achtungbaby
08-24-2002, 02:14 PM
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist (http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/4097915p-5120762c.html)
Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Friday, August 23, 2002
OAKLAND -- Long before flashing his impressive repertoire of skills -- and, oh, yes, the man can play -- the most celebrated rookie center since Shaquille O'Neal flashed a warning of his own: never underestimate the power of Yao.
His act sells.
Already.
A 7-foot-5 ensemble of long limbs, stylish brush cut and thoroughly modern abilities, Yao Ming, the first player selected in the 2002 NBA draft, attracted a sellout crowd to the New Arena Thursday night. For an exhibition game. For a rout. For a one-sided encounter against a USA World Championship team compensating for a lack of marquee firepower with an abundance of athleticism, defensive attitude and verbal acumen. Say what you will. But the night was a huge success for all concerned.
The Houston Rockets are looking smart, Chinese basketball is looking up, and, for a night anyway, no one was looking down on the Golden State Warriors. In fact, while David Stern was back home trolling for dollars -- how do you say cold, hard cash in Mandarin? -- Warriors executives were gloating about the attendance figures. The same organization that sold out a total of four NBA home games last season, that marketed meetings with the Kings and the Lakers to their long-suffering fans, tapped into a whole new whole. In a sense, their own new world.
Of the 19,873 in attendance, Warriors chief operating officer Robert Rowell estimated that 12,000 were members of the Bay Area's Asian American community, among the largest in the nation. "And of those fans," said Rowell, "approximately 70 to 80 percent are Chinese. Yao Ming has the whole region excited. We wanted this game from the beginning. When USA Basketball started planning an exhibition schedule, we reminded them about the size of our Asian population, and then we really worked at marketing. We just think it's a great opportunity to expand our fan base. We're selling (ticket) packages for all of our home games with the Rockets."
Welcome to America, home of the red, white, blue and green.
Yet while this also might have been the rudest greeting since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen double-teamed Toni Kukoc during the 1992 Barcelona Games, at least in terms of pre-game posturing and fire-breathing defense, Yao seemingly ignored his clippings, all that trash-talking from legitimate NBA nice guys Antonio Davis and Ben Wallace about "beating up" the rookie, and quietly earned his opponents' respect. The man has game. Tons of it. One-handers, spin moves, stepback jumpers. Rebounds (11), blocks (six), deflections. Guts, that too.
One after another American whacked Yao's hands as he reached for dunks or rebounds, and on one occasion, the young Chinese star, who entered the interview room later with his right hand wrapped in ice, took a nasty spill after colliding with Michael Finley.
Boos rang out.
The Chinese coaches leaped off their bench.
But if Yao, 21, moved slowly to his feet, and often was seen wringing his right hand, he repeatedly went back for more. More dunks. More weakside intimidation.
More rebounds. More blocks. More surprisingly agile turnaround jumpers. More of the physical bruising he will receive when the NBA season begins, and even before that, when these teams meet later this month in Indianapolis. "He's a lot better than I expected," Wallace acknowledged afterward, nodding. "He made quick moves around the basket, and when he stepped outside, he made shots or passed over the defense. Yeah, I was surprised, no question."
Offered USA coach George Karl, "At halftime, we did speak and said the kid (Yao) is pretty good. We talked about being more aggressive and not letting him have easy catches. There's no question he's a danger around the basket. Offensively, he's very interesting. His ability to throw over the top of the defense is incredibly important in our league. I think the Houston Rockets have themselves a very talented player."
So take a long look at Yao.
A long, long, look.
At well over 7 feet and almost 300 pounds, he has both incredible length and a legitimate body. For all the talk about his lack of bulk, he has surprisingly thick calves and wide hips that enable him to plant and maintain his position. Peer into the future, put a few more pounds on him, and the Rockets have themselves the game's next great big man. A whole new world, indeed.
Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Friday, August 23, 2002
OAKLAND -- Long before flashing his impressive repertoire of skills -- and, oh, yes, the man can play -- the most celebrated rookie center since Shaquille O'Neal flashed a warning of his own: never underestimate the power of Yao.
His act sells.
Already.
A 7-foot-5 ensemble of long limbs, stylish brush cut and thoroughly modern abilities, Yao Ming, the first player selected in the 2002 NBA draft, attracted a sellout crowd to the New Arena Thursday night. For an exhibition game. For a rout. For a one-sided encounter against a USA World Championship team compensating for a lack of marquee firepower with an abundance of athleticism, defensive attitude and verbal acumen. Say what you will. But the night was a huge success for all concerned.
The Houston Rockets are looking smart, Chinese basketball is looking up, and, for a night anyway, no one was looking down on the Golden State Warriors. In fact, while David Stern was back home trolling for dollars -- how do you say cold, hard cash in Mandarin? -- Warriors executives were gloating about the attendance figures. The same organization that sold out a total of four NBA home games last season, that marketed meetings with the Kings and the Lakers to their long-suffering fans, tapped into a whole new whole. In a sense, their own new world.
Of the 19,873 in attendance, Warriors chief operating officer Robert Rowell estimated that 12,000 were members of the Bay Area's Asian American community, among the largest in the nation. "And of those fans," said Rowell, "approximately 70 to 80 percent are Chinese. Yao Ming has the whole region excited. We wanted this game from the beginning. When USA Basketball started planning an exhibition schedule, we reminded them about the size of our Asian population, and then we really worked at marketing. We just think it's a great opportunity to expand our fan base. We're selling (ticket) packages for all of our home games with the Rockets."
Welcome to America, home of the red, white, blue and green.
Yet while this also might have been the rudest greeting since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen double-teamed Toni Kukoc during the 1992 Barcelona Games, at least in terms of pre-game posturing and fire-breathing defense, Yao seemingly ignored his clippings, all that trash-talking from legitimate NBA nice guys Antonio Davis and Ben Wallace about "beating up" the rookie, and quietly earned his opponents' respect. The man has game. Tons of it. One-handers, spin moves, stepback jumpers. Rebounds (11), blocks (six), deflections. Guts, that too.
One after another American whacked Yao's hands as he reached for dunks or rebounds, and on one occasion, the young Chinese star, who entered the interview room later with his right hand wrapped in ice, took a nasty spill after colliding with Michael Finley.
Boos rang out.
The Chinese coaches leaped off their bench.
But if Yao, 21, moved slowly to his feet, and often was seen wringing his right hand, he repeatedly went back for more. More dunks. More weakside intimidation.
More rebounds. More blocks. More surprisingly agile turnaround jumpers. More of the physical bruising he will receive when the NBA season begins, and even before that, when these teams meet later this month in Indianapolis. "He's a lot better than I expected," Wallace acknowledged afterward, nodding. "He made quick moves around the basket, and when he stepped outside, he made shots or passed over the defense. Yeah, I was surprised, no question."
Offered USA coach George Karl, "At halftime, we did speak and said the kid (Yao) is pretty good. We talked about being more aggressive and not letting him have easy catches. There's no question he's a danger around the basket. Offensively, he's very interesting. His ability to throw over the top of the defense is incredibly important in our league. I think the Houston Rockets have themselves a very talented player."
So take a long look at Yao.
A long, long, look.
At well over 7 feet and almost 300 pounds, he has both incredible length and a legitimate body. For all the talk about his lack of bulk, he has surprisingly thick calves and wide hips that enable him to plant and maintain his position. Peer into the future, put a few more pounds on him, and the Rockets have themselves the game's next great big man. A whole new world, indeed.