can yao speak any english at all? if not does he plan to learn how to speak english or is he just gunna use a interperater?
Yes, he does speak English, but it is somewhat broken. He takes English lessons each day according to his bio. Rudy T. spoke with him for 20 minutes the other day.
On the YaoMingMania website, P.J. Carlesimo (sp?) is quoted saying that "He has a better understanding of English than people realize...nine times out of 10 my impression was he understood (my instructions) before the interpreter relayed the information." This is, of course, in reference to the Chicago workout from last month that Carlesimo ran (was it last month?) It's also been mentioned that Yao understands English well enough to translate English to his fellow Shanghai Shark teammates.
