Re: The tanking is starting (non-Celtics)

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

"Berry, Mark S" wrote:

> The Warriors become the first team to actively start chasing ping-pong
> balls. No doubt angling for Yao Ming or Eddy Curry.
>
> http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2001/0312/1150798.html

I don't know the first thing about this 20-year-old Chinese athlete, but I
am looking forward to headlines like "Ming Dynasty Enters Second Decade in
Boston" and "Celts drop 7-6, 275 pound Ming vase onto Shaq, sweep Lakers
again in 145-38 win". We are talking about a kid whose parents in Shanghai
were forced to pay bus fare for him ever since he was 4-years old, because
of his height.

Here, in case you all missed it is what Bill Walton wrote for ESPN
Magazine:

Beat LA!




-----------

Huge Upside
by Bill Walton

As we approach the halfway point of the Age of Shaq, the search for a
successor has extended to the least likely of places: China. Why? If you
watched the Olympics, you know. I was there, and after watching Yao Ming
compete against the best players in the world, I left Sydney dizzy with
the possibilities. Simply put, the 20-year-old Yao has a chance to alter
the way the game of basketball is played.

I've seen hundreds of talented prospects look promising in tryouts, only
to disappoint once they got on the court against polished performers. I'm
sure that won't be the case with the 7'6" Yao. This guy has skills,
competitiveness and basketball intelligence that far exceed his limited
background. As I watched his crisp and imaginative passes, felt the energy
surge when he'd whip an outlet to launch a fast break and noted his
decisionmaking and great court demeanor, I knew I was peering into the
future.

The first thing that struck me about Yao in Sydney was the way he combines
grace with size. He carried a beautifully sculpted physique (he weighs 265
pounds) despite only recently committing to formal weight training and
conditioning programs. His base is solid -- size 18 feet under a
powerfully muscled lower body -- yet he's amazingly nimble. The mechanics
of his jump and hook shots, while not classic, are most certainly sound.
And consistent. His jumper is dangerous out to 20 feet, and he can hook
you to death with either hand.

The two best young players I've ever seen were Lew Alcindor (before he was
Kareem) and Arvydas Sabonis. At this stage, Yao is not the equal of
either. But his upside is so unlimited that when he does enter the NBA
draft, I can't conceive of any other player being chosen before him.

It usually takes a foreign player at least two years to adjust to American
culture and perform at his best. The language barrier is always the
initial hurdle, though that should be a lesser concern for Yao. Three
years ago he spoke no English. Since then, he has been to the U.S. as a
guest of Nike and been a participant in Michael Jordan's summer youth
basketball camp, and he's learned enough English to communicate adequately
with coaches and teammates. Yao will have more of a challenge adjusting to
the NBA lifestyle: rich restaurant food instead of the Chinese staples of
fish and rice, a different hotel room every other night, the constant
trips in and out of airports. His life will be quite different from the
one he leads now.

Yao was recruited to play for the Sharks' junior team seven years ago, but
it's an enormous stretch to compare the Chinese developmental process to
ours. The facilities in China do not measure up to our standards either.
Nor does the equipment. It's ironic that much of the world's sporting
equipment is now produced in China, but that equipment is available to its
own athletes on only a limited basis.

The poor quality of coaching in China and the multiple levels of
bureaucracy are also hurdles for Yao. Basketball innovation and creativity
are absent in China, where longer, harder and faster practices are thought
to be the true path to success. And while the Chinese are aware of the
need to upgrade the level of coaching, the extreme nationalism in China
and noncompetitive salaries prevent the much needed influx of U.S.
coaches. There's only one American now coaching in China. Former NBA
player Mike McGee coaches a team in the league Yao plays in, and his
impact is severely limited since he isn't associated with the
all-important national team.

I think the quality of international competition, especially in China,
holds back Yao as well. The international game is slow-paced and almost
contact-free, and you face a top opponent no more than a few times a year.
The speed, intensity and physical nature of every possession in the NBA
makes Chinese basketball look like it's in slow motion.

Despite these hurdles, the people who run basketball in this country
continue to dream of a truly international NBA. Why not? If you can find a
Larry Bird in French Lick, Ind., a Kevin McHale in Hibbing, Minn., or a
John Stockton in Spokane, Wash., why can't you find a future star in
Russia, Brazil or China? A year ago, the Mavericks used a second-round
pick to draft 7'1" Wang Zhi-Zhi, the first Chinese national selected by an
NBA team. Wang is a good player, more along the lines of a Toni Kukoc, and
the Mavericks are still working to get him under contract. But it's Yao
who has the NBA truly excited.

Granted, I can't predict Yao's continued good health. Or how hard and long
he'll work to develop his game. Or how he'll stand up to playing 100 NBA
games a year. Or whether he'll be able to overcome his relatively short
arms, suspect explosiveness and less-than-great lateral mobility.

Yes, Yao is unquestionably a work-in-progress. But if I were an NBA coach,
I'd like him to be my work-in-progress. He's 7'6" and incredibly graceful
and coordinated. Over the past 15 years, the NBA has put a higher premium
on physical talent than on skill. The international game favors the
opposite, skill without the physical prowess. Yao Ming has the chance to
be the bridge that spans both worlds.

---------

By Marc Stein
Special to ESPN.com

Alonzo Mourning found out in Sydney that China's Yao Ming is tall.
Nothing perked up the basketball media Down Under like the phenomenon of
Yao Ming. Nothing at all. Not Vince Carter's le facial of Frederic Weis.
Not even Lithuania's two near upsets of that not so dreamy Team USA.

Yao Ming was the thing.

He was the king. It started with Sixers coach Larry Brown, walking away
from the Dreamers' 119-72 rout of the Chinese with his shirt stained by
drool. Swarms of veteran columnists promptly walked away from Brown's
speech -- "In four years, he could be one of the best players in the
world," Brown gushed -- convinced that China, more than any other foreign
country, is the biggest threat to American invincibility on the hardwood.

One cautionary note: Just don't forget the "four years" part. In fact,
better make it more than four years.

Yao is undeniably good enough to be selected No. 1 overall, if he gets
clearance from the mayor of Shanghai (we're serious) to declare for the
June draft. With the state of our college game deteriorating to the point
that arena atmosphere is more aesthetically pleasing than the actual
product -- apologies to my man Andy Katz -- teams will be lining up to
snag a 7-5 center who can move and pass and handle it. For a 20-year-old
that tall, Yao's mobility and hands and touch and footwork are all
outstanding.

No one that big has been able to do all that at such a young age, and
those of you who routinely watch the Dallas Mavericks know that Shawn
Bradley will never be able to do it. Yao is definitely a better prospect
that Bradley, and you'll remember how high Big Shawn was drafted: No. 2
overall.

But ...

I also watched first-hand last summer, right before Sydney, a game in
which Yao Ming and Mavericks draftee Wang Zhizhi could not lead their
country to victory over the German national team in a pre-Olympic
exhibition. An exhibition in which Dirk Nowitzki watched from the sideline
with the flu. Now, there's every chance Yao and Wang simply had a bad day,
but let me submit that their worst day should be enough to see off a
Dirk-less Germany. And, no, Detlef Schrempf wasn't there, either. Besides
the Boy Wunder, Germany has no one remotely capable of making Larry Brown
lose it. Steffi Graf probably could have started in that lineup.

So, if Yao is indeed freed for the next draft, and if your team is
fortunate enough to land him, just remember that you'll need to be
patient. He has to add to some upper-body strength to the roughly zero he
has now. Yao has made huge progress in recent seasons, which is what teams
look for first in a big man, but his low-post game is not far removed from
Bradley-esque at this stage of his development. That's obviously not a
compliment. Factor in the inevitable culture shock/language barrier
concerns and it will almost certainly take him a couple seasons to get to
Rik Smits status, who has replaced Bradley as the player Yao is compared
to most.

Marc Stein, who covers the NBA for The Dallas Morning News and was in
Sydney, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

--------
Also a very long feature, in ESPN Magazine

Next Athlete: Yao Ming
by Cal Fussman

(excerpt) "The cherry on top was when Yao and Liu went to Santa Barbara to
be counselors at Michael Jordan's camp. Every night, Michael would get
together with the counselors for a scrimmage. I remember Michael coming
downcourt one game, sinking a three-pointer and teasing Yao. You know,
'Can you do that'? So Yao launches a three-pointer and hits, and Michael's
saying, 'Wow! The big guy can shoot!'"

----