Chron: Rookies come broken in

Rockets rookies come broken in

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

The first time Yao Ming was a rookie, now that was tough. The competition could not match the NBA and the stakes seemed smaller. He was not carrying the hopes of a nation then -- or his teammates' dirty laundry. He did not face the impatient scrutiny that rushes to judge him now.

But everything seemed so new then as it does for so many young people as they move from their parents' home to their own lives. Culture shock is universal, even for those who are 7-5 basketball prodigies living in fishbowls.

"I learned a lot from that," Yao said. "There's always something new to learn. Learning is a never-ending process. But I think it helped. I'm more prepared now.

"Five years ago, I couldn't have played in the NBA. No. 1, I was so young. But I also didn't have the experience."

Bostjan Nachbar knew just how he felt. It has also been five years since the first time he was a professional rookie. For Juaquin Hawkins, it has been six years since his first rookie season, and because the NBA is his seventh league, in some ways, he has been a rookie six times before.

By now, the Rockets' "veteran rookies" do know how to carry bags and fetch doughnuts. More important as they take on the tougher task of figuring out how to play in the NBA, they do it as professional athletes, rather than wide-eyed teenagers.

"I've been with older guys since I was 16, 17 years old," Nachbar said. "I'm used to being a professional. I'm used to training and traveling with older guys. If you're not used to it, it might be hard. I don't need to adjust to a professional life. I've been there before.

"This is still the NBA. But some of it is not new for me. I have confidence in myself and my teammates. I'm not afraid of anything."

The difference -- especially with the influx of NBA rookies who are not out of their teens -- has been noticed.

"The difference between them and a guy coming out of college is that the guy coming out of college is not experienced at being truly out on his own," Rockets veteran Glen Rice said. "They are boys among men. These guys played overseas, played on different international teams. They have that feeling of being in the NBA and being in different situations, the hotels and being around people a whole lot more mature than the young kids we have coming in today. There's a great deal more maturity.

"Definitely, having their experience and playing in different places gives them a little more than just playing at the collegiate level. It's going to help them. You do see a great deal of maturity, a little more understanding of what has to be done out there on the court. That's going to be a plus not only for the team, but for them as well."

There is no question that there is a great deal to learn, and in Yao's case, under unusual pressure. He has acknowledged some nerves before his first few games, but has also shown increasing ease and confidence by the third game of his NBA career.

Some of Yao's ability to take the madness around him in stride could be his personality and background.

"Yao told Colin (Pine, his interpreter), `I think you're more excited than I am,' " Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He said, the Chinese way is not to be too up or too down about things.

"He's been handling it very well. I can't put a time on when it will all come together. He's mentally tough, but there's so many different factors. There's a different lifestyle. There's different people. No summer league. No orientation. It's been as chaotic as you can imagine. It's going to take us time to find an identity. It's pretty crazy right now.

"He has a very even temperament. He has a basic philosophy to just go out and do the best I can. I know everything is focused on this, and this is a big deal for the media. But it's just a little tiny step in a tremendous journey for him."

But Yao believes his journey started five years ago.

"I am just a rookie playing in the NBA," Yao said. "I have a lot to learn. But I definitely think those experiences will help me in my career."

But the benefits are not just from the experience of playing, training and traveling with adult professionals. Yao, 22, Nachbar, 22, and Hawkins, 29, have played in games that were every bit as important to them as regular-season NBA games. Yao has played in the Olympics and World Championships. Nachbar played for the Italian league and European championships.

"I can't say, because I've never been to college, how that prepares guys for the NBA," Nachbar said. "But I can say I have played tough games. I've had shots with the big games on the line. I've been there before.

"Still, this is a different league, different rules, different style of play, so there is going to be something new for us too. It's not that we're going to say we've been here before. No. This is the first time for us again. I think the difference is we start playing big games when we are younger. And if you don't play, you're at least there on the bench and that's something, too, because you practice every day with older guys. That means a lot. We have more experience."

Tomjanovich said the benefit of the rookies' experience might show when they struggle, though he said the limited action in the first few games, particularly for Yao and Nachbar, should not be confused for struggling. Nachbar did not play in the second half against the Nuggets or at all against the Raptors, but that is more of a reflection on Hawkins' play than Nachbar's, Tomjanovich said.

"There's nothing negative there," he said.

In the first three games, Hawkins has seemed the most polished of the rookies on the Rockets' active roster, hitting a pair of key fourth-quarter shots in Denver and drawing three charges against Toronto. He even drew his first start, with a defensive assignment on Vince Carter on Saturday, though that duty was cut short when Carter was hurt midway through the first quarter.

Though his experience prior to reaching the NBA is less celebrated than Nachbar's and Yao's, it was no less important to him, or beneficial.

"I played in the ABA championship last year," Hawkins said. "I played in the league championships in Japan. My team in China started off in second division and I played in the game to get to the first division. In college I played in the NCAA Tournament and the Big West championship game. I've played in a lot of big games.

"For me, now, every game is big, every game. I made the team, but I have to contribute. My struggle is not over. Even though I'm here now, this is for my livelihood."

If playing to build a career and pay the bills sounds like the approach of a veteran, it is because he is, even if he is also a rookie.