Does Yao Ming have the stuff? Rockets center has much to learn as he adapts to the NBA game 11/21/2002 By MIKE McALLISTER / The Dallas Morning News HOUSTON – It's the easiest and most accurate shot in the NBA, especially for a 7-6 center who can practically stand on his toes and perform it. But it's not second nature for Houston's celebrated rookie, Yao Ming. He's not a dunker. Like former Maverick and fellow Chinese native Wang Zhizhi, Yao's never relied on the dunk. Never made it an integral weapon in his offensive arsenal. Never really learned the intricacies of the shot. Back when he played for the Shanghai Sharks, Yao – who makes his first appearance against the Mavericks on Thursday night at American Airlines Center – usually opted for the open jumper. That's the athletic shot, the beautiful shot, the finesse shot. The brutality and rudeness of the dunk was not encouraged. "[In] his country," Rockets guard Steve Francis said, "you're not supposed to dunk the ball." But in the NBA, the dunk commands respect. The league even developed an All-Star event around it. Whether it's a gentle drop through the hoop or a thunder slam on an opponent's head, tall players must show the dunk. It's a reason why the Rockets have pleaded with Yao to dunk more in practice. So when Yao threw down three dunks in his 20-point, 9-of-9 shooting performance Sunday against the Lakers, it was not merely 6 points in the box score. Consider them indications that his acclimation to the NBA game is moving along quite nicely. Perhaps even faster than some expected. Certainly faster than Charles Barkley expected. Last week on an Inside the NBA show on TNT, Sir Charles told fellow analyst Kenny Smith that he would "kiss Kenny's" posterior if Yao scored 19 points or more in a game this season. Time to pucker up, Chuck. Yao, 22, called his performance against the Lakers a "breakthrough." But he and the rest of the NBA know that last summer's top overall draft pick remains a work in progress. "He's going to be a powerful, powerful center in this league," said Mavericks coach Don Nelson. "But not this year. And probably not next year." Incorporating the dunk into his game is a nice step, but the road remains a long one before Yao provides the impact the Rockets – and about 2 billion people in China – hope to see. In Houston, discussions about expectations of Yao this season usually end in one word: patience. 'Going to take time' "I just think it's going to take time for him to find his niche, to get his rhythm," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "I don't put a timetable on expectations. It might be quick. It might not. But I've got a good feeling about things." Yao, who speaks little English and relies on a full-time interpreter, has shown improvement lately in practices and in games. But he's equally cautious on the expectation front. After all, he's still not in the starting lineup. "All I can say is I want to play well every day," Yao said. "I just have to get used to the game itself and learn how to control myself on the court." That means being aggressive. While his shooting and ball-handling skills are impressive for a 7-6 player, he must be capable of banging inside, establishing his presence in the low post. "Once he gets down with the physicality of this game, I think he's going to be great," Rockets teammate Kelvin Cato said. "But right now, he kind of gets pushed under the boards a little bit." Yao has the lower body to push others – thick ankles, a big rear end and tree trunk legs. But his upper body has not yet developed. It's a similar problem to one 7-6 Mavericks center Shawn Bradley has dealt with for the past decade. The Rockets have Yao on a program to strengthen his upper body, but whether he can gain enough strength to compete against the league's biggest players remains in question. Lakers coach Phil Jackson joked that Shaquille O'Neal would have broken Yao in two had the injured Shaq played Sunday. O'Neal said that Yao is "pretty good. But he hasn't gone up against the 'Boom-Boom' yet." An increased physical presence, though, is only half the equation. Yao also faces mental and emotional challenges. Like many other international players, Yao must deal with a new culture. A new lifestyle. A new country. A new language. Unlike those players, Yao has added pressures. Overseas reach The NBA needs Yao to succeed to boost its game in the Asian market. The league has opened an office in Beijing, and 30 Rockets games will be televised in China. When Yao made his regular-season debut, the game was available in 287 million homes in China. Compare that with the 106.6 million TV households in the U.S. The Rockets need Yao to succeed not only to win games but to sell tickets. The team's marketing campaign this season centers on Yao and its "Be Part of Something Big" slogan. While the curiosity factor can drive interest now, on-court production must take over at some point. And the Chinese people desperately want Yao to succeed. Wang, the first Chinese player in the NBA, doesn't match Yao in talent and doesn't face the expectations that Yao does as his country's national treasure. It's no big deal that Wang, who left Dallas as a restricted free agent during the off-season, is making little impact in the Los Angeles Clippers' rotation. It would be a very big deal if Yao didn't become an NBA star. "No one in history has ever tried something this hard," said NBA analyst and Hall of Famer Bill Walton, citing the various off-court factors. "No one has ever had a life like this. No one's ever had the scrutiny like this. ... He's so young, so inexperienced. He's not prepared for this." He has no choice. The Rockets, though, are willing to wait. "You can never rush greatness in this league," Francis said. Particularly when it starts with the simplest of things. Like a dunk. E-mail mmcallister@dallasnews.com
Not a bad story. Reminds me of something else. I went and checked the game preview at rockets.com, and they had posted a simple little snippet they had pulled off the wire. Just for the heck of it, I went to the Mavs NBA site to see their preview. I was expecting the typical Dallas bandwagon type piece. Instead, I found a very well written story: Rockets@ Dallas, Nov 19 6:30 pm CT on TNT, ESPN Radio 103.3 FM and 1270 KESS AM 6:30! 6:30! 6:30! That’s the start time for the Mavericks Thursday night (November 21) clash with the Rockets at the American Airlines Center. National television requested the earlier tip time, Mark Cuban obliged. So, mark it down somewhere where you’re sure to remember it...6:30! Why am I harping on the start time? Because I believe that the Mavs will need you at full throat from the outset to serve as a strong sixth man in what figures to be a beauty of a basketball game. The Mavs streak to start the season stands at 11-0, off of Tuesday’s dismantling of Shaq-less L.A. Houston brings an impressive 6-3 mark into Dallas. And looks the part of the league’s most improved team at this stage. The Rockets, like always, will throw the dynamic back court scoring tandem of Steve Francis (27ppg) and Cuttino Mobley (19ppg) at the Mavericks. Plus the emerging force that is 6-10 Eddie Griffin, healthy 6-9 low post scorer Maurice Taylor, versatile 6-8 Kenny Thomas and top overall pick in last June’s draft 7-5 Yao Ming from China. This team clearly possesses the building blocks of a solid outfit for many years to come in the Western Conference. Toss into the mix the added historical incentive of being the first to dump Dallas and preserve the ‘93-‘94 Rockets NBA best ever 15-0 start and you have the makings of a real Texas sized basketball battle. Yao MIng The Shawn Bradley versus Yao Ming match-up at center will get plenty of play and should be fun to watch. But, while Bradley’s starting (most nights) for the Mavs and averaging 28 minutes per game, Yao is coming off the bench and playing just 15 minutes per game as Rudy Tomjanovich works the rookie in slowly. These are the league’s two tallest players (Bradley 7-6, Yao 7-5) and both possess skills unusual for men their size. Bradley continues to deliver stellar performances for Dallas (as his 16 point, 12 board showing against the Lakers attests). While Yao’s finding his way nicely of late for Houston. He’s made 21 of his last 23 shots from the floor and recently lit up the Lakers for 20 points on 9-9 shooting. Will the guy who posts better numbers in this head to head encounter lead his team to victory in the game? That might be a stretch. But as both big men test the strength of their respective games against someone of similar physical stature a tale will be told by night’s end. Cuttino Mobley The game’s outcome will more likely hinge on the Mavericks ability to continue stifling opposing offenses on the defensive end of the floor. Dallas has held it’s last three home foes to 75 points or less playing it’s combination of zone and man to man defenses. The Rockets quickness and shooting skill in the guard duo of Francis and Mobley will really test the Mavs team defensive concepts. Francis and Mobley are both very capable of breaking opposing defenses down with dribble penetration and both are equally capable of spotting up and drilling three pointers. Houston loves to space the floor offensively to create seams for these two to go to work offensively. We’ll see what Don Nelson and Del Harris diagram to counter that attack. Steve Nash Dirk Nowitzki There is no doubt in my mind that the Mavericks can have success scoring the ball against the Rockets. Steve Nash (coming off of a 30 point outing in New Jersey Saturday, then hitting the Lakers for 21 Tuesday) will be in the attack mode from the outset, doing his part to put Francis on his heels at the defensive end of the floor. Michael Finley is capable of more than negating Mobley’s offense with plenty of his own. To me, the big watch in this game will be Dirk Nowitzki’s ability to get rolling. He’s now struggled to solve the defensive approaches against him in three of the last four games (the lone exception being his 32 point demolition of the Celtics last Friday). Houston possesses a player in long, lean, shot challenger Eddie Griffin that could present problems for Dirk. Nowitzki will, no doubt, get his customary 20 and will likely grab a dozen or so boards by night’s end. The question is how many shots will it take for him to score 20 points? His ability to score efficiently in this game will be a big key. If he’s able to get off early against Griffin, it would serve a couple of purposes. It might force the second year forward to the bench with early foul trouble and it might well force the Rockets to scramble into a double teaming strategy that will create great opportunities for other Mavs. Nowitzki versus Griffin is this game’s marquee individual match-up! Eduardo Najera Otherwise, look for Eduardo Najera to be called on to defend Mo Taylor when he’s in the game. Taylor’s a smooth low-post scoring threat that must be neutralized when on the floor. Ex-Rocket Walt Williams will likely be wired to perform well against Houston. His bench scoring punch will be welcomed. And let’s not forget that this game could feature the debut of Popeye Jones in his return to Dallas. Popeye has recovered from a series of injuries that include a groin strain, ankle sprain and back spasms. He was last seen going down in the white-blue intra-squad scrimmage in early October. He’s ready to jump back into the fray, but don’t expect big things. He’s looked the part of a rusty player working his way back in the team’s last two practice sessions. This game should be a blast! Both teams can be mighty explosive offensively with stand-out stars like Francis, Mobley, Nowitzki, Nash and Finley. Toss the intrigue of Bradley versus Yao into the mix with the underlying story line of the Mavericks perfect 11-0 start and you have the makings of a November game that’s sure to please the national tv audience (on TNT). This one could go to the wire, that’s why your presence in the stands generating a strong home court advantage from the opening tip is requested! Opening tip is again at 6:30! See you then.
i like this one, at the beginning when we drafted Yao they didn't want to wait.now they see how good he will be.
Good post.....The Mav fans are confident, but, they are sure glad they are at home for this one,, we did beat them there last year.
This Mavs reporter failed to mention that unlike Yao Ming Bradley has thin legs as well as a thin upper body!
