Article: Progression of Yao

http://www.tuftsobserver.org/sports/20061201/the_ming_dynasty.html

The Ming Dynasty
December 01, 2006
by William Karas

“Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’”
—Shaquille O’Neal

When Shaquille O’Neal attempted to make a lighthearted joke during Yao Ming’s rookie season in 2002, he definitely did not foresee the consequences of his racial remark. Not only did he draw intense criticism from the Asian community in America, his imminent duel with the Chinese center was intensified and magnified to astronomical proportions. However, the rivalry was both short-lived and overrated as Shaq’s power and experience outdid Yao Ming’s versatility.

At that time, Shaq was in his prime and Yao was assimilating himself to a new culture, language, and style of basketball. To add insult to injury, Shaq had the luxury of the unstoppable Kobe Bryant and the always-strategizing Phil Jackson, while Yao was surrounded with a selfish Steve Francis. His coach, Rudy Tomjanavich, had to resign two-thirds into the season due to bladder cancer.

Four years later, we still find ourselves asking who the dominant big man in the NBA is in terms of centers. Who are the Bill Russels and Wilt Chamberlains of our time?

While people might have laughed at this question four years ago when asked that question, most would agree that the tides have turned.

Now we’re 13 games into this season, the once unstoppable Shaq is sitting on the bench in his designer suits, watching his defending-champion Miami Heat struggle to get themselves back to a .500 winning percentage while Yao is putting up career numbers as the Houston Rockets are sitting near the top of the stacked Western Conference. Yao leads all centers, averaging 26.4 points per game and is third with 10.4 rebounds per game.

While his critics might be shaking their heads, I think we can all say that the Yao Ming we have been waiting for has finally arrived.

With the imminent demise of Shaq looming and no other serious big-man centers (remember Tim Duncan is a “power forward”), his path to immortality should be relatively easy.

The question is what has gotten into the 7-6 Shanghai native? What has finally spurred this unfamiliar dominating form that he keeps on displaying night-in and night-out?

The answer is threefold: time, team, and himself.

In 2002, Yao Ming at the tender age of 22, embarked on a journey that boasted several unknowns. Ming was leaving his home and moving to a country whose cultural differences alone were enough to set him back in his march towards the NBA.

A new language, a new way of life, and most importantly a new league were just some of the things Yao had to face in his rookie year.

The first two, Ming fought through relatively unscathed. His parents moved to Houston, and matched with Houstonian interpreter Colin Pine, Ming was able to learn English relatively quickly.

However, absorbing the new league was something that proved a difficult obstacle for Yao. Gone were the always-sportsmanlike, kind, respectful, and soft-spoken players of the Chinese basketball league.

Instead, Ming had to get used to players with big checkbooks, and even bigger egos, something that was unheard of in his homeland. Yao learned this the hard way, constantly being mocked by fans and players, such as Shaq and the always-insulting Charles Barkley.

Also, he also had to deal with the unreasonable expectations placed on him since he was the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

There was no question that Ming was going to be the number one pick in the draft, the only question was when. He was expected to be great since day one and anything less would be seen as a disappointment. The question of whether or not he would be a bust was consistently swirling in the air.

None of these things fazed the strong-hearted Yao Ming. Instead of folding, Ming took all the jokes, faced all the criticism, and ended up proving most of his pundits wrong (remember Charles Barkley kissing a Donkey?).

While Yao finally grew accustomed to both the American and NBA lifestyle, he faced other obstacle that stunted his growth, his team.

When the Rockets drafted Yao, they were in the middle of a rebuilding stage. Yao was suppose to be the last piece to their puzzle, but Carrol Dawson, the general manager of the Houston Rockets quickly realized that other changes needed to be made.

Instead of having players that were willing to make Yao the face of the Rockets, Houston had Steve Francis, an immature street-balling guard whose maturity level was displayed when he basically cried his way out of Vancouver.
Ignoring Yao’s need to be involved in the offense, Francis continuously took too many shots and did not distribute the ball. As a result, the Rockets failed to gel and Yao Ming’s improvement was stunted.

Furthermore, Yao Ming didn’t have the luxury of a constant coaching force. Two-thirds through his rookie year, the much-beloved Rudy Tomjanivich was forced to resign due to his ongoing battle with bladder cancer.
Without a strong supporting cast or a calming coaching presence, Yao found himself struggling to find his place in the NBA.

As a result, the Rockets decided to make a major personnel change. The trigger-happy Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley were shipped to Orlando in return for superstar guard/forward Tracy McGrady who now dons the Rockets’ red.

In T-Mac, Yao found a superstar player who was willing to be option number two behind Yao. The two gelled instantly and the Rockets have been in the playoff race ever since.

Recently, T-Mac has struggled to find his shooting touch. Normally that would cause a player to be disgruntled and frustrated, but McGrady instead knows that Ming is the main option in the offense and thus McGrady does not have to put all the pressure on himself. There haven’t been any reports of grumbling heard within the Houston locker room as McGrady is looking beyond himself and only concerning himself with the progress of the team.

Now, thanks to the one-two punch of T-Mac and Ming, combined with head coach Jeff Van Gundy’s Ming-centered offense, the Rockets seem to have a solid foundation to build a championship team.

As his presence was becoming more prominent on and off the court, there was only one more thing that was preventing Yao from becoming the dominant big-man in the league: Yao Ming.

After entering the league, it was apparent that he was too nice of a person. On the court Yao was always respectful; off the court he was always congenial. However, unlike his native China, the NBA’s intensity demanded their big men to be both unforgiving and aggressive.

Early on, Yao seemed content shooting 18-ft. jumpers instead of slamming a dunk over the head of some poor, helpless defender. As much as we begged, Yao just didn’t grasp the idea of being aggressive, almost shying away from serious contact with another player. Here, we see the main aspect of the game that divided Shaq from Yao. It has taken four years, but Ming has finally grasped the idea of a true NBA big man.

Sure, Ming is still happy to face the basket and drain a jumper. But instead of that being his first option, we see Yao doing what a center is suppose to do: post up, get the ball, put it on the floor, and go to the basket. Instead of shying away from another player, we now see Yao more than happy to throw someone to the floor and rattle the rim with a huge dunk. While Yao’s new understanding of dominating the paint is making Rockets fans squeal with joy, it’s making his opponents quiver with fear.

Ming’s physical presence combined with his newly-found understanding of the game makes him nearly unstoppable. Want proof? Watch a rerun of the Rockets’ dismantling of the Miami Heat in Miami nearly two weeks ago.

While people will still refrain from giving their praise to the Chinese center, all I have to say is that Superman is gone and the Emperor is here.