Ming's Attitude..

I am in no position to speak about Ming's athletic/basketball abilities any more than sundry others who have already done so, but I have been doing a lot of reading about him over the past few days, and these are the things I have put together about his character/attitude..( Yes, these are all prefaced by 'reportedly')

1. He cares a lot more about basketball than money. Allow me to repeat that...he cares more about the play than the pay. And, reportedly, contrary to countless others, he actually means it...Said something like ' If I play basketball really, really well, the money will take care of itself.' Cites advice from Chris Mullin and Bill Walton about making basketball THE priority in his life. Also, is reportedly VERY aware of the weight he bears with respect to representing his countrymen, and the significance his b-ball success will have on them.

2. Wants badly to be a winner...Reportedly put a huge emphasis on winning championships in China, and the results speak for themselves; played at his best when it counted most, despite the fact that, as in the NBA, the farther you go the better your competition. Says NBA experience will be incomplete without Championship.

3. Wants to be a leader, cares about team attitude. Has worked hard to become 'the Man' on his current team, being quite willing to be the go-to guy on and off the floor. Says he would prefer going to a younger team, as he feels that too many veterans bring too many potential attitude problems, and he feels that team chemistry is essential.

4. Wants to be seen for basketball smarts as well as ability..The son of two pro b-ball players, and we know what that means over here. All reports indicate he has an innate sense of the game, and couples that with an extreme work ethic, and desire to learn. Has progressed rapidly in English classes, and was reportedly fastest learner in his class, as well as assuming informal interpreter role when his team was visited by english speaking b-ball coaches.

5. Has cultural preference for less metropolitan hometown, as he has reportedly called New York "too noisy", and would like a more low-key city. ( Called San Diego his favorite American city.)

6. While there are reports that he has expressed a dislike for weight training, it should be noted that he is very young, and has grown very quickly, and may have been reluctant to mess with what has worked for him so far. Additionally, there are indications that he recognizes the need to bulk up, as his parents have asked about what kind of weight training facilities will be made available to him in the U.S., and his favorite meal has become BBQ ribs.

7. About this whole dunk= disrespect thing, I should point out that that was once the attitude in the NBA as well. Being that he's very young, and will spend the majority of his professional b-ball life in the NBA, I highly doubt that will be the kind of adjustment that will take more than a few coaching sessions to address.

Okay, that's what I've been able to find out, so far. Most of this is second hand, often even taken from others posts here and elsewhere, but I thought it would be helpfull to have a summary of his attitude.

What can we take from this? Well, if it's remotely true, the Bradley comparisons are out the window. 1st of all, he brings 60-70 more pounds than Bradley did at the same stage of development. 2nd, Bradley's biggest problem is, and has always been, attitude. Coaches will tell you that he still could be a very good player if he had a personality transfusion. He rarely works on his game, Ming is the opposite. Bradley annoys opponents by taking cheapshots rather than working his way through things, he frustrates his teammates by taking the easy way out all too often, while Ming, as reported, is from another school of thought altogether. What you've got here is a 7-5 gym rat ( gym, not weightroom, so far) with the desire to get better, the passion to win, and the character to lead. Sounds pretty good to me. Oh, and reportedly he has some skill, too, but I said I wouldn't comment on that until I've seen the guy play more.