Free Yao Ming
by Ric Bucher


Knicks GM Scott Layden, in leaping to a conclusion, thereby stumbled into the cultural divide that stands between 7'5" Yao Ming and an NBA career. Layden was told by officials from Yao's team, the Shanghai Sharks, that Yao would be free to participate in this summer's draft. Layden took this to mean Yao was free to play in the NBA next season.

Not exactly.

While the Sharks are not opposed to Yao leaving them and the Chinese Basketball Association, they don't consider sending him to the NBA as the no-brainer the average American hoops fan might. It could be a long time before the country produces another player of Yao's potential and they want several assurances before letting go of their Michael Jordan.

One is that he will go to a team that is committed to developing him. Another is that the team drafting him will assuage the Sharks' loss by playing an exhibition in Shanghai, develop a sister city program and provide coaching clinics. Bei Gengyuan, the head of Oriental Television, which owns the Sharks, has said Yao will be released to begin his NBA career "under the right conditions, with the right club, at the right time."

The time, at least, won't ever be more right. Having seen Yao play earlier this month -- along with Layden, Bulls GM Jerry Krause and Sonics assistant GM Rich Cho -- I can assure the Sharks or the CBA or anyone else that if they want him to be successful in the NBA, he can't afford to wait. A silky turnaround J from both baselines, his blind over-the-shoulder pass after diving for a loose ball and his outlet passes are proof that he has the requisite skills. He's not a leaper but he runs the floor and is agile enough to compete under the new league rules that make size meaningless without mobility. For comparison's sake, think of a young Rik Smits.

But he's clearly not challenged by the CBA talent level. There were times he didn't cross half-court after making an outlet pass or dunk when he had the chance and any contact around the basket draws a whistle. Considering that it will take him at least a year or two to adjust, and that by today's standards any player out of his teens is old, the clock is ticking on the 22-year-old Yao.


Chinese basketball officials seem to understand the gap between the CBA, which plays a 30-game schedule in unheated gymnasiums where foreign players are limited to two quarters, and the NBA. That's why they want "the right club," i.e., a team committed to developing him, fearful that if Yao is not a success it will be an embarrassment to Chinese basketball and a setback to its emergence as an international power.

What they may not understand is that making sure he's a top pick will go a long way toward assuring a team's commitment to developing him. And for that to happen, NBA teams need to be confident he'll be available to play next season. Competing against the Shaqs and Zos in the NBA is also sure to make Yao far more of a force in international competition than if he continues beating up on CBA opponents.

Li Yao-Ming, the Sharks executive vice president, was unhappy to hear Layden's comments. It's understandable why Layden made his assumption, but something clearly was lost in the translation.

For everyone's sake, let's hope it wasn't Yao.

We don't need red China looking over our shoulder and controlling our players and dictating what happens on OUR NY KNICKS team. Screw them.

Posted by Knixkik:

Posted by Caseloads:

We don't need red China looking over our shoulder and controlling our players and dictating what happens on OUR NY KNICKS team. Screw them.

I definitely see where you're coming from, but still, if the opportunity is there it will probably be worth drafting him in the long run. If not, get Drew Gooden because besides Williams he is probably the most proven player in the draft. We all know he will be good so there's no gamble involved. He is currently drawing camparisons to Shareef Abdur-Rahim so i would love to have a player like him on our team.

Look, Gooden and Abdur Rahim are both soft. That's why Gooden's team got WAXED by Oklahoma and that's why the Grizz dealt Abdur Rahim to ATL and he still can't lead a team anywhere.

Posted by Andrew:

Following was moved over from the other topic on this article.

Link: http://espn.go.com/magazine/bucher_20020312.html

Posted by Knickik
So there will be a lot of complications in order for him to come to the league. It makes it harder for teams like Chicago and Memphis, but could make it easier for us. Still, one of those teams will probably pick him up because they are committed to developing young players. If they need to trade him after the fact they will, but i see him still going in the top three. Hopefully we can get the 5th or 6th pick and draft Drew Gooden because he's more of a guarentee than Yao Ming.

Oh...and thanks for the link Caseloads.

anytime

yes yes yes
NO MING!!!
THIS GUY SUCKS, AND ALWAYS WILL
I WOULD TAKE SPENCER OVER MING
ANYDAY

Posted by BernardKing030:

Woohoo, that opening post was the best news I've heard yet. To me, that assures me that the Knicks will never get Ming. And that's a GOOD thing. Power-hungry James Dolan will not let anyone control him, so the whole China angle means that the knicks will be picking someone else in the draft. Knixkik, get off of Ming's package. If he's gonna be so good, why is China so scared he'll be a bust? Let's go Gooden! (Hopefully, he won't go on crack like a different Gooden I used to like.)

Doc's da name.

Ha, Starks, you live in Miami and like all NY teams. Go NY, lol. We should definitely have Stern hold off our number 1 till next year when we get LeBron baby, God I can't wait. Imagine this, since Krause liked what he saw in Ming and has a point in Crawford, Bulls get number one this year and take Ming. Knicks get 2 and trade to Cavs for Miller, then they get a pick in the 4 to 7 range, land Drew Gooden/Chris Marcus/Amare Stoudemire/Qyntel Woods. Then next year we cash in and pick up LeBron, the Magic/MJ mix, God, I'm all excited.

I know where he lives because in an earlier post he said he was going to the Knicks/Heat game and that he lives in Miami and goes to all the games.

Ha, Starks, you live in Miami and like all NY teams. Go NY, lol. We should definitely have Stern hold off our number 1 till next year when we get LeBron baby, God I can't wait. Imagine this, since Krause liked what he saw in Ming and has a point in Crawford, Bulls get number one this year and take Ming. Knicks get 2 and trade to Cavs for Miller, then they get a pick in the 4 to 7 range, land Drew Gooden/Chris Marcus/Amare Stoudemire/Qyntel Woods. Then next year we cash in and pick up LeBron, the Magic/MJ mix, God, I'm all excited.

That makes tons of sense, lets just hope the bull acuattly get lucky and land the number 1 pick this year, cause it still ahsent happend. I think the cavs would do it cause then they would just draft williams, but who would u rather have a cheap williams, or a expesive miller in a couple of year??? but then again it is all made up for by getting one of the exciting players who talked about.
Man i got the goosebumps just thinking about it!
Also its hard to be a new york fan down here, but i love my teams and i would never switch, plus i'm orgianlly from ny(staten Island) so i cant switch. But I see all my teams play as much as possible live like when the mets come down here and play the marlins or the Jets come down here and Whip those frigen dolphins. and of course the knicks.
sorry little of topic
Go Knicks!
J E T S JETS JETS JETS!
LETS GO METS!

I want Ming! He is a big gamble, but what if it pays off? We can rebuild around him like we did with Patrick. Of course Yao wouldn't transform the team in the first year, but the rebuilding process lasts longer than that. Then in 2003, we get LeBron James to go along with YM and our second round pick, Juan Dixon. This gives us a 2004 Championship winning lineup of Dixon, Houston, James, Thomas and Ming, with MC on the bench. Simple! ;)

wow bro you live in a dream world. Thats not going to happen at all. First of all how good is thomas and and houston going to be in 3 years?? Probably not that good, and second Dixon is not a pure point guard, so that wouldnt work, sencond we would have to tank all of next year to hope for james, which wont happen, and last but not least Ming sucks!!!!!!!!!!
Simple!