Big loads of gopping BS!!!!!!! You, me, the so-called *experts*, noone here knew at that time how much English he did or did not understand/speak. It was reported here right after the draft that Yao Ming did in fact understand some and speak some English. The clips you speak of were few and far between. Do you honestly think you can make an estimate of how well someone can speak just from those? He used a translator for those few clips so he could make sure there were no mistakes or misunderstandings. When do you think he had time to "work on his English"? He has been busy as hell since the draft. Kenny and Charles are just a couple of windbags with NBA experience and should not be taken seriously for real facts other than maybe NBA commentary. Kayman was way off in his criticism of Jeff..and Jeff did as he normally does, handles it with class. You are a good man Jeff Balke..
Yao Ming disapointed me a little bit when he said "Houston, I am come". Usually, Chinese students graduated from high school won't make that kind of English grammar mistake. However, most Chinese students are poor in oral English and listening ability due to very limited practices. I feel Yao Ming is the exact opposite, which is actually the right way to learn a foreign language. He picked up a lot of English from his American teamates in Shanghai. This is indeed good news. He may understand a lot of English Steve and Cat speak. Yao Ming won't have any problem in English on the court, but it is long way to go for him to handle the media in English. So, his translator doesn't need to worry too much about his job for now.
