Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Rockets "They're a chaotic team. They break off a lot of their plays and end up going one-on-one. That matches the style of their two stars, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. ... Francis is no Jason Kidd, but I love him. He dominates the ball but he's unstoppable, he's competitive night in and night out and he's a leader. He's everything that Stephon Marbury ought to be. ... Mobley has developed some bad habits. He's shown he can hit big shots as the shot clock runs out, so now you see him dribbling out the clock and heaving up tough shots on a regular basis. ... Houston is weak at shooting guard behind Mobley. Glen Rice is no longer quick enough to play there. ... I give Rudy Tomjanovich credit for coaching to his talent. You see him changing plays as they go. It makes them really hard to scout. ... At first it looks like Rudy runs a loose ship, but he has an ability to get on his players and they accept it. You never hear them bad-mouth him. ... They're a risk-taking team on both ends. Yao Ming's shot-altering height might change them from a horrible defensive team into a decent one. He should give them an inside presence, even if it's only for 20 minutes a game. ... Francis and Mobley should love playing with him. You can just see the double-team coming to Yao and his teammates flaring out to receive open jump shots or making hard cuts to the basket. ... Eddie Griffin has turned into a nice player. His body is filling out. Last year he was a perimeter kick-out guy, but he's starting to balance his game with some inside play. ... Kelvin Cato never lived up to expectations as a starter, but he will look very good coming off the bench if Yao takes over. ... Maurice Taylor is more of a skilled player than a dirty-work guy, but he's the only one with the size and strength to be an enforcer inside. ... This is a team on the way up." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/features/2002/preview/rockets/ Interesting viewpoint from someone who gets paid to look at teams like the Rockets professionally.
From ESPN - Yao ready for NBA baptism against Pacers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regular-season records TEAM DIV. STANDING W L PCT HOME ROAD CONF STREAK LAST 10 Houston 12th, Western Conf 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 Won 0 0-0 Indiana 7th, Eastern Conf 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 Won 0 0-0 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.''
