Once again someone talks about dunking on Yao. Slow starter to superstar Bob Young The Arizona Republic Nov. 15, 2002 12:00 AM Yao Ming's Valley debut hasn't exactly touched off Yao mania. But ESPN will televise the 7-foot-6 Chinese center's first visit to America West Arena tonight with the Houston Rockets, and a local Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce group has planned a get-together to celebrate the event. Even the Suns are somewhat curious. "He's a big boy," said Suns forward Shawn Marion, who played against Yao and the Chinese national team in the World Championships in September. "He's not playing much, but he looked pretty good when they played Portland. He's got a turnaround jumper can't nobody block because he's so big." But Yao, who missed training camp and much of the preseason because of commitments to the Chinese national team, is averaging only 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14 minutes of playing time a game. "The phone traffic and e-mail order traffic we typically get before a game has been a little heavier than normal," said John Walker, Suns vice president for ticket operations and sales. "I do think he's still such an unknown. If he was dominating early, people would really want to see that. But we're still hoping to have a great crowd." The Suns said about 3,000 tickets remain for tonight's game. The big question regarding Yao, 22, is whether he will remain nothing more than a curiosity or whether he can develop into a dominant player worthy of being the first pick in the NBA draft. "I guess he hasn't played that much to really make an impact," Suns coach Frank Johnson said. "I think (Houston coach) Rudy Tomjanovich is doing a good job of just bringing him along slow and not putting a tremendous amount of pressure on him. "But some of the times I've seen him play, some of the clips, he has great hands, he runs very well . . . he's so big and so agile. In time, he's going to be a very good mix with those guys. "He's trying to feel his way through it, and they're not rushing him. He's a very skilled big man." Yao is an intriguing prospect. He has shooting range that stretches defenses. Although he is not a leaper, Yao has the size to clog the middle and block shots. He is reputed to be a terrific passer who can read defenses. But he's also up against far greater competition than he has faced and in a faster-paced game. "Physically, it's hurting him," Johnson said. "The report is to bang him around a little bit. He's strong in the legs - he's just a little weak up top. So you've got to get into him. That's the one thing you can maybe attack, his physical strength. And it can't be any different for us." Suns center Jake Tsakalidis played against Yao in international competition five years ago. Yao, who was in his first season with the Chinese national team, didn't play much that day. "He doesn't play so much now," Tsakalidis said. "I saw him (on film) on the flight from Denver, the game with Portland. You have to push him out. It looks like he's not very strong yet, but he's long." Tsakalidis probably can relate better than most to Yao's adjustment. Yao doesn't speak English and has a full-time translator. Tsakalidis used an interpreter for his first two weeks, then went it alone. "But basketball is easy to understand," Tsakalidis said. "You can understand what the coach wants. "It (the NBA) is difficult. The game is different. The language. In Europe, we played maybe one or two games a week. Here you might play four or five games. You're traveling, and there are so many good players. It's just different." However, Yao has played professionally for five years and has had success against international competition. "There's always something new to learn," Yao recently told the Houston Chronicle through an interpreter. "Learning is a never-ending process." He is no doubt learning that he's a target in the NBA. "I believe for him there is a lot of pressure because he's the first pick," Tsakalidis said. "People are always expecting so much. There is a lot of joking going around. In China, he's so big nobody can compete against him. Here it's not so easy." And, of course, NBA players are eager to leave an impression. "He's big, but you know, you want to get highlights on him," Marion said, laughing. Tsakalidis knows how that can be. "Everybody wants to show they're strong," Tsakalidis said. "It's always like this. A guy goes and dunks and says, 'You can't block me. You can't stop me.' " And if Tsakalidis gets the chance to dunk on Yao? "I try," he said.
