http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/ramsay_drjack/1439169.html 8. Yao Ming The time for the much-hyped arrival of China's Yao Ming has come, although Chinese officials and the Rockets still must finalize his contract and might not do so until after the Asian Games in mid-October. The first pick in the 2002 draft will be no physical matchup for Shaq, but he's 7-5, handles the ball, shoots well from the perimeter, will pull his share of rebounds, block some shots and has a good feel for the game. There are a ball bag full of things that Ming must overcome -- starting with the English language, the American life-style and the difference between the international and NBA games -- but he might be the X factor that gets the Rockets to the playoffs this season. Yao should improve his game each year thereafter. His rookie season will be interesting to observe. Jay Williams is right after Ming. Eat that Jay.
-Here is more Rockets coverage from the folks at ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nba/camp2002/s/hou.html Monday, September 30 Rockets still waiting for Yao era to begin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Marc J. Spears Special to ESPN.com ROCKETS TRAINING CAMP GUIDE Location:St. Stephen's Episcopal School; Austin, Texas. Preseason schedule (all times ET) Oct. 8: at Memphis, 8 p.m. Oct. 15: San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17: at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Oct. 18: Portland, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20: Orlando, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23: at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24: Philadelphia, 8:30 p.m. Camp question The biggest issue for the Rockets is 7-foot-5 center Yao Ming coming late to camp. The debut of the No. 1 pick has been highly anticipated. But when the Rockets open the regular season at Indiana on Oct. 30, the Chinese star will only have just a handful of practices under his belt due to the Asian Games in Korea, where he will be playing for China. Due to the competition, Yao may not be able to join the Rockets until three weeks into training camp. Without any summer league and little training camp time with Houston, it will make it tough for Yao to adjust quickly to his teammates, NBA play and life in a foreign land. Camp project The Rockets certainly have to be concerned about their team's health. Last season, injuries played a large role in keeping a team loaded with talent from fighting for a playoff spot. All-star Steve Francis was plagued by migraine headaches and a shoulder injury last season. Swingman Glen Rice missed most of the season with knee problems. Power forward Maurice Taylor also missed the entire season with an Achilles injury. Then, there is also concern over the fatigue of Yao, who will have played in the World Championship and Asian Games this summer. For the Rockets to take off, all four players need to be healthy this season. Camp comeback Much of the focus will be on Taylor, who has yet to live up to his billing and big contract. Prior to coming to the Rockets in 2000, Taylor showed great promise by averaging career bests of 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game in his third season as a Clipper. But since then, the 6-foot-9, 260-pounder has had issues with his playing weight, drugs and health. Since he was at Michigan, Taylor's potential has never been doubted. But potential and being a star player are two different things. Success this season is key for Taylor if he still hopes to be one of the NBA's elite players. Camp controversy Keep an eye on the battle for playing time at the power forward position between Taylor, Eddie Griffin and Kenny Thomas. During the 2000-01 season, Taylor started all 69 of the games he played for the Rockets, averaging 13 points and 5.5 rebounds. Thomas started all but one of his 72 games last season and averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. Griffin also showed promise last season averaging 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds as a rookie. With all this in mind, who does coach Rudy Tomjanovich start at power forward? How does Tomjanovich divide the minutes? Stay tuned. FANTASY GAMES KEY CAMPER Who to watch: With giant Yao Ming entering the fray, you'd think Kelvin Cato has run out of chances. But on a frontline with question marks, ranging from Ming learning the NBA game to the recovery of Mo Taylor, Cato could remain in the rotation, and give value as a backup fantasy center with his blocks, boards and FG percentage. — Eric Karabell
How? Cato is more than respectable in the areas of rebounding, blocking shots and field goal percentage. And since that's all he'll be asked to do this year, he'll be more of an asset.
