The Emergence of Yao
When Yao Ming first came into the league, people had mixed opinions about his ability to perform. They questioned whether he had any health problems, was strong enough and if he had played against top competition. At the time, Yao was deemed the next good big man, at 7-6; he is one of the tallest players in history. With a height advantage, Yao can score on other big men and can rebound easier. However, Yao is a bit slow and is not very aggressive.
Yao Ming was upstaged by Amare Stoudemire, center for the Suns, when he was second place in the Rookie of the Year voting. Amare had a big impact game, scoring 38 points and was called a great inside player. Yao seemed to have lost a bit of ground as the season wore on. Over the course of a few years, people have picked on Yao"s weaknesses and feel that he can do better. At the height he is, they feel he should be dominant, which he was not at the time. Some said that he could score at will if he really wanted to. This was made clear and was answered by Yao.
Yao worked hard during the off season, even running in football fields and lifting weights. He was blessed with incredible height and shooting for a player his height. As the season started, Yao was ready to make a point. He was averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds, big numbers over a part of the season, when he was injured. He had several dominant games, scoring close to 40 and 17 rebounds. People knew at that moment, that Yao is the real deal. The uncertainty was officially over.
Tracy McGrady, Yao"s teammate, has really helped in Yao"s growth process. He has been nice and supportive of him, even when the Houston rockets were not doing well. McGrady was happy to be playing with a good big man and had no doubts about leaving Orlando. Yao in response, worked harder and is modest when compared. He looks at big men like Shaq with great respect and has changed to the American lifestyle. He can speak English well now and is about to get married with his high school crush. Now, let"s hope other Chinese players can follow in Yao"s footsteps, large ones to be exact. In fact, this year, another big man in Yi, a 7 footer with great speed and athleticism, is ready to make his mark.
Now china has strong nationalism in its players, making the NBA game more global. Fans love Yao Ming and vote for him when they can. Yao has really helped bring a new side of fans to the NBA.
ROCKETS NOTES: Scola finding his legs - Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle ROCKETS NOTES: Scola finding his legs Houston Chronicle, United States - After a week of training camp, Rockets center Yao Ming said the team can use this weeks three preseason games for a different sort of measure of progress. ... Rockets camp report: Team feels good after scrimmage