http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=221030011 Yao ready for NBA baptism against Pacers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Yao Ming jogged onto the court in a gray Houston Rockets sweatsuit Wednesday morning, trying to work out the jitters leading up to his first NBA game. "I mostly feel really excited and a little bit nervous,'' he said at the shootaround hours before Houston's game against the Pacers. "This my first NBA game. My first NBA regular-season game.'' Yao was the No. 1 overall pick in the June 26 draft, but he didn't join the Rockets until Oct. 20. He played in just two preseason games, averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.5 minutes. Like the rest of the NBA players, Yao is eager to see how he'll perform in the regular season. Yao said he was facing a lot of pressure on the court and hoped to play well in every game. Based on what he learned in the preseason, however, that won't be easy. "I learned about the speed of the game and the physicalness of the game,'' Yao said. Yao has shown a soft touch with his jump shot, but during the preseason he was bowled over by body checks and often got into foul trouble. He was whistled for eight fouls in a total of 37 minutes. "Early, he was tremendous. Then he sort of leveled off a little bit,'' Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "It's all catching up to him.'' Yao isn't scheduled to start Wednesday -- he'll back up center Kelvin Cato -- but he could play about 20 minutes, Tomjanovich said. He could play more because the Rockets' bench has been hit by injury and suspension. Maurice Taylor is suspended for the first five games, Kenny Thomas is doubtful with a fractured thumb, Terence Morris is out with a sprained ankle and Glen Rice is questionable with a strained knee. About a dozen news organizations showed up to the Rockets' shootaround Wednesday to get Yao's take on things. "I'm used to it. It's the same every day,'' Yao said through an interpreter. Tomjanovich is used to coaching high-profile players like Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley, but he's never seen so much attention focused on one player like Yao. "This is the craziest thing,'' he said. "It's never happened before. We're just taking it step by step.'' Yao hasn't had a chance to learn Houston's offense, but basketball isn't his only worry. Making the transition from China to the United States isn't easy, but Yao's parents are with him, and they have friends in the Houston area. "There's a different lifestyle, a different language, different people,'' Tomjanovich said. "And then to start months behind, with no summer league, no orientation and a new team ... it's been as chaotic as you can imagine.''
There is a good reason for Cato to start. Yao Ming is not physically ready for 30 - 40 minutes. Let the physical Cato to wear out the other centers. Yao Ming can then flash out at the 2nd and 4th quarters. It is no big deal for him.
