Sacramento Bee: "They both hurt us," Adelman said.

Repeat: Rockets club Kings
Vlade Divac turns an ankle, though X-rays are negative.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Friday, October 17, 2003



HOUSTON -- You know it's a bad night in Texas when the Kings' leading scorers are ... Jabari Smith and Tony Massenburg.

Sacramento had 11 of its 17 turnovers in the first quarter, some of the comedic variety with passes going to no one but the guy gripping his beer in the front row.



The Houston Rockets were hardly threatened, downing the Kings for the second time in 48 hours. Thursday night's final was 88-72 in a preseason yawner at the sparkling new Toyota Center.

The Kings have lost three in a row after starting the preseason 2-0, and lack of flow is the primary reason. Two nights after managing 39 points in the first half against the Rockets, the Kings had 49 through three quarters. They made only 28 of 80 shots for 35 percent and had no answer for Houston's 1-2 punch of Yao Ming (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Steve Francis (23 points).

Sure, it's preseason. But isn't this team supposed to be better than this?

"Eleven turnovers in the first, that's normally a whole game for us," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We didn't play well at all. There's no excuse for it. Our starting group was awful. They've got to pick it up. We can't win if the first group plays like that. We've got three more (preseason) games to pick it up."

And the Kings may have to pick it up without Vlade Divac. The veteran center turned his right ankle with 1:47 left in the opening quarter and did not return. X-rays were negative, but he said it could be several days before he's ready to go.

Smith made 6 of 9 shots, with two of those misses providing some of the highlight material for an otherwise bored crowd of 9,539. New arenas generally are magnets for fans starving for an upgrade, but the 18,500-seat palace made the place look empty. Francis blocked a Smith dunk at full extension in the first half, and Kelvin Cato turned away the 6-foot-11 free-agent forward in the second.

Massenburg got the start at one forward, in place of Brad Miller, to see what he could do. The 11th-year center-forward was about the only solid starter, Adelman said. Peja Stojakovic had four points on 1-of-4 shooting, Mike Bibby had eight on 4 of 13 and Doug Christie was 0 for 5 with two free throws. Miller made only 1 of 8 shots and had three points, though he led the Kings with eight rebounds.

"We got to tighten things up, get more crisp," Christie said.

Said Miller: "It's only the preseason, and you can't look at the final score. We'll get better. I don't think the Lakers have even won a preseason game yet."

Francis and Yao had an easy week against the Kings, looking every bit like the All-Stars they are. Francis had 29 points Tuesday night, and Yao 17.

"They both hurt us," Adelman said. "We didn't seem to guard Yao inside, and we didn't defend the pick and roll with Francis. We were slow reacting to it."



http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/7615034p-8555658c.html

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2163642


Oct. 17, 2003, 12:47PM

Yao Ming, Coca-Cola settle lawsuit
Associated Press

BEIJING -- Basketball sensation Yao Ming has dropped a lawsuit against Coca-Cola Co.'s China subsidiary after the beverage company stopped using his image on packaging and apologized for doing so without his permission.

"This matter is over. We have to move on," Xinhua's Chinese-language service quoted Yao as saying.

Yao, who has a sponsorship agreement with rival soft drink maker Pepsi-Cola, sought to block Coke from using his image after the company sold commemorative bottles showing Yao and two of his former colleagues from the Chinese national team.

His lawsuit sought only a symbolic 1 yuan (12 U.S. cents) in damages. Yao also plays for the Houston Rockets of the NBA.

The Xinhua News Agency said the agreement withdrawing the lawsuit from Shanghai's Xuhui District Court was reached Thursday, more than three months after Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Ltd. stopped using Yao's picture on its products.

Coca-Cola released a statement from its global headquarters in Atlanta that it described as a "mediation agreement." The company cited its sponsorship of China's national team but acknowledged it was wrong for not asking Yao for permission first.

"On the basis of the fact that Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Ltd did not seek Yao Ming's consent in advance of its use of Yao Ming's portrait and name on the packaging of its products, Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Ltd. apologizes to Yao Ming for such conduct," the company said.

It said the mediation statement was printed in Chinese media as part of the agreement. Calls by The Associated Press to Coca-Cola offices in China went unanswered Friday night.

Coke said it had stopped producing and selling products bearing the pictures of Yao and fellow national team member Mengke Bateer and Guo Shiqiang in Chinese national team uniforms.

The company said it stopped making the products on June 3 and stopped selling them on July 4.

Coca-Cola's China operation had earlier maintained it had the right to show groups of at least three members of the Chinese national team under its sponsorship agreement.

Yao, a former player for the Shanghai Sharks of the China Basketball Association, remains popular in this country and products with his image usually sell well -- particularly in his hometown of Shanghai, China's most populous city.

Because of the settlement, a trial previously set for Monday has been canceled.