CNNSI: Is Ming a Houston hoax?

CNNSI: Rockets getting cold feet?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/marty_burns/news/2002/06/24/burns_insider_ming/


What will Rockets do?

It don't mean a thing if you don't got that Ming

Posted: Monday June 24, 2002 1:18 PM
Marty Burns - Inside the NBA

Some still think it's all a Houston hoax, the biggest con job in NBA history.

The Rockets, they predict, will shock the hoops world Wednesday night by drafting Chinese center Yao Ming and then trading his rights to the Knicks, Clippers or some other desperate club for a veteran like Latrell Sprewell or Lamar Odom. Rudy Tomjanovich's talk of a Ming Dynasty, they say, has all been one big Chinese fire drill.

Such a move would be a Texas-sized mistake for the Rockets. Yes, Ming is a raw talent who comes tied up in red tape, courtesy of the Chinese government. But 7-foot-6 centers who can shoot don't come along every day, and in this case Ming fits Houston to a Rudy T.

"He's way too intriguing to pass up," Pistons VP of basketball operations John Hammond says. "And with Steve Francis there already, it really makes it very simple."

The doubters say Ming is nothing more than Shawn Bradley with a three-point shot. He has no low-post game, they say, and will get pushed around by stronger NBA centers. Accustomed to dropping 40 and 20 on hapless foes in the Chinese Basketball Association, his confidence will plummet and he'll be pining for the Great Wall by the end of his rookie season.

There are also legitimate concerns about Ming's ties to his Chinese national team. The Rockets have been given assurances that he won't be called away for international play during the NBA season, but he will miss this year's training camp. Who knows what other commitments China might foist on its star export before all is said and done?

That's why many predict Ming will turn out to be a bust, a part-time novelty act who does nothing more than sell a few jerseys back in Asia. They call him an overhyped fly swatter who will make Bradley look like Lew Alcindor.

Others, like Hammond, say Ming will turn out to be at least as good as Rik Smits, the former sweet-shooting big man for the Pacers who took several years to blossom into an effective NBA player.

"The difference between [Ming] and Bradley is that [Ming] can hold the post," Hammond says. "He's got strong legs. You can throw the ball into him and he's going to give you a post presence."

Houston needs a center in the worst way, and Ming is far and away the best on the board. Even if he's not ready yet to score over Shaq, he can still play defense and rebound better than Kelvin Cato. Meanwhile, opposing centers will have to guard him out to the three point line, meaning more open alleys to the basket for Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.

"In many ways it's a perfect fit," says agent Bill Duffy, who has followed Ming's career closely. "If healthy, Houston is already a playoff-caliber team. There'll be less immediate pressure on him. Plus, with the style they play, he should be able to step in and contribute right away."

None of the other top draft prospects makes sense for Houston. Jay Williams of Duke might well turn out to be an All-Star, but the Rockets already have Francis and Mobley in the backcourt. Drew Gooden of Kansas has potential, but Houston has Maurice Taylor and free agent Kenny Thomas at power forward.

Barring an unbelievable trade offer, the Rockets should put aside their concerns and take a chance on Ming. It worked in '84 when Houston used the top overall pick on a gangly raw center named Hakeem Olajuwon. Though they passed on Michael Jordan, they still came away with a franchise player.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

Jeff I thought the title was a little confusing also. When you go to SI's draft section the lead story is "Rockets getting cold feet?" And then the link to the story was "What will Rockets do?"

I origanally thought that the story was going to have some big trade rummer but after I read it I realized that it did not contain anything like that.

 

I remember in 92 when the Cowboys won their first superbowl under Jimmy Johnson that one of the big stories was that no NFL team had never one a superbowl with a running back that had lead the league in rushing. It made it sound like having the league leading rusher was somehow not conducive to winning a superbowl. Well of course the Cowboys one that superbowl as well as two more with Emmit Smith leading the league in rushing.

Francis and Ming will be great together.

BTW, as I recall both Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar could light it up pretty good.

 

Great example. Bill Lambeer might have had the best outside shot of any 7 footer to ever play the game. The guy was absalutely clutch. But I still hated his punk ass!