It looks like Doc preped Yao Ming just before he gave his interview after he was picked number 1 http://www.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,5469252_54,00.html Rockets relieved to complete deal for 7-foot-5 center June 26, 2002 SportsLine.com wire reports HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets finally got their man. All it took were trips to China, intercontinental phone calls and faxes, and many sleepless nights. With just hours to spare, the Rockets got the paperwork they needed to make the decision they've been wanting to make for weeks: taking 7-foot-5 Yao Ming with the first pick in Wednesday night's NBA Draft. The Rockets eagerly made the pick when the draft started and Yao, speaking from Beijing, showed his immediate happiness with one comment in English. "I'm very happy to be with the Houston Rockets. Hi Houston. I'm coMING," Yao said. The Rockets built two NBA championships around another foreign-born center, Hakeem Olajuwon. Now, they're ready to begin anew with Yao. "To compare him to others would be unfair, there hasn't been a guy like this before," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He's his own person. He's going to be very good. As a 19-year old he played against 7-footers and did a good job. "All these things make you feel great about it turning out right." Yao, speaking mostly through an interpreter, said he was looking forward to playing for the Rockets and learning from Tomjanovich. "Eight years ago, the Rockets were the first team I saw win the NBA championship," Yao said. "They are a very exciting team to watch." Yao thinks he'll need to improve his strength and his transition game when he starts working with the Rockets. Rockets legal counsel Michael Goldberg received a letter early Wednesday, confirming that all concerns had been addressed and that Yao would be available for the draft. He quickly relayed the pre-dawn news to general manager Carroll Dawson. "I thought I'd scream but I just fell back in bed and looked at the ceiling," Dawson said. "I felt such a great relief. The whole franchise wanted this so badly. I just felt that it would all be worked out." Dawson took a collective sigh of relief for the entire Rockets organization. They reached their goal by working their way through three days of intricate negotiations in China with several entities, establishing an atmosphere of trust and even capitalizing on the famous face of coach Rudy Tomjanovich. "The assurances we gave each other was that it's a win-win situation," Goldberg said. "They know with training in the U.S., Yao Ming will become a much better player and help their national team. "They want what is necessary for the Rockets to win championships here and for China to win championships there." Houston's pursuit of China's best-known basketball player started in May, when it parlayed an 8.9 percent chance in the NBA lottery into the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Rockets immediately started digging into the confusing maze of getting Yao released from all of his Chinese commitments. Dawson, Tomjanovich and Goldberg spent three days in China negotiating for Yao's services. Dawson thought a key to the process was Tomjanovich's popularity in Beijing "Rudy is known the world over and they know him in China from the basketball games that are televised over there and from his coaching the U.S. Olympic team," Dawson said. "He walked down the street there and it was just like being in the U.S." Tomjanovich's presence really paid off when the Rockets visited Yao's parents. "They were getting ready to send their 21-year-old son halfway around the world and they were naturally concerned," Dawson said. "But I could see the relief in the mother's eyes when she saw Rudy. He was a familiar face." Yao will be in the United States with the Chinese national team in August to compete in the World Championships at Indianapolis. He will play in the Asian Games in October and the Rockets anticipate he'll miss only about six days of preseason training camp. "He'll be playing in those games with our blessing," Goldberg said. "Between now and then, we have the opportunity to get him ready for the NBA season. Everyone wanted this to work." Yao averaged 32.4 points, 18.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals for the Shanghai Sharks last season. He's a gifted outside shooter, although the Rockets know he must adapt to the rougher play in the NBA. He has convinced the Rockets he's ready for the NBA. Now he has to prove himself to his new teammates. "He'll have to fit in with us," guard Cuttino Mobley said. "He's a very skilled player and that's fun, and he can pass the ball, too. We'll feel him out after he gets here. I'm sure everything will work out. ... "He's the No. 1 pick and he has skills." The Rockets used the 15th pick in the first round to select Slovenian forward Bostjan Nachbar, who played last season for Benetton Treviso in the Italian League and in the second round, they took Tito Maddox, a guard from Fresno State. "It's been a dream of mine since I first saw the NBA," Nachbar said. "I love Houston and I'm just happy to be going there." AP NEWS
