yao small playing time help get rid of circus faster

I think that's Rudy's plan.

 

How many Yaos can you fit in a Volkswagon?

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1644629

Nov. 2, 2002, 1:02AM

Yao needs time to hone skills
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle



DENVER -- It was as if the scouting report on Yao Ming got here even before the Rockets' charter.

It doesn't take long for the NBA to form an opinion and try to exploit it, throwing it out there raw and uncensored for all the world to see, like a tabloid photographer clicking pictures at a celebrity wedding.

In Yao's second regular-season NBA game Friday night, the secret to frustrating a 7-5 giant was out.

·Push him off the block, because he won't post up low enough.

·Challenge his shots, because he won't finish strong.

·Drive the baseline, because he won't move his feet quick enough and just might foul somebody.

·Take the angle on the offensive rebounds, because he'll go over the top.

Naturally, such conclusions might prove to be off-base and probably should not be drawn about Yao after less than two weeks in an NBA uniform.

But these are the vulnerabilities he has shown, and these are the reasons all plans for at least doubling Yao's 11 minutes from Wednesday night were scrubbed.

Yao played 13 minutes in this one and did some nice things, scoring his first NBA bucket on a nice 11-foot turnaround jumper at 10:41 of the second quarter. He also had seven rebounds, a nice total for just 13 minutes, and added a beautiful across-the-court pass to Jason Collier for a breakaway dunk.

He also moved better on both ends of the floor and even showed at least one similarity with Hakeem Olajuwon -- he got gassed at Denver's altitude.

"I felt a lot better than the last game," Yao said. "Except for the altitude."

Regarding his first bucket, which was witnessed by millions, if not more than a billion people watching on Chinese television, Yao said, "Hopefully, there will be a lot more."

But we should not expect Yao to reach expectations or even get the opportunity to see the floor in pivotal minutes until he can turn around all the weaknesses he has shown.

The Rockets are anything but worried over long-term prospects and continue to be impressed by Yao's work ethic and dedication.

"This guy, I mean he's been through a lot," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He's tired. But he's got heart. He's going through everything, but he's impressive. I can't wait until he gets his legs under him. Once we get a rhythm with him, he's going to help us a lot."

The problem is real NBA games are the last places coaches want to use for practice. But the Rockets have no choice, at least up until the time the game is on the line, like in Friday's 83-74 win over the Nuggets.

Yao was showing signs and doing some nice things in his eight first-half minutes, but in the second half when the Nuggets continued to stay close and even took the lead, the Rockets could not afford the liabilities.

But the rough ride the Nuggets gave Yao in his 13 minutes is what he needs. He needs heavy doses of the pushing and shoving treatment he got under the glass every time the ball went up.

He needs to get his shot blocked more often, like he did on a beautiful spin move along the baseline, but tried a finger-roll instead of a dunk.

He needs more elbows in his lower back, like what Nene Hilario and Mark Blount offered when he tried to post up.

But the Rockets cannot afford to let it happen while games slip away.

Yao played just 13 minutes, and that's about all he needed to play. That's not to say we can proclaim the grand draft experiment a mistake and call Yao a bust. Kelvin Cato was simply the best Rockets center on the floor.

Still, scouts sitting courtside Friday marveled at the fluid offensive moves Yao showed. They loved his soft shot.

But then they started scribbling all the weaknesses Yao has yet to improve.

We'll never know just how important a month of summer league and a full training camp would have been for Yao, but it's clear it would have been important.

Yao is behind the curve for even English-speaking rookies who don't carry the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. What he really needs isn't just more practice but summers at Fonde Recreation Center or all-day pickup games at Westside.

Such things won't ever happen with the Chinese government keeping the reins tight on Yao.

All the Rockets can do is keep running him out there to learn the ways of big-time basketball the hard way, like he has in his first two outings.

All they can do is hope he begins turning around liabilities and changing scouting reports, so he can be out there when the game is on the line.