Yao's impact a question mark, for now SportsTicker Oct. 28, 2002 2:06 a.m. By Greg Shoro SportsTicker Staff Writer HOUSTON (Ticker) - The Houston Rockets are hoping that the NBA's biggest question mark will emerge as an 89-inch future exclamation point. By drafting Yao Ming, the Rockets went where no team had gone before. Never had a foreign player with no long-term basketball experience on American soil been selected with the top overall pick. Yao's heritage made the move even more of a gamble. Conflicts with Chinese players in the NBA already have raised doubts about whether they are worth pursuing. But through the tireless work of team counsel Michael Goldberg, there remains just one hurdle - Yao's actual transition to the court. Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich has exuded a controlled confidence in what lies ahead for his giant of a center, and he's not the only one. "My gut feeling in the long run is that he's going to be a good player, but I think there is a chance that he could become a great player," Tomjanovich said. "He's going to be a force," San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. While the Rockets were quietly moving through their preseason schedule, Yao received a four-year, $17.8 million contract, a U.S. visa and approval from the Chinese Basketball Association to play in the NBA on the grounds that he return to the national team for certain tournaments. With politics and finances put to an early rest, the Rockets are concentrating on Yao as a part of their team and not the world's tallest mystery man. "I know I've made everybody wait a long time, but I hope that everybody will think that it was worth the wait," Yao said through an interpreter upon meeting the media. "I hope that through my hard work I can meet everybody's expectations. And that I can help the Rockets win more games." That should not be hard. Following seven consecutive postseason appearances that included NBA titles in 1994-95, Houston has missed the playoffs the last two seasons. Last season, the wins dropped to 28 and the attendance to near the bottom of the league. However, the 22-year-old Yao already is turning things around in both areas, merely by walking into the gym. "He's going to be a presence inside with just his size," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He's very versatile and I think he plays a complete game. He's not a one-dimensional kind of guy, he's multi-faceted. He's 7-6, but he moves like a 6-5 guy. You don't see that every day." "He can get his shot more than I thought he'd be able to," Popovich said after wathcing him play one exhibition game. "He's so big that he just turns and shoots whenever he wants to. He's got such good balance because of his leg strength that he can keep his spot on the court and you really can't knock him around. He can put the ball down and make a move better than I thought he would at that size." Yao's readiness to help turn the struggling franchise around will depend on his physical condition after participating in both the World Championships and Asian Games. "I'm a little bit tired from playing so much, but I'm ready to play whenever I'm called upon," Yao said. "Whenever it's time to go, I'll be ready." He certainly was at the World Championships, where he averaged 21 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks and was named to the all-tournament team with current NBA star foreigners Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic. Yao's stats may warrant Rookie of the Year considerations, but the Rockets know that the NBA will present much greater challenges and demand more than just impressive numbers. "We're doing the wrong thing if we say he's going to be the savior," Tomjanovich said. He may not have to be. Although they are coming off their worst season in nearly two decades, the Rockets boast young stars such as Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Eddie Griffin, all of whom will benefit from his presence on the court. Still, there are expectations, which are only exacerbated by Yao's status as the top pick, his awe-inspiring size and his foreign background. Every time he does not play well, there will be criticism, whispered or otherwise. "There is always pressure," Tomjanovich said. "As I've gotten older I've learned how to deal with those types of things. We try to come in and help our players get better every day. As you solve problems over the year, you become a better team at the end." Yao was quick to establish his own challenges for the upcoming season, marking November 17 on his calendar - the night he goes head-to-head with Shaquille O'Neal for the first time. "Every problem has to be faced. That's going to be a very important game for me," Yao said. "I'm not going to be looking at it as a normal game. I'm going to look at it as a more important game." As Yao grows comfortable in his new surroundings, the Rockets are planning to incorporate a motion offense that will utilize his outside touch and ability to pass. It should lighten the load on the talented backcourt and give the slashers freedom to move without the ball, knowing their center can deliver the well-timed pass. "He's an unselfish offensive and defensive presence," Francis said. "He's definitely a shot-blocker in the middle and he's a team player. That's what we need." Off the court, a lineup of lucrative endorsements and a league itching to cash in on the interest he will generate await Yao. However, it is his impact on the game and the center position itself that will determine his legacy. The list of towering players who have had nondescript NBA careers includes 7-4 Tom Burleson, 7-5 Chuck Nevitt, 7-6 Manute Bol, 7-7 Gheorghe Muresan and 7-6 Shawn Bradley. Among the true giants, only 7-4 Rik Smits could be classified as a good player. However, the 296-pound Yao is neither a beanpole like Bol or Bradley nor a lumberer like Muresan. He has remarkable agility and offensive tools that those players never displayed. Yao's new opponents have also taken an interest in what effect he will have on the Rockets - and the league as a whole. "To say he will change the game is pretty dramatic," said Spurs 7-footer David Robinson, himself a No. 1 overall pick. "He will probably come in and learn the game and play pretty well. Changing the game, that's a whole 'nother story." "That's like saying someone's going to be the next Michael Jordan," Popovich added. It's going to take him a while to get everything under control and really learn what's going on. But he's not going to be a big stiff out there on the court. He's going to be way, way beyond that. He will make his mark on the NBA over time." While the jury is out on what Yao will ultimately bring, for now, NBA coaches are rewriting more than their playbooks to prepare for when that time comes. "We're hoping that when we play him he'll have some sort of a Chinese holiday where he can't play," Popovich joked. "That's probably going to be the best way to defend him."
