http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_2759409,00.html [/URL] Yao learns to carry Rockets Mighty center developing power, finesse By Ron Higgins Contact March 26, 2004 Imagine being thrown into a new job in a new country. You don't speak the language, and you don't really know the way business is done. And, oh yes. Everybody in your country of 1.26 billion people is watching your every move. Welcome to the world of Rockets second-year center Yao Ming, who carries a continent and a franchise on his back. It's taken him a mere 12/3 seasons to adjust to the NBA, but as evidenced by his play of late, the league might have to start adjusting to him. The 7-6, 310-pound Yao, who leads the 41-29 Rockets into The Pyramid tonight against the 45-26 Grizzlies, seems to have gotten the hang of this American pro basketball stuff. Since the All-Star break, he's averaging 21.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, including a career high 41 points against Atlanta on Feb. 22. "Maybe (the difference) is just my self-confi-dence," Yao said after winning Western Conference Player of the Week honors on March 8. "I feel like my self-confidence is getting better." Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown said he's liked Yao from the first moment he saw him in the Olympics against United States, and nothing has changed his mind since. "When you have a force in the middle second only to Shaq (the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal), you have to exploit it if you want to win in the West," Brown said of Yao. "This young man has such immense offensive talent, and the thing I like about him is he's always working. I have a great deal of respect for him." Two things have helped Yao accelarate his basketball education - new coach Jeff Van Gundy's philosophy to run the offense inside out, instead of outside in as in past seasons, and the hiring of assistant coach Patrick Ewing, one of the NBA's best all-time centers. While Ewing wasn't hired specifically to go coach Yao, it hasn't hurt to have his experience in the post to show Yao some technique nuances, as well as the general advice of becoming more aggressive. Over the second half of the season, Yao's biggest improvement has been knowing when to hold 'em or fold 'em - that is, taking his shot, or identifying double teams and passing to open shooters. "I've had to face that situation a lot and I've had to take some things from that," said Yao, who has built his averages to 17.7 points and 9.1 rebounds, and who's fifth in the league in field goal percentage at .532. "It's not a matter of knowing exactly when to pass or knowing exactly when to attack. "You have to go with the feeling based on what's happening on the court." His marked improvement has had opponents and teammates raving. "When he turns, he's standing 8 feet tall, and when he's holding that ball up, he's 10 feet," said Portland center Theo Ratliff of defending Yao. "He has tremendous touch around the basket for as big as he is. He looks like he gets bigger and bigger every time I see him. They now look for him low and he gets it in the basket." After Yao dropped 29 points on the Mavericks on March 7 in a 101-98 Houston victory, Dallas center/forward Dirk Nowitz ki was suitably impressed. "He's going to be a dominant player for years to come," Nowitzki said. "At the beginning, we tried to play him man-to-man and he just ate us alive. He's tough to guard. He won the game for them." Yao's effectiveness, his passing as much as his scoring, has made Houston tough to defend. In the past, with no post presence, the Rockets not only put most of their offense on guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, but they usually had to shoot with defenders hanging all over them. That doesn't happen as much anymore on Yao's patrol. "But the more touches he gets, the more space we're going to get offensively, because teams have to double him and it creates havoc for them on our offensive end," Rockets backup point guard Mark Jackson said. Griz center Jake Tsakalidis gets the job tonight of starting off against Yao. Tsakalidis isn't exactly a tiny dancer at 7-2, 290, but he knows what he'll try to do against the enormous Yao. "All you can do is play him physical and try to push him outside to shoot," Tsakalidis said. - Ron Higgins: 529-2525
