Link and full text below http://slate.msn.com/?id=2066122 Because height is to basketball what crude oil is to global diplomacy, Yao Ming will be one of the top three choices in the NBA draft this summer, perhaps No. 1 overall. I have come to accept this, even though as a producer of the Asian Basketball Show I saw Yao outplayed more times than I'd like to remember. I can still close my eyes and see him being dominated by Korean big-man Seo Jang Hoon, a player lifeless enough to earn the nickname "The Tin Man." I remember the Lebanese national team bullying around the Chinese Tower of Glower until the game ended in an ugly brawl (with one Chinese player wielding a pair of scissors). And I vividly recall the Sydney Olympics, where Yao made his reputation off two early rejections of overaggressive Dream Teamers, but then picked up four quick fouls and found himself on the bench. Look, Yao won't be a complete bust. On the big-man scale he still comes up north of Gheorghe Muresan. I also like him better than the player he's inevitably compared to, Shawn Bradley, if only because Yao is a better athlete and younger than the Mormon Mosquito when he came to the NBA. But he'll never approach Rik Smits' achievements, such as they were. He'll get some points and blocks simply by virtue of being longer than anyone else, but I must ask the essential question: Is that what you want of a top draft choice? The conventional wisdom is that the NBA is a power forward's league, except for Shaq. More accurately, it's a score-off-the-dribble league, and almost all the best big forwards can put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim. That threat creates a lot of open jumpers, and Duncan, Webber, Nowitzki, Garnett, etc., all take advantage. Without dribbling skill, you're a role player, at best—for proof, check out Wang Zhizhi, the Marco Polo of Chinese exploration into Western basketball. At 7-feet 1-inch, Wang is strictly an off-the-bench, spot-up jump shooter in the Dallas Mavericks high-octane attack, basically a stretched-out Dell Curry. Yao won't be dribbling by anyone in the NBA, either, and if he can't make up for that by outmuscling opponents, that leaves only lobs and a lot of hooks and fade-away jumpers. Not exactly the kind of offensive force one looks for in the lottery. Yao will be more of an asset defensively, but even there he has problems. He's a natural shot blocker with good footwork, but his alarming tendency to pick up silly fouls is exacerbated by his limited fitness and lack of savvy. He'll be on the bench in foul trouble too much to truly wreak havoc. Expect improvement, sure, as he hits the weights and the snack bar, but his frame really isn't conducive to packing on the pounds. Consider this: He's lighter than Bradley, who isn't exactly Lee Haney. Dick Cheney's Dubious Security Alert Hope for Mideast Peace The Urban Legend About the 20th Hijacker Nevertheless, Houston's dire need for an inside presence makes it likely that Yao will be Texas-bound. The homeland may prefer a city with a more vibrant Chinatown, but Houston should please the Big Fella—he told me in 1999 that his favorite NBA team was the Rockets, as he idolized Hakeem Olajuwon. But will the Rockets feel the same way about Yao once they begin to deal with a thicket of Chinese ministries and associations, all with their own agendas, and all with the ability to make life very difficult for Yao? On the horizon could be the ugliest battle between team and country this side of European soccer. NBA teams are accustomed to foreign players being at their beck and call. Houston management needs to recognize that this will never be the case with a Chinese player, and they should approach negotiations accordingly. Even if they work out a short-term arrangement for Yao to spend off-season time with the national club, the Chinese government is likely to want to change the deal at any time, depending on shifts in the political wind. And unlike European players, Yao is hard-wired to do what the motherland tells him to. This, after all, is someone who has credited his size and uniqueness to China's one-child-per-family policy. Should he forget his upbringing, various entities in China will waste little time in reminding him—by increasing tax rates in his family's neighborhood, by making it difficult for friends and family to obtain visas in order to see him play, or by simply barring him from representing China in any fashion (a fate that befell poor Ma Jian, who played at the University of Utah and dared to try out for the Utah Jazz without permission from above). Not that such treatment would come as a surprise to Yao, who has endured this sort of humiliation for years. His club team, the Shanghai Sharks, refused to budge from an asking price of 2 million RMB (about $245,000) for Yao's endorsement rights, a figure far beyond the budget of any advertiser in China. Thus, the Beijing and Shanghai skylines are festooned with images of soccer and table-tennis stars pitching all manner of goods, while Yao—perhaps China's most popular athlete—is invisible. It's important to understand the Chinese perspective here—their interest is not in Yao getting better as an NBA player so much as it is in Yao getting better so he can lead China to glory in international competition. Of paramount importance is the fact that China must contend for a medal in the 2008 Games in Beijing. Should Yao go overseas and reflect well on the Middle Kingdom, so much the better. But a scenario where Yao wins an NBA title for Houston but China continues to lose in the first round of the Olympics and world championships would be an intolerable trade-off. The same goes for the next generation of Chinese hoopsters: Using Yao as a role model for improving their skills in order to upgrade the domestic league and lead China to international success is fine. But emulating Yao by scurrying off to the West in the pursuit of dollars wouldn't be in the finest tradition of the Long March. Ironically, the difficulty in getting to the NBA may wind up being Yao's greatest asset. The idea of returning to a nation of empty arenas, all-controlling coaches, and indentured servitude in anything less than triumph will surely motivate him to improve and get stronger. Compared to that, ritual abuse at the hands of Shaq, Duncan, and Garnett is penny candy indeed. Related in Slate Robert Weintraub assessed the three 7-footers who made up Team China's "Great Wall": Yao, Wang Zhizhi, and Menk Bateer. Wang plays for the Dallas Mavericks, Menk for the Denver Nuggets. Ben McGrath slammed another Asian jock import, Ichiro Suzuki. Hugo Lindgren argued that a great point guard is worth almost as much as a great center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related on the Web The Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith suggested that if the Bulls draft Yao, they should deal his rights to the Mavericks for Michael Finley and Raef LaFrentz. The world is littered with foreign big-men who fizzled on the NBA court and then fell on hard times off it. Gheorghe Muresan suffered a catastrophic injury while filming the Billy Crystal vehicle My Giant. For years, Manute Bol lived penniless in the Sudan and suffered from rheumatism. Now, perhaps worse, he's the star of Fox's Celebrity Boxing II.
Yet another article that's several years old, so this guy doesn't diss him because the Rockets may get him http://slate.msn.com/?id=106212 Chinese Chuckers By Robert Weintraub Posted Friday, May 18, 2001, at 5:30 PM PT Since the day Chinese giant Yao Ming blocked 12 shots in a half at the 1998 Asian Junior Championships, he has been front and center in the minds of NBA general managers intent on importing him to the United States. The hype increased after the 7-foot-5-inch Yao swatted Gary Payton and a couple of other Dream Teamers in the opening 90 seconds of their encounter this past summer in Sydney. Talent scouts with household names, such as Michael Jordan and Bill Walton, gave him rave reviews, and he has since been anointed as basketball's next big thing by ESPN: The Magazine, HBO, and the NBA's house organ, Inside Stuff. Although Yao's team, the Shanghai Sharks, refused to release him last week for this year's NBA draft, it's only a matter of time before he comes stateside—no doubt accompanied by publicity shots of him sharing some Kung Pao chalupa with compatriot Wang Zhizhi in Big D. Will the piercing of the silk curtain change the NBA? Not anytime soon. All the drooling makes you wonder if anyone actually watched the next 8 1/2 minutes of the U.S.-China game, during which Yao picked up four fouls (a feat matched not only by Wang but also by the third 7-footer in China's lineup, Menk Bateer. That's 12 fouls in 10 minutes by 21 feet of player.) This wasn't Shaq, Duncan, or Hakeem that Yao was hacking, either—it was a quasi-healthy Alonzo Mourning and a fully healthy Vin Baker—your average Tuesday night in the NBA pivot. And in China's next Olympic contest, New Zealand outscored the Big Red Machine in the lane despite not having a player taller than 6 feet 9 inches. The best thing that can be said about Yao is that he's only 20, which means he still has plenty of time to improve his game. His footwork is awkward to the point of clumsiness, he has little or no post game, he doesn't have a soft shooting touch, and he combines a Mr. Punyverse physique with a lack of aggressiveness. Essentially, he's Ralph Sampson without the experience of big-time competition. The last thing Yao needs at this stage is more time in China, where his main competition next season will come from a handful of Americans that couldn't make it in the Philippines leagues. Dick Cheney's Dubious Security Alert Hope for Mideast Peace The Urban Legend About the 20th Hijacker Still, Yao does have good defensive instincts, and he is a natural shot-blocker. And anyone 7 feet 5 inches will get his share of garbage baskets when not forced into the auxiliary parking lots by the musclemen around the league. But if you have a lottery pick in 2002, do you really want to use it on a player who won't be able to help you on both sides of the floor for several seasons, if ever? Yes. Despite his lantern jaw and fearsome glare, Yao is quite affable, with passable English and a coachable personality. Unlike Wang, who mouths platitudes about wanting to improve the standard of play in his country, Yao genuinely means it, and he will assist the cultural exchange programs that are sure to be a byproduct of his coming west. More to the point, his larger-than-life persona should lead mainland China and the greater Chinese diaspora to embrace American sports in the same all-encompassing manner in which they have embraced the other tendrils of U.S. popular culture. This will allow David Stern and his fellow opium traders to increase their presence in China from a mere toehold of pirated Bulls jerseys to a full-fledged money-printing machine. It can't be long until Yao Ming bobble-head dolls are included in Happy Meals at McDonald's throughout the Middle Kingdom. But until Yao shows up in the NBA, it's Wang's World. So far, Wang hasn't served as much more than a 7-foot-1-inch totem of inclusiveness on the Mavericks bench. His flaws are many—poor footwork, iffy fundamentals (besides shooting), horrible rebounding given his size. Equally troubling is his attitude. Wang is nowhere near as popular as Yao in China, mainly due to his standoffish personality and perceived arrogance. Wang's selfishness and me-first attitude may not stand out in an NBA locker room, but since he needs to work extremely hard merely to become decent, the Mavs had better hope he left his ego with customs. On the positive side, Wang's game is suited to the wide-open style of the Western Conference. He runs the floor extremely well, and with his sweet touch he could be devastating spotting up in transition and shooting over smaller wing defenders. He has the tools to be a decent role player in Dallas. But don't expect an influx of last-name-firsts into the league after Wang and Yao. Menk, the third member of China's so-called "Great Wall," is barely more mobile than the centuries-old edifice. When Menk tangled with Moses Malone a couple of years ago in an NBA Legends tour of China, it wasn't immediately apparent which player had 20 years of service behind him. Hu Weidong, a tall, rangy gunner who was the 1999 Asian Championship MVP, might be able to serve as a Dell Curry type, coming in when a long ball is required, but he's otherwise too slow to compete. And forget about any other perimeter players across the continent, including those from "West Asia," as the Middle East is known. Compared to the hyperspeed of the NBA, they may as well be playing underwater. It will require far earlier and more frequent competition with Americans for the next generation of Asian players to be able to keep up with the Allen Iversons of the world. There is one intriguing possibility, one shrouded in mystery, hidden in about the only place NBA scouts haven't set up permanent base camp—North Korea. His name is Ri Myung Hoon, and he is 7 feet 9 inches, which would make him the tallest player in league history. Like Bigfoot, he is glimpsed only occasionally, on grainy videotape, which feeds his myth. But if Yao is a lottery pick, surely Ri is a project some team will undertake. Despite the fact that it is probably as difficult for Ri to get a good meal as a decent pickup game, he has proven himself ready for the big time in at least one area: He has said that he wants to be known by the Great Satanic name of Michael. Michael Ri. Even in the most hermetically sealed of despotic states, His Airness is the real power on the throne. Robert Weintraub created and produced the Asian Basketball Show. Photograph of Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming from China Photo/Reuters.
> Consider this: He's lighter than Bradley, who isn't exactly Lee Haney. Hmmmm. Bradley is 30 years old and is listed at 265. Ming at 21 is listed 296lbs. Even if he doesn't gain (I wish i didn't gain since when I was 21...) a pound he is heavier than Bradley. In fact he is heavier than any other player in league, safe Shaq (and maybe MoTaylor now). Shaq: 315lbs Ming 296 Felton Spencer 290 Ostertag 280 Wang Zhi-Zhi 220 (must be a mistake, he's more like 250) Rick Smits (end of career) 265 Ming sure has the pounds, and the body fat seems pretty low. If he builds up his upper body as all men do (at least all white and black men, I doubt asians are much different), he'll be easily 320 lbs in a few years. As for his Olympic Games experience: The guy was 19!!! Eddie Griffin, 19 is pushed around by Kenny Thomas. Kwame Brown, 19 has no clue. Hakeem, when he was 19 he was a freshman in college. Give me a break!
so, is this what it has come to. TV Producers are basketball scouts now. I did a search on "robert weintraub" basketball and nailed a whopping 7 hits, only two were about him. That's some sports TV show you produced, dude. I then did a search on "robert weintraub" producer and nailed 4 hits "robert weintraub" asian sports "robert weintraub" slate nailed 4 hits In grand total, this guy has written 2 searchable articles on basketball, both on Ming, and his TV show doesn't search with his name. weintraub "Asian Basketball Show" No hits "Asian Basketball Show" Wow!! a whopping 14 hits, and no mention of this dude. yeah,,,good source of info here.
Well said. Didn't he have like 12pts and 7rebs against the championship team and Zo? Show me what the best college players would have against zo or baker last yr.
In the 'related article', he also bad-mouths all Asian perimeter players as being far too slow. I don't know if he's right, but I do know there was a link earlier today to quotes from players like Juan Dixon when they were in China playing in the World University Games... and they were saying things like, while the big guys (Yao Ming, etc) were impressive, they were *really* surprised by how well and aggresive the perimeter players on the Chinese team played. I think this guy has great knowledge of Yao Ming personally, and the situation in China in general... but I really question his basketball knowledge. After all, he tells us that we should ignore the assessment of Michael Jordon and Bill Walton on Yao Ming's performance in Sydney??
Like sheep all of the sports journalist are lining up to rip Ming because it's the "in" thing to do. A month or so ago they were either kissing his behind, or didn't know anything about him. Now suddenly they're all experts on him, some even act like they're experts on Chinese basketball as a whole! Ridiculous.
What a moron! he seem to think the chineese government is the mob. I´m sure it won´t be much worse than with any other intarnational star players obligation to his national team. I´m also sure that no one in the chineese government will be directly involved. I just can´t imagine that. C´mone chineese people will the government be directly involved? I mean will ministers have to sign the contract. Weintraub mixes lies and bashings and calls it an article.
The Chinese government is about as close to the mob as you can find in any government around the world. His concerns about their goals in this and their willingness to have him participate in all NBA events is my concern as well. Let me say it this way...he will be a Houston Rocket second...he will be a Chinese international player first. If there is conflict in schedule, the Chinese win...including missing training camp. Having said that...what we all have is a lack of information on Ming. Now here's a guy who saw him play...he's no NBA scout, but then again, neither are most of you here. I'm sure not! He actually can recall games this guy played!! I certainly can't. And he's giving his take on it. Frankly, his take isn't all that different than what we've read from some of the new Chinese posters here on the boards. We hear great things about his perimeter game...great...just what I want...a 7'5" shooting guard! We hear he's weak up top and will really need to bulk up. We've seen this before...in Wang...and in Europeans who play a different style of basketball than what we see in the NBA. Too many question marks for me...too many to justify using the #1 pick on. When a guy has tons of question marks associated with his game (not to mention his availability) he generally drops in value. You say, "we can justify using the 15 pick on this guy because it's worth the risk." Here it's like the more people hear the risks, the more they jam their fingers in their ears and yell, "nah nah nah...i'm not listening..nah nah nah..i'm not listening." Just because you want Ming to be the second coming, doesn't mean he will be. When you have the #1 pick, and you need to win sooner rather than later (like the Rockets do), you trade the pick or you take someone who is more likely to pan out.
The higher the pick the greater the risk. That's the way it is unless there's a nobrainer like Duncan on the board. Why do the rockets need to win sooner rather then later? Ofcourse I'd like us to won as soon as possible, but I'd ratehr be a contender in three years or so and give a lottreypick to memphis next draft than reach the playoffs next season and be eliminated in the first or second round for ten years. That's why I think we need to take a chance.
The Rockets need to win sooner rather than later because they're losing their impact in this market at an alarming rate. They have not captured our imagination in quite some time...with the advent of the Texans, that point is even more true. Plus...if the Rocks don't make the playoffs this year, you can kiss Rudy T. and/or CD goodbye. They won't survive another lottery year.
Precisely my sentiments. It seems that anyone who so much as questions Mings abilities has a hidden agenda. While i agree there may be those that do, there is no doubt the dude has question marks that can not and should not be ignored.
If were going to make it a business decision only, then Ming becoms the obvious choice. He will put fans back in the seats in the short term at least and he will open up the team and sport in Houston (and nationally) to a whole new market. Overall, there really shouldn't be as much fanfare around the pick (on this BBS, on ESPN Insider, etc). It is pretty obvious that the Rockets will take Ming if the contract situation looks okay. If not, they will pass on him and trade. Seems simple to me.
"Losing their impact"? What impact? They've been last in attendance two years in a row (not counting the lame duck Hornets this year)! How much more impact can be lost? It's not like the franchise is going to leave because they're temporarily not winning. A new building brings in fans, winning or not. And who is going to fire Rudy T? Les? Ha! No way that ever happens. Let's see....we're about to move into a new arena, what better way to even further build excitement than to...to...fire a Houston icon! And bring in an unknown coach! Not gonna happen.
Freak -- interesting points...I would argue there is an intangible presence that a franchise has, though, that can't just be measured by attendance. we have sports radio here in Houston...until recently, the Rockets were in no-man's land there...i mean NOBODY talked Rockets basketball....and more years in the lottery only contributes to that ho-hum attitude. Better to have people calling in mad than not calling in at all. I think Ming would temporarily create a great buzz....I'm not convinced it would last though...particuluarly since even the most optimistic observers say that he won't be much of a presence in the first year...which again, leads us to another lottery year. I think that's a waste. I think guys like Francis, who are tired of losing, would agree.
Duncan + Webber + Nowitzki + Garnett = one championship, won 4 years ago by Duncan with a healthy David Robinson at his side. Since 1991, EVERY NBA title has been won by a team with either a dominant center or Michael Jordan. The Rockets need a big man with big-man skills. Yao Ming is their best chance to get that.
You're my new favorite poster here simply because of your nickname!!! "Glory be, the funk's on me!!!" that is easily my favorite commercial! To add more fuel to your argument...how come the greatest power forward to ever play the game was never able to win a title for the Utah Jazz. NO I DON'T MEAN DAVID BENOIT!!!
I agree with you about Ming's impact on fans. I think people are extremely optimistic about the type of fan support he'll bring. In Asia, I agree, and from an owner's standpoint, that's huge. In Houston, though, I can't see Chinese American non-basketball fans becoming season ticket holders. They'll come out for a game the first season. But after that? Yao Ming's not going to make them basketball fans IMO, if they're not already. As for Chinese American basketball fans, I think they like the sport. Yao Ming might be nice, but I don't think he'll make them more likely to be season ticket holders if they're not already either. Now about Ming's impact on the team, I disagree. Ming's not going to carry us to the Western Conference Finals or anything next year. But he's certainly not going to make us worse, IMO. If we're talking about next season being a lottery season, then it will be primarily the fault of the team we already have, most significantly Steve and Cuttino. They're still the heart and soul of this team, Yao Ming or no Yao Ming. Why so pessimistic? We were injured this year. Otherwise we're a near-playoff team, right? I'm tired of losing too. As long as we can still vie for the playoffs the next couple of years, I'm okay with that. I think having Yao could take us to the finals after a few years. I'd rather delay 2nd round gratification a couple years while Yao adjusts, than go for broke this year trading for assorted veterans and become the next Minn. Timberwolves (in the sense of reaching a ceiling in the first, second round of the playoffs). So in other words, I think we should still be able to vie for the playoffs next year regardless of Yao Ming. If Steve feels like we'll still be in the lottery next year, then I question his ability to carry this team, HIS team.
Actually I don't agree that this team is necessarily a playoff team if healthy. We're only really talking about the losses, primarily, of Mo Taylor and Glen Rice. I don't think either one is so good so as to say, "oh..if we had just had them, we'd have been a playoff team!" Remember, we didn't "just miss" the playoffs...we were nowhere close. Having said that...the Rockets have more than just one need to address. They have needs at the 5 and the 3. Ming is not NBA ready...even the most optimistic observers say that. And he won't have the benefit of training camp. I think if his impact is even only marginally better than Wang's in Dallas, we have a long way to go before you see real improvement in this team. Ming is not a pick that instantly makes you better...it's just not. He will ultimately, most likely, share time with Cato at the 5. I don't think that's much to get excited about for 2003. I hope I'm wrong. I was named most optimistic by my graduating class in high school! This is just the reality of it...I'd rather see the Rocks do something different. I'd rather see them address these needs with more known quantities...and I'd rather see them address multiple needs by trading the #1 pick.
Hey why didn't I get credit for the scoop on the front page? I posted this before this got on the front page, I think.
