Yao struggles in first All-Star game By KEITH PARSONS, AP Sports Writer February 9, 2003 ATLANTA (AP) -- Yao Ming has seemed comfortable most of his rookie season, showing composure on and off the court. His first All-Star game might have gotten to him, though. Voted a starter for the Western Conference, Yao had only two points and two rebounds in 17 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter and both overtimes. Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett were the big men who got most of the playing time down the stretch as the West beat the East 155-145 in double overtime. Yao, picked No. 1 overall by the Houston Rockets in last year's draft, became the first rookie to start in the All-Star game since Grant Hill in 1995. His selection was helped with ballots printed in Mandarin for the first time; he outpolled O'Neal by nearly a quarter-million votes, even though Shaq averages nearly 27 points a game and Yao just 13. But the 7-foot-6 Yao rarely looked to shoot when he had the ball, making his only attempt. His lone basket was a dunk 65 seconds into the game after an alley-oop pass from Houston teammate Steve Francis. His highlight of the night might have been winning the opening tip from Ben Wallace, finally stepping into the circle after fellow West starters Duncan and Kevin Garnett prodded him. Yao did wear a pair of powder blue low-top shoes, a tribute to Michael Jordan's alma mater, North Carolina. The brightly colored shoes clashed with the red uniform of the West, but Jordan was making his final All-Star appearance. Then again, this game might not be the ideal venue for Yao. A fundamentally sound player whose shooting range extends to the perimeter, he probably was out of his element with all the can-you-top-this shenanigans from the rest of the All-Stars. He also might be drained by the NBA schedule, where teams routinely play on consecutive nights. The physical style of play has been another tough adjustment for Yao. Although he weighs nearly 300 pounds, he doesn't have a thick upper body like O'Neal or Wallace. Yao is shooting 53 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line, helping the Rockets keep pace in the playoff chase. Yao's former teammates with the Shanghai Sharks were watching the telecast in China, where the game started at about 9 a.m. Monday morning. He joined Houston after the team reached an agreement with the Sharks and Chinese officials. His quiet performance in the All-Star game probably won't affect his popularity. A horde of cameras followed him everywhere he went this weekend, and he was part of the postgame news conference. Yao was the 16th rookie in NBA history to start in the All-Star game, and the sixth center -- joining O'Neal in 1993, Elvin Hayes in 1969, Walt Bellamy in 1962, Wilt Chamberlain in 1960 and Ray Felix in 1954.
Stupid article. Yao didnt get the ball to do anything. Do you guys suspect that his team mates were not getting him the ball on purpose? Animosity reasons? I know the guy is a rookie and its hard to get shots with so many super stars on a team but they had 6 to 7 straight trips down court without touching the ball on the offensive end. Or maybe is it just me?
I'm a big fan of our big rookie, but I think Yao needs to learn to make the most of his minutes as an All Star - whether it's 10 minutes or 40. He should demonstrate that he actually WANTS the ball and WANTS to score - the other guys are actively looking for opportunities left and right. Perhaps Yao has a few butterflies for starting in his first ASG, but his level of aggression and desire to score needs to jump up a few notches.
It's just you. By the way, the idea that an overseas rookie is struggling at his first All Star game is not shameful at all.
Level of aggression? In the all-star game? The only aggression that I saw was in the final minutes. Yao was only on the court while it was just a friendly game. He knows his place in the league, and being a rookie to come in and demand touches in the all-star game would be rather selfish, IMO. I'm not upset at all that he didn't get that many minutes, frankly he needs all the rest he can get.
THis is a terrible article....the writer really needs to get his homework done. Yao had more votes than Shaq here on the continent of United States!!! He did not need only votes from China/international spotlight. I outvoted Shaq in the US in paper voting.
*sigh* What a joke. The only paragraph worth a darn is where it mentions Yao might be out of his element because of the can-you-top-this way the All-Stars play. I think Adelman was nice to give Yao a rest. I'm sure lots of Chinese were disappointed. It was fun to see Yao/Shaq/Duncan/Garnett out there with Steve, though.
Yao goes 1 for 1 while trying to defer to the vets but this pathetic KEITH PARSONS called it a struggle. Nonsense.
I don't think the other WC players were freezing him out, maybe a little rookie hazing, but not freezing him out. I'm just glad he didn't have to log a bunch of minutes. The poor guys needs all the rest he can get.
I wonder what Yao's point guard was thinking as he watched the game... This was the same guy who forgot Yao existed on the court.
I wouldn't say Yao "struggled" but only that he played timidly - which doesn't come as much of a surprise to me. I'm sure he was simply deferring to all the other players, showing them respect. He'll get more comfortable in future all star games.
DieHard Rocket, My take exactly. It's not his style to impose himself on NBA royalty as a newcomer. Also I think he realizes that his popularity propelled him into the starter's role vs. "earning it" on the court. My guess is that he's not worried at all and next time he will be much more aggressive and experienced. Really a lousy article...........what a stretch D R
