most Valuable Player honors. The stats did not tell the tale. Yao nearly averaged a triple double (with blocks), and maybe could have, but his services were simply not required in many of the games, as China won by an average of 30+ points per match. When it did matter, Yao was unsolvable against Lebanon in the only close game China played. Domestically, Yao has all but worn out his welcome in the CBA. How in the world could the Chinese officials even consider, with clear consciences, making the kid toil in cigarette smoke-filled gymnasiums any longer? He is indeed a world class athlete. He is being paid a computer programmer's salary. He has led the CBA in rebounds, dunks, and blocked shots since 1999; was also third in scoring in 2001, when he was selected League MVP; and led his team to its first ever CBA Championship this past season with a game seven line of 21-21 from the field and 21 rebounds. Can anyone say "Walton"? It's time for Yao Ming to move on. He will be in Indy for sure. So like I said, I come up to his chest. Rewind to China's team training camp in Eugene, Oregon in the summer of 2000. Basketball Heaven: the United States Basketball Academy, in the middle of the woods, at the base of great hills, and at the McKenzie River's edge. You can hear the washing rapids when you sleep inside the John Wooden Cabin. Yao Ming vs. Me in an after hours one-on-one match. I am not a hack, as an active semi-pro in Hong Kong. I take the liberty of hitting a three to start the game. Yao is not amused. He gets the ball and shoots a three of his own and hits it. I laugh because I think it's a fluke. I hit the next one I shoot. He hits the next one he shoots. Feeling the proverbial groove, I line up one more threeball off the dribble as Yao stands at the foul line. But this time he belatedly jumps, extends, and somewhere between the floor and the ceiling, the guy swats my three pointer as if he were my daddy. Then it occurs to me, this guy is for real. I tried to go around him the next possession and he virtually let me, because when I got to the rim his arm was right there like some huge Redwood branch, his hand palming away my attempted layup. The difference between myself and an NBA player is comparable to moon and sun; Baron Davis dunks that ball on Yao...maybe. There is not much more to say about Yao Ming that hasn't already been said. He has unusually short arms for his extremely tall body. He has a thick trunk and thick legs. He has proven he can shoot the medium range J - in the China League, that is, for this reporter has not seen any evidence of this in international play. He has a nice little repertoire of post moves including a baby hook with either hand, but he does not possess a murderous rage beneath the basket comparable to, say, Ben Wallace or Kevin McHale - guys who would eat you alive by outworking you. In fact, this could prove Yao's most conspicuous weakness. Having been relatively unchallenged in his pro career, he has had the luxury of dominating using height alone. But height alone does not win in the League, and it will not win in the Worlds. You gotta have the drive, you gotta have the conditioning, and you gotta have the heart. I guarantee you, you will come up to about Yao's chest. You will wonder how a man like Yao Ming comes to be. You will wonder if Yao will work in the NBA. Does he possess the aforementioned qualities? It shall be made known in Indianapolis. Matt Jung resides in Hong Kong and can be contacted at mjfor3@yahoo.com *** Link: http://www.fiba.com/oneplanet/world/main_newsarticle.asp?CC=WMM&YearBegin=2002&IncludeNr=71
thank you very much for that article. Yao will be the ****. To many people are saying it. Not even the bust Kmame Brown got this much play from people across the world.
