OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- When the U.S. national team plays China in an exhibition game Thursday, Yao Ming will get a rude welcome to the United States, courtesy of the NBA's leading rebounder. "We're going to beat him up," Ben Wallace said. "We're going to beat him up pretty bad." The American players are eager to get their first up-close look at the 7-foot-5 center from China who was chosen first overall by the Houston Rockets in the NBA Draft last June. To say that Yao resembles a 7-foot-5 target would be putting it mildly. Everyone on the U.S. team has heard a sketchy scouting report or two, with the common denominator being that Yao is not that strong in his upper body. All the U.S. team's big men -- Wallace, Antonio Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Elton Brand and Raef LaFrentz -- are eager to judge for themselves the sturdiness of the Chinese mystery man. In Wallace's case, he plans to be as physical as possible. Maybe even borderline dirty. It'll be his way of saying: "Welcome to the league, welcome to our country. This is our playground. This is how we play. We're definitely going to be up for the challenge." Wallace said. The U.S. team went through its sixth day of practice Wednesday, with the pace picking up to the point where several players hit the deck hard either from taking charges or battling under the boards. While other teams competing in next week's World Championships have already played several exhibitions, this will be the first for the Americans. The U.S. big men play a physical brand of ball that will seem foreign to many of the Chinese. For Yao, it will be his first competition against a team of American players since China lost to the United States by 47 points at the 2000 Olympics. Yao was plagued by foul trouble in that game, getting whistled for his fifth and final personal just 1:10 into the second half. At the time, Yao was a 19-year-old getting his first taste of the toughest competition international basketball has to offer. Now, two years later, he is the object of everyone's curiosity as he is about to embark on his NBA career. "We know around the league what the hype is all about. The hype, you know, they're trying to sell tickets," Wallace said. "It's going to be a good challenge for him, and I'm pretty sure everybody in the league is going to step up and make him work for everything he gets. Nothing comes free in this league." Thursday night's game against China, to be played at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, will not be televised nationally. American viewers will not get their first lengthy look at Yao until the United States plays China on Aug. 31 in the opening round of the World Championships in Indianapolis. The U.S. team's exhibition game against Germany in Portland on Sunday night also will not be televised nationally. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/08/21/us_yao_ap/ Yao is in for tough competition, let's hope he holds up alright, even if team china doesn't.
Well it wasn't a secret that they want to get the best of Yao but I think they will be shocked when he swats half of their shots as well. Wallace is all defense anyways, nothing more. Yao is both!
Why all the Ming bashing by the rest of the league???? Racism? Ignorance? Stupidity? Are they scared that a foreign player might actually get more attention than a US player? I think it all stinks. I hope Yao Ming goes for a quintuple double (35pts, 21rbs, 11ast, 12blks, 10stls), and shoves it up the players that are dissing him. But I suppose he's damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. If he puts up good numbers, they'll say he was either 'lucky', or 'we weren't playing defense...'. But if he puts up bad numbers they'll lay crap on him again.
Why are you monikered "Get Smart Now" when.... it would be "Pentadouble"? You should change your handle to "I need to get smart-er now"
no, he would say: Ben trash talks to much. maybe i will practice that with KG. Then i will be a better trash talker than Ben.
Come on... Stop denying Ming is going to get thrown around alot this year. If a scrub from Canada was giving him trouble physically and impressing him with his strength, then Antonio Davis & Ben Wallace will stun him. Although the Canadian was pretty built, he was only like 6'6". I don't think Ming will have much problems on the defensive end except for when Antonio is banging down low. I'm more concerned about how he plays when he gets the ball in position and how he guards a more finesse-type player like J O'neal. The League isn't racist, but they want to show the #1 pick, that in the NBA it won't be so easy. They just want to show who's the best. I wish Yao the best of luck, but until he bulks up he is going to have some trouble.
Ya gotta admit, Wallace is pretty fierce. BUT.... The sorry thing about that game is, it'll be a 12 to 1 matchup. I don't like the scenario AT ALL!!! Even Shaq would look pathetic in the situation that Yao's being thrust into. China'll probably play Yao the whole game and it will be an embarrasment for Yao and the Rockets. Honestly, I wish there was someone "big" left in the league --- like Jordan, Magic, or Charles --- that would tell the guys, "Hey, take it easy on the kid, he's gonna be one of us soon". But you know that won't be the case.
I think I can understand Ben's "This is our playground" mentality. Any rookie gets that treatment more or less. It is more acute with Yao because he is the first #1 pick that has never played in the US. To be realistic, I think Yao will have a rough time tomorrow, and maybe rougher on Aug.31. But he will give the American boys some surprises too. I am confident that he will handle the roughness in a mature way.
I guess the rest of the league is terrified of Yao. why else would they sound so desperate to put Yao in his place? Ben Wallace is a bonehead. If they really wanted to prove something, they'd do it on the court without the pre-game mouthoff. I hope Yao rejects everything bonehead tosses up.
I hate to admit it, but they are going to attack Ming like crazy. I just hope the refs see whats going on and don't look away (lakers,lakers,lakers,lakers).
