Something by Mike Monroe of Fox Sport on one Rockets player.... ok, it is on Yao Ming. Nowadays, if you focus too much on one particular player u'll be term "xxx only fan". I've been a Rockets fan since the mad 3-pointer bombing days. Gotta admit that I was kinda cool off since Pippen chickened out 'til Yao Ming pulls me back to Rockets. Hope I won't be termed as Yao-Ming-onl- fan!! Hakeen+Clyde = Yao Ming+Steve = NBA title!!!!! Here is the write-up. Anyone interested in keep tracking those "experts"? Yao making believers BY MIKE MONROE FOXSports.com Dec 7, 2002 7:40 a.m. I think somebody should keep track of how many "experts" start eating their words about Yao Ming. Or have to kiss a burro. My only mistake was underestimating Yao's recuperative powers. I believed the debilitating effects of having played all summer and on into the fall for the Chinese national team, coupled with the language barrier and late arrival at training camp would conspire to make it be later, rather than sooner, before Yao became a real force in the NBA. Sooner arrived last week against the Spurs when Yao scored 27 and grabbed 18 rebounds. This was not 20 points against the Shaq-less Lakers or 30 points against He's-No-Shaq Shawn Bradley. This was 27 and 18 against Tim Duncan, David Robinson and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Willis. About an hour before tipoff of Tuesday's game Yao talked about David Robinson and Tim Duncan almost reverentially. "I don't think," he said, "I could ever be as big as they are." Well, Yao then went out and outplayed them. "He's for real," Spurs guard Steve Smith said. "He did that against three 7-footers — three 7-footers who can play. David Robinson. Kevin Willis. Tim Duncan. Those aren't three stiffs. He played well. And he can only get better." Said Robinson, who had a particularly rough night trying to keep Yao off the glass: "He's definitely going to be one of the top players in the league. You can't find size like that and to have the skills he has … that's nice."
