Yao Foxsports.com Fun

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HILL: That was then, this is Yao
BY RANDY HILL
FOXSports.com
Nov. 18, 2002 5:12 p.m.
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We?re still marching toward ?the horror? plateau, but the NBA?s surrender to ?Apocalypse Yao? seems inevitable.

The script is getting interesting. Its reluctant hero is Houston Rockets rookie Yao Ming, the 7-foot-5 Chinese exhibit who is beginning to rewrite doomsday prophecy.

In weekend games at Phoenix and Los Angeles, Yao produced 30 points in a combined 37 minutes, dropping 14 of 15 field-goal attempts.

His 20-point performance in a victory over the Lakers produced this review from NBA critic Shaquille O?Neal:

?He can play. He?s no slouch.?

The Shaq endorsement may damage much reflexive criticism delivered by American reporters after Yao slouched all over the place during the Rockets? first six games.

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And while two seemingly breakthrough efforts do not carve a career, experts had seen enough keen evidence before Yao went to work in Phoenix.

?He?s already skilled,? said Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni, considered one of the NBA?s top instructors in the low-post dance. ?And his footwork is good. I?ve seen him do drop-steps and step-throughs.?

Any bad news, Coach?

?Right now, he?s just getting used to the speed and physical nature of the NBA game,? Iavaroni said. ?Time will tell if he?s going to be a solid center or top-flight center.?

The popular anthem of ?bust? appears to have escaped the list of eventualities.

My personal observation of Yao yielded proof that the young Rocket also has developed an awareness of NBA defense; he bumped Suns cutters on their detours through the lane, and cheated over when situations required a presence from the weak side.

So, should we pencil in Yao Ming for Springfield? I won?t traipse that far off the reality track. But I will push ahead to 2005 in the following demonstration of where Yao ?- and the league ?- could be in three years:

(AP/FOX) NEW YORK ? After receiving another dominant effort from Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets were treated to the latest unreasonable act of interference by the Chinese government.

?It?s disappointing, but we knew the risks when we drafted him back in 2002,? Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after Yao contributed 35 points and 11 rebounds to Sunday?s 110-97 victory over LeBron James and the New York Knicks. ?We just have to deal with it.?

The deal now facing the Rockets is the Chinese government?s demand that Yao interrupt his NBA season to participate with national-team members in a high-level pickup game.

This story was first reported on I?mpetervecseyandyour?renot.com by Peter Vecsey, whose recent report that the Earth has been traded may not threaten the credibility of his Yao news.

Credibility is no problem for Yao?s agent, Charles Barkley, who also believes China has really rotten timing.

?For years now, I?ve been saying that we should bomb China,? Barkley said. ?By the way, China?s timing really stinks. If we don?t bomb ?em for this, I?m gonna kick somebody?s ??

When reached by AP/FOX, China defended its demand.

?We just learned the concept of ?make it, take it? in pick-up games, so Yao?s participation is crucial,? said a spokesman at the Chinese embassy in New York.

Yao, who?s hoping to help steer the Rockets past the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, handled the news with philosophical finesse.

?It?s kind of difficult because we?re rolling now, but make it, take it sounds really intriguing,? Yao said Sunday outside a New York blood bank.

The fourth-year Houston center has being making regular trips to these blood-donation facilities because his initial contract was divvied up among several factions in China. Supplementation of his NBA income may not be necessary when a big-loot contract extension kicks in next season.

?But I will miss the free orange juice and cookies,? Yao said while waving a Chips Ahoy.

The Rockets are certain to miss their center, who?s averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds while helping the team achieve 10 victories in 10 games.

?Aside from Frederic Weis, we just didn?t have anyone to match up with him,? said first-year Knicks coach Mark Jackson, whose ?box-and-two? defense provoked inquiries from confused New York writers.

?I know having two defenders on Yao leaves just three guys to form the box,? Jackson admitted. ?But who said a box can?t be pointy??

Despite the New York threat of MSG, Yao was able to bag 12 of 13 field-goal attempts against Jackson?s defense and free teammate Steve Francis to gun in another 30 points.

Yao also was a factor on defense, blocking seven shots, five on purpose.

?You can?t teach height,? said Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell, who is suing the New York Post for reporting that his skills had diminished. Sprewell may have made his case by scoring 20 points in 30 minutes off the bench. ?Well, I guess you can teach height, but there wouldn?t be any practical application for the height after it was taught.?

While diplomatic conditions between the U.S and China could harpoon the Rockets? position, the NBA will attempt to broker an amicable resolution.

?If we don?t bomb China, like Charles Barkley suggested, then the league will step in,? said NBA commissioner Mark Cuban. ?We can?t afford to lose a player of Yao?s caliber, even if it is temporary. With Shaq out, he?s arguably the best center in the NBA.?

For the record, Shaquille O?Neal has missed the start of another campaign after waiting until a day before the opening of training camp to tell the Los Angeles Lakers that he?d grown a sixth toe on his right foot during the off-season.

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There'll come a day when opposing teams will be giddy to see Yao Ming out of the game and watching from the sidelines.
Pat Sullivan /Associated Press

His absence pulls additional attention toward Yao, whose rising marketability includes a Nike-sponsored, All-Yao TV channel and a co-starring role in Harry Potter 10, The Sorcerer?s Interpreter.

But reports that Yao had acquired a commercially motivated tattoo were eroneous.

"That's just a Chinese bar code," he said.

Such need to defray his monetary obligations in China has not cut into Yao?s NBA development. In addition to skill and weight training, Yao?s quickness and stamina have been enhanced by a recent commitment to the Stair Master P workout.

?The Stair Master P workout was difficult at first,? Yao explained, ?because I had to learn how to step and use rhyming profanity at the same time.?

If China has its way, the Rockets will have to try moving forward without their star center.

A team spokesman said it?s uncertain if Yao will be available when Hubie Brown and the Memphis Grizzlies attempt to end their 256-game losing streak during Wednesday?s game at Houston?s Panda Express Pavilion.

Rockets fans may not see Yao, but the scheduled halftime show should include an appearance from Manute Bol, who will attempt to juggle three live pit bulls while riding a unicycle.

?That sounds pretty exciting? Yao said of Bol?s act, ?but we?ve been doing that in China for years.?