AI gives props to Yao!

Allstarmobley · Oct 25, 2002

Originally posted by ds888
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1632892

This is the start of something big
By DALE ROBERTSON
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

The long and short of it was this: Long was too short.

Being the preseason, Sixers coach Larry Brown didn't get too caught up in worrying about matchups. So Philadelphia's 6-9 Art Long found himself on the 7-5 rookie Rocket Yao Ming as the second quarter began Thursday night, when one of the more anticipated local debuts in Houston's sporting history finally came to pass.

Yao had a brief NBA test run in San Antonio the previous evening, getting his giant feet wet with 13 promising minutes against the Spurs. Now, it was our turn to check out Mr. Big, the mighty Mandarin upon whom the future of the recently sputtering franchise is supposed to rest. He was greeted by a standing ovation and within 41 seconds he had notched his first ... foul.

Fouls are going to be a problem. That we can already see. The officials are clearly refusing to cut the kid the slightest bit of slack, adhering to the age-old NBA tradition of dissing rookies of every race, creed or color. Yao had picked up his third with 2:44 left in the half after being whistled four times in San Antonio.

Otherwise, though, Yao's coming-out party had to be judged an unqualified, near-spectacular success, all things considered -- not the least of which is how his head is surely spinning from both fatigue and being force-fed the Rockets' way of hooping, which bears little resemblance to the basketball he was weaned on in China.

Then, of course, there's all the pushing and shoving around the bucket.

"It's a lot more physical than I thought it would be," he said of American pro brawl.
Between the back-to-back exhibition games, Yao had risen early Thursday and made his first visit to Aggieland. China's biggest man -- in stature, not height -- was giving a speech at the Bush Library at Texas A&M. The country's president, Jiang Zemin, had invited Yao up for the reception, and declining wasn't exactly an option.

"It was an honor," Yao said, wisely.

Anyway, he arrived at Compaq Center barely an hour before tip-off. Rudy Tomjanovich let him get his bearings in the first quarter, then sent him out to start the second to as thunderous a roar as a mere 9,581 could muster. Clearly, Houston is not yet ready to pronounce Yao the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon.

Still, those who came had to relish what they saw, never mind the 93-89 Sixers victory, or that Philly had trailed by nine before Yao joined the proceedings. Purely coincidental, everyone contended. Brown himself said the Rockets have landed the real deal.

"I would have loved to have had that first pick," he said. "He can play. He can pass and shoot, and he's playing for a great coach in the right system."

And Long was certainly the right defender.

First, Yao beat him with a soft 12-foot fall-away. Next, he went baseline and kissed the glass with a reverse layup. A 14-foot turnaround, with fellow first-round draftee Bostjan Nachbar assisting, followed, as did a tip-in off a rebound. His only miss in the quarter would be a trey launched from the left baseline, and he also pulled down a pair of rebounds at the defensive end.

The play that woke everyone up, however, was a block, the kind of monster block that will have us calling him Chairman Yao one day soon. Brian Skinner foolishly tried to challenge him in the lane. Thwack! The basketball practically landed in Rockets owner Leslie Alexander's lap at midcourt.

We wondered how they might say, "Don't be bringing that stuff in here," in Mandarin.

Apparently, there's no direct translation for "trash talk," either.

Yao was asked if he'd been hearing much of that NBA staple yet, but he never fully processed the question through his interpreter Colin Pine.

"He does not understand," Pine said finally.

He will.

Yao's comprehension of what's expected of him as a brutish board presence is also sorely lacking. Of course, he has never thought of basketball as a contact sport before. He's particularly lacking at the offensive end, that one tip-in notwithstanding, but he'll get it eventually. Unlike most men his size -- not that very many are his size -- he's an extremely smooth and polished product. What he needs, it appears, are more rough edges.

And meaner elbows.

Although Yao wouldn't hit from the field in the second half, he drained five of six free throws and snared a couple additional rebounds. He was the first to admit he should have had more of the latter, saying, "I started well, but at the end of the game, I missed a few."

He offered no excuses. He insisted the jet lag after Sunday's 17-hour flight is behind him, and he wasn't that tired despite the 24 minutes Rudy T gave him. He was simply outmuscled.

But there was no need for him to apologize. The fans who did come out treated Yao as a new member of the family.

Said Yao: "I felt a lot like I was coming home tonight" -- and he was roundly lauded by both friend and foe alike.

Allen Iverson, of all people, proved especially complimentary.

"He's special," Iverson said. "He's a gift from God."
Click to expand...

it would sound to me like Iverson is being a smart ass ..........the only gift from God is Jordan.

Rockets_Truth · Oct 25, 2002

Yeah, after reading the other quotes from Iverson, it doesn't sound sarcastic. I guess I was just being too protective over our new big guy.

coke · Oct 25, 2002

really good to ming

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