Two years ago, Jake Tsakalidis was this year’s Yao Ming. Although “Big Jake” wasn’t the top pick overall in the draft like Yao was earlier this year and is at least three inches shorter than the Rockets’ 7-5 rookie, the Suns center can relate to him. Tsakalidis, who was the Suns’ 25th overall selection in the 2000 NBA Draft, also had to overcome adjusting to playing in a foreign country and learning a new language. One day before their first meeting in the NBA, Big Jake spoke with reporters after Thursday’s practice about his upcoming matchup with the big Chinese center Friday night at America West Arena. http://www.nba.com/suns/news/Tsakalidis_021114
