Feb. 1, 2003, 1:03AM Re-emergence of Yao is a real pick-me-up By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle MINNESOTA point guard Troy Hudson tried to get his team started in the third quarter with one more little sly drive to the basket. He had it swatted halfway to Galveston. The Rockets' James Posey made a simple diagonal cut from the right wing through the lane. He wound up with a perfect drop-off bounce pass in his hands and an easy dunk. There were textbook medium-range jumpers. A jump hook from the paint. There was even a classic post-up move against Rasho Nesterovic that finished with a backboard-rattling dunk. No need for dragon dancers or loud strings of popping fireworks. Yao Ming brought his own celebration to his first Chinese New Year in the new land. Subtle and not-so-subtle. Clinically precise and also improvisationally exciting. You want steady, consistent progress from the Rockets? Look in the middle, not the backcourt. While this was one of those games where almost everything the Rockets threw up went into the hoop, where they moved the ball, had bounce in every ounce and played like they had something to prove -- which, of course, they did after Dallas -- this was a night where the most pleasure to be had was watching Yao take the next steps in his development. A 7-5 rookie who can do so many of the little things is a rare treasure, indeed. There will come a time somewhere down the road when Yao will have truly earned his way into the starting lineup for the Western Conference All-Stars and not be there as part-novelty act, part Shaq-backlash. There will be an era in the NBA that he will be able to call his own as he settles in to this different culture, this foreign city, this whole new level of competition and simply plays basketball. At that time, we'll look back on these days the way you do a kid's first few trips around the block without training wheels, actually surprised he has been able to ride his bicycle that far without falling down. The Rockets bounced back from their abysmal surrender to the Mavericks and hung a 121-101 bruising on the Timberwolves. Yao also has bounced back from several weeks when it appeared the daily grind of the NBA and his worldwide celebrity finally had caught him in a headlock of fatigue. The 24 points was his highest scoring output since Dec. 18 against Indiana and marked the first time in his career with back-to-back games over 20. His 13 rebounds were the most since Jan. 4 against Golden State. "You don't get a chance to rest in this league," said coach Rudy Tomjanovich. "Nobody does, and it's difficult. But to see all of the demands that have been placed on this kid and to see the way he's handled it all, it's just amazing." Rudy T pulled Yao aside and offered him several ways of trying to climb over the so-called "rookie wall." "I told him things that I used during my playing career -- transcendental meditation, visualization," Tomjanovich said. "I just know that when you slow down the thought process, it slows down your whole body. It enables you to relax." Yao nods his head and says he has tried some of the tricks, taking himself back to sights and sounds and feels in the house where he spent his childhood growing up in Shanghai. Happy times. Then he goes out onto the court and makes himself feel right at home there, too. It is not just the fact that he can deftly drop passes over his head to teammates cutting along the baseline. It is not merely the ability to sprint to a spot near the basket to catch a long lob pass from Steve Francis and slam it home just ahead of the halftime buzzer. It is the joy, the emotion for the game that he carries up and down the floor on every possession. "That passion is what impressed me the most when I first saw him play for extended time at the World Championships," said Tomjanovich. "He carries it with him on the floor." Yao seemed to benefit this night by the Rockets making him the focus of the end of their offense rather than the beginning. They didn't start out with the ball in the low post. They ran plays that got it to him and let him finish. He looked more like the Yao of a month ago. He was communicating with his teammates, making hand gestures, listening to instructions at times and at others giving them emphatically. "You'll think I'm crazy on this one," said Rudy T, "but I think he's a lot like Charles Barkley." Sir Yao? The Tall Wall of Ball? "They both love to play the game, and that's obvious when you watch them for just a few minutes," he said. "I remember one of the first times I went to Philadelphia as a scout and Charles was a kid. He was standing at the foul line near the end of a game for two big free throws. So he gets the ball, he dribbles it a couple of times, then he looks straight into the TV camera and winks and smiles. Then he made the shots." Watch Yao play the role of chess grandmaster, anticipate the moves and then slide in a nifty pass for a layup. Watch for the twinkle in his eye. Maybe a grin. "I think passing is a very unique art," said Yao. "I enjoy it. I hope others do, too. I think it brings teammates together. Tonight we had many assists (30), and you can see what it did for us." The learning process continues, much faster in some places than others.
Hey are we sure this incredible guy/man is just 22? Men he is so mature it is frightening. The words that come out of his mouth are very pleasing. More power to you Yao. I see nothing stoping him with the caught back of the commercials (last one coming in ATL during the ASG break) and pre-game press briefings and sessions. I pray this team be on the same page as we try to ward off the Wolves, Lakers and Suns for a playoff spot. UNLEASH THE DRAGON!!!
Speaking of riding bikes, I heard Yao rode a bike around back in Shanghai. At 7'6 with shoes, how DOES he ride a bike around the block without falling off? What size would that have to be?
You're right, windandsea, awesome pic. Tomjanovich finally realizes he needs to take a page out of Phil Jackson's book.
