Yao enjoying his strongest season at All-Star break
NBA All-Star Game, Sunday, 7 p.m.
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS -- Before taking center stage in the Big Easy, Yao Ming was mulling over the idea of trying something that he has never done before in an NBA All-Star Game.
Win the MVP trophy with his first double-double in the event? Not quite.
Instead, Yao was actually thinking of something a bit more dazzling.
"I'm thinking about maybe shooting a half-court three," Yao said with a grin.
He might have the range considering the progress that he’s made with the rest of his game.
The Rockets' star center, who will be making his sixth straight appearance as a starter in Sunday's All-Star Game, is evolving into one of the game’s elite players. Enjoying his best season as a pro at the All-Star break, Yao has elevated his game by tormenting overmatched defenses and improving the few weaknesses remaining in his game.
Despite being the focus of opponents on a nightly basis, Yao is averaging a double-double with 22.2 points and a career-best 10.8 rebounds through the first four months of the season. He has been the main reason why the Rockets survived a month-long stretch without Tracy McGrady, creating openings for everyone else because of the attention that he demands in the paint.
The progress has Yao on the cusp of becoming one of the game's greatest pivots.
"He's one of the top three centers in the NBA right now with Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard," Hall of Fame center Bill Walton said. "Yao Ming is coming to that level. He's got the game. He is starting -- this year more than ever -- to get the impact. He's on the verge of having it be his league. All the pieces are in place for Yao Ming to say, 'You know what, there is nothing anyone can do to keep me from what I want.' He's so smart and so determined. He's incredibly disciplined in his approach to what he wants. I just don't see it as might or might not happen. I think it's going to happen."
Yao began taking his game to another level last season before a fracture in a bone above his right knee sidetracked his ascent. He returned in a little over two months, but spent the second half of the season trying to regain his form.
Now, his game appears to be back.
The Rockets' star center still sees areas where he must improve, like lowering his 3.4 turnovers per game. But even Yao admits that he's enjoying his best season.
"I feel comfortable and I feel a lot of confidence," Yao said. "I feel like I'm playing consistent. Not much up and down. Hopefully, I'm getting better and better."
Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who will start alongside Yao on Sunday, has noticed how the improved play has boosted Yao's confidence.
“He always been consistent,” Duncan said. “But I think his confidence level has risen. I think he’s gotten stronger if that’s even possible. He’s steady. With the offense changed a little bit, it’s more predicated around him so he’s touching the ball more. That in itself makes him more effective.”
Consider Yao’s efforts in January as Exhibit A for the center’s recent ascent.
The All-Star center guided the Rockets to a 10-4 month even though Houston played nine games without McGrady. Considering that the Rockets had never consistently won with McGrady out, the center's play was even more impressive. Yao averaged 25.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.92 blocks, earning the West's Player of the Month award.
Former Spurs star David Robinson considered those numbers the strongest evidence for Yao’s transformation.
"Yao has really developed as a leader quite a bit," Robinson said. "With Tracy McGrady out, the team is still playing extremely well. They've leaned on Yao a lot and asked him to be a force. Yao has done that. Being able to respond in those types of situations and take the team to a higher level, is the biggest area where you can see his maturity. When he came into the league, he was a little unsure of himself. He wasn't sure what he could do and really wasn't even sure if he could play at this level. Now, he's dominating games. He's taken that Houston team to a place where they're really ready to contend."
What has made things even more difficult for opponents is that teams are having a more difficult time trying to contain Yao with old methods.
New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott, the coach of the West All-Stars, has watched Yao's ascent firsthand by playing against the center on a regular basis in the Southwest Division. Scott noted that teams are still trying to wear down the 7-foot-6 center by making him run up and down the floor for 48 minutes. But Yao's improved conditioning is making that tougher to do. The center is averaging a career-best 37.2 minutes per game.
"I think that's still probably the approach because he is so big," Scott said. "That size he has is going to make him tired sooner or later. But I think he's gotten in such better condition this year than I've him in past years. The philosophy is probably the same with every team. Try to run him as much as possible and put him in as many as pick-and-rolls as possible. He's done a better job on defending pick and rolls and getting back on defense. But the bottom line is that he still makes your job a nightmare."
So what is the next step for Yao in becoming one of the game's elite players?
Walton has an idea.
"The only real step for Yao Ming is the championships," Walton said. "Not everybody wins the championship. It's a huge mistake to say someone who won a lot of championships is better than someone who didn't win. There is no way I can sit here and diminish the career of Patrick Ewing, Elgin Baylor, John Stockton, Karl Malone and all the phenomenal players who didn't win the championship. Not everybody gets to win the championship. But all those guys competed at the championship level. We haven't seen that yet with Yao. (The Rockets have) lost in the first round. But (for Yao to be great, the Rockets have) to be in that championship mix because it is about winning the games."
Before taking that next step into the NBA's elite, Yao will enjoy his latest All-Star experience.
During a meeting Friday with the league's other All-Stars, Yao felt at ease being in a room with the best players in the world. Houston’s star center didn't always feel that secure in the past.
Now, Yao is relaxed. He might even show it Sunday by launching a shot from midcourt.
"Hopefully,” Yao said, “I’ll hit the rim.”
