Yao needs to slow down (Exerpt from Chron article)

Call me crazy, but should a guy who just got his drivers license less than a year ago be driving faster than everyone except the "police"? I think we all remember Bobby Phils. I'd hate to see something bad happen to Yao or whoever else might be on the road.

See the highlighted area near the end of the article to see what I'm talking about.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2402622

Yao much more at ease second time around

By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle



LOS ANGELES -- A year ago, he came to the NBA All-Star Weekend as a curiosity piece, something to poke at, prod and examine.

Yao Ming sat behind a bank of microphones in Atlanta, and a media horde climbed all over him like a bus load of tourists at the Great Wall.

They marveled at the length of his legs and the size of his feet. They wondered about the cultural impact and political significance of the first imported slam-dunking headliner from China. They probed for any and all information about his girlfriend and his background.

"What does he eat?" one guy asked interpreter Colin Pine.

Twelve months later, Yao leans back in his chair and notices that the sea of questioning faces before him has turned into a trickling stream.

"I can relax," he said. "Yes, this is the way I like it."

Our focus tends to wander. Our attention span gets shorter with each passing item of hot gossip that turns up on the Internet.

Now it is the personable rookie pairing of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony who feel the glare of the spotlight, the heat of the moment and, for now, at least, give a 7-6 center as much a chance as possible to blend in.

There are no longer the nightly news conferences at every stop along the NBA road, the gawkers who come just to gawk and even teammates who are trying to figure him out.

"Now it is mostly about basketball," Yao said. "Now I feel like just one of the team. I can talk about the game with them, about practice, about music. We can joke around, and we are all just NBA players."

This, of course, is what it was all about, building bridges of communication in an ever-shrinking world.

Kobe Bryant's legal troubles cost him his multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with McDonald's, and who steps in to fill the void but Yao. There he is in even larger-than-life grandeur on a billboard overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard, and here he is telling us that the fast-food emporium is truly one of his favorite places to eat.

It is all starting to fall neatly into place, this marriage of athlete and two vastly different cultures.

A year ago, Yao approached his first on-court meeting with Shaquille O'Neal with a measure of trepidation.

"Awe," he said. "I think that is the right description."

Then he took the floor on Wednesday night and went off for 29 points against Shaq as the Rockets beat the Lakers for the second straight time this season.

On Friday night in the Rookie Challenge, Yao looked as out of place as a polar bear in the desert, mostly wandering lost in the middle of the floor as James and Anthony dazzled with their high-flying, open-court antics. Yao hit a baseline jumper to open the scoring for the sophomore team and later converted a couple of follow-up dunks, finishing with six points and five rebounds.

This was not a forum for his game of fundamentals -- setting picks, working inside. Yet he appeared more comfortable on the glitzy stage, even whipping an over-the-shoulder pass to Amare Stoudamire on a fast break that wound up out of bounds and produced a sheepish smile.

"What LeBron and Carmelo do is beyond me," Yao said. "They make it look so easy and so relaxed. They turn it into something else. For me, dunking is just another way to score two points.

"Even if I want to do something spectacular, I can't. I found I could enjoy the game sitting on the bench much more than on the court."

He laughs, he jokes, he enjoys.

"Everything about this feels better now," Yao said. "Everything is not such a new experience. It doesn't feel so strange. I feel like I belong.

"The main thing that I think I've improved on this season is my assertiveness and aggressiveness on the court. At the same time, I think it is the area where I still must improve the most."

Now the questions are about his basketball skills. What will it take to supplant Shaq as the dominant center in the game? What kind of tips has he received from assistant coach Patrick Ewing? Can he develop a sky hook like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Can he co-exist and even thrive in the same offense with Steve Francis?

"The idea when I came here to America was to fit and to play basketball at the very highest level in the NBA," Yao said. "I am not comfortable being a symbol."

What he's becoming is more of a typical 23-year-old who just happens to be able to see over the top of every crowd.

"My time here in Los Angeles isn't as much in demand as last year in Atlanta," he said. "I have more freedom. But I would still like to be able to get away and do a few things on my own. I wish I could just take a walk on the beach. Maybe go to some movies, go to a video arcade.

"That won't happen though. I know it. It's the same reason as back at home in Shanghai. Size."

He can't hide. What he can do is continue to adapt and assimilate at a rapid clip, which he does with an easy manner and sense of humor.

A taste for American music?

"One song I have listened to most," Yao said, a twinkle in his eye. "The national anthem. At least 82 times a season."

Shaq parlayed his giant stature and reputation into star turns as rap singer and movie actor.

"Not for me," Yao said. "But I would like to race cars. Really."

For now, that is getting behind the wheel of his BMW 745 when the team returns from road trips and zipping down the Houston freeways.

"From the airport to home, I like to ensure that no car ever passes me," he said proudly. "The only car I allow to pass me is a police car. If one of my teammates ever goes faster, it's only because they have a better car."

That's how it's been, a speedy transition from stranger in a strange land to one of the boys.

And now, of course, we know what he eats.

"McNuggets," Yao said.

 

http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73049

 

But what about this quote from Yao:

That doesn't sound like a joke to me. I'd bet he's talking about how fast they drive when they all get off of the plane after a road game.