Ming dynasty reaches Seattle By Rich Myhre Herald Writer SEATTLE - NBA players often have nicknames for their teammates and one of the best, or at least the most flattering, is Franchise. Now, the Houston Rockets have gone one better for one of their own, giving 7-foot-5 Chinese center Yao Ming the moniker Dynasty. The new nickname is both clever and fitting. The historical Ming Dynasty was a period of accomplishment and prosperity, which is pretty much what the Rockets hope to achieve in this era of their prized rookie. "He's a big-time player, regardless of being a rookie," Rockets forward Maurice Taylor told the Houston Chronicle newspaper recently. "There is a reason everybody is talking about him." International newcomers have long been making impacts in the NBA, including last season's Rookie of the Year, Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol. But no one from another country has provided quite the first-year splash of Yao, who visits KeyArena tonight with the other Rockets for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Seattle SuperSonics. This will be Yao's second and final Seattle appearance of the season. On Nov. 29, in just his 15th NBA game, he had a modest outing with six points and four rebounds in 29 minutes of an 83-72 Houston victory. Since then, though, Yao's game has soared. For the season he is averaging 13.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.91 blocked shots, though his scoring average is 16.9 in his past 22 games. He has also lifted the Rockets from a moribund 28-54 mark a year ago to a 35-30 record heading into tonight's contest. "Yao is the best rookie in the league," Taylor said. "He's one of the most poised rookies I've ever seen. There's just his sheer presence. He never gets flustered. You never see him get out of his comfort zone or anything like that. And the bottom line is that he can play." "Really, you can't stop him," said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. "He can shoot, he can defend and he makes the right passes probably nine out of 10 times. So this guy already has the skill to play the (NBA) game. Now it's just a matter of time for him to play in the NBA and get adjusted to the speed and athletic ability of our players." When Houston selected Yao (in the Chinese culture, surnames are spoken first) with the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, opinion was divided on whether the Rockets had struck gold or merely struck out. Early on, one Phoenix newspaper columnist likened Yao to LaRue Martin, the top choice in the 1972 draft who went on to a career that was notable only for its utter mediocrity. No less of a league authority than Charles Barkley, the 11-time All-Star turned TV analyst, vowed to kiss the rear end of broadcast partner Kenny Smith if Yao ever scored 19 points in an NBA game this season. Barely two weeks later Barkley was paying up, though the two parties settled on a barnyard ass and not the anatomical variety. Like Barkley, other early critics have been eating their words in big mouthfuls. These days if anyone says something about Yao, it is generally a gushing compliment. And rightfully so. The 22-year-old Yao is not only one of the biggest rookies to join the NBA in the last decade or two, he is also one of the best. In itself, that is the foundation of a great storyline. Add to that his affable nature and his ethnic background - he represents a nation of about 1.5 billion people, one of the last untapped reservoirs of basketball talent on the globe - and everything he is doing this season is even more compelling. Also, from the league's perspective, his arrival in the last year of Michael Jordan's storied career could hardly be more timely. "Every time I play him," said Sacramento center Vlade Divac, "he continues to get better and better. He's definitely going to be a great player in this league. I really like the way he thinks on the court. He plays very unselfishly and he understands the concept of the game." There are other reasons to like Yao. For all his sudden fame, he remains remarkably likable and decent. His teammates think the world of him, which in the ego-driven and sometimes petty climate of the NBA is downright odd for a wunderkind. He plays the game with extraordinary passion, but always with the interests of his team at heart. "That passion," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich told the Chronicle, "is what impressed me the most when I first saw him play for an extended time at the World Championships. He carries it with him on the floor. "I'm so fortunate - blessed, really - to have had the chance to coach guys who are not just great players, but special people. The kind other people want to be around. I've had Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and now this guy. ... (Yao) is so warm, so friendly. He lights up a room when he enters, and not just because he's so tall. It's because he's genuine." Still, Yao has some remaining mysteries and the most obvious is the question of how good he can be. Just as folks were undecided on draft day, no one is quite sure now. The difference, though, is that today no one is selling Yao short. He is, said Toronto's Antonio Davis after a recent game vs. Houston, "the future of the NBA."
