By Marc J. Spears Denver Post Sports Writer http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~90~962950~,00.html Friday, November 01, 2002 - The education of Yao Ming - one aspect of it, anyway - may have begun in the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant in Cherry Creek. Yao, the No. 1 overall pick of the Houston Rockets in the 2002 NBA draft, is the featured guest tonight for the Nuggets' home opener. He was last in Denver in August with China's national basketball team, as it prepared for the world championship. One day, the 7-foot-5 center passed on a trip to a mall with teammates to remain at the team hotel. Later that night, Tommy Sheppard, the Nuggets' senior director of team services and player relations, picked up Yao in his Ford Explorer and drove him to dinner. With the team running late, Yao and Sheppard had about 40 minutes to kill, which they spent, in part, on an impromptu course in driver's ed. "So we're sitting there, and Yao's English was excellent so we could converse back and forth," Sheppard said. "We talked about a variety of things. Sooner or later, you run out of things to talk about. We were sitting in basically an empty parking lot. He was talking about how he couldn't wait to get his car. He was real curious about different cars. "He assured me had driven before, so I asked him, 'Do you want to drive?' I just got a beat-up, old Ford Explorer. So we laid the seat all the way down. And he got in (the driver's seat), which is a credit to Ford engineering at 7-foot-6. So I let him drive around the parking lot and practice." Other than knocking the gear shift into neutral with his knees, Yao acquitted himself very well, Sheppard reported. "I think his driving skills will continue to improve along with his playing skills," Sheppard said. Navigating roads or life in the NBA may prove to be a drawn-out process for Yao. Tonight, Yao could score the first basket of his career. The bad news is he's already played the first NBA game, going scoreless with two rebounds in 11 minutes Wednesday night in a 91-82 loss to Indiana. Yao is the most-heralded international player to enter the NBA. Before the draft, general managers drooled over his height, sweet jumper and shot-blocking potential. But Wednesday, Yao took just one shot and picked up three fouls. Afterward, he said he had a hard time getting back on defense, was struggling to adjust to the NBA rules and was disappointed about his playing time. "I learned I still have a lot to learn, and I'm only a rookie," Yao, 22, told reporters. Tonight marks Yao's fourth game in an NBA uniform. Yao scored six points on 1-of-5 shooting, made all four of his free-throw attempts and blocked a shot in 13 minutes Oct. 23 during a preseason game against San Antonio. His best performance is a 13-point, five-rebound, two-block showing in an exhibition Oct. 24 against Philadelphia. Nuggets' director of scouting Bill Branch was present at Yao's preseason games and was impressed. "Listen, it's really early," Branch said. "But the kid's got a great future, great balance for a guy his size, good coordination. But I think the best thing is his overall presence, blocking shots, rebounding. He's a great shooter. He has a soft touch for a guy his size. "I think he will be a double-double guy, and each night the opposing team has to make some alterations in what they are doing because of him." While Yao may be new to the NBA, Nuggets assistant coach Jarinn Akana is as familiar with him as anyone in the league. Akana served as an assistant for China's national team this past summer. Akana also has been a scout in Asia for the Nuggets and was a guest coach for China in 2001. Akana said he believes Yao will develop into a star in the NBA, but he has concerns about him hitting a wall physically and mentally this season. He hasn't had a summer off the past three years. He played in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and led China to a title in the Asian Basketball Championships in '01. And now, after playing in the world championship and Asia Games this past summer, he has a full NBA schedule ahead. "That's a lot for him," Akana said. "That's something he has to be aware of. He needs to get some rest. They practice every day over there in the summer. It's nonstop for him; he has no time to breathe. "Hopefully, he stays aware of that. The kid needs to rest, but there is no time to rest because he already started (the season). But mentally, he needs to regroup." "The guy has only been here 10 days," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich told reporters after the Indiana game. "He is just getting acclimated."
It's pretty obvious there will be no shortage of Yao coverage this year. We can count on an article from each city he visits for sure.
and that's a good thing! So many different perspectives and stories... "I think his driving skills will continue to improve along with his playing skills," Sheppard said. I agree...
