Yao set to lead China against U.S. NBA stars

Greg Heakes, Agence France-Presse, Oakland, California

Yao Ming has only been in North America less than a week but he already has a hankering for some home-style cooking.

"I have not eaten Chinese food for a few days, so it would be nice to eat Chinese food again," said Yao, following the Chinese national basketball team's workout here on Wednesday.

That shouldn't be too hard to remedy because the China team's practice facility and hotel is located in the heart of Oakland's Chinatown.

There are 800,000 Chinese-Americans living in the San Francisco/Oakland area, making it the largest ethnic Chinese community in North America.

Reminded of this on Wednesday and then asked if he felt the weight of China's 1.2 billion population on his shoulders, the 21-year-old Shanghai native replied, "I have to play both for myself and the people of China."

What better place is there to play your first game in your soon-to-be adopted land since being selected No. 1 overall in the National Basketball Association draft by the Houston Rockets.

Yao said his favorite western food is steak, so he shouldn't have a problem fitting in Texas either.

"I want to show people I belong in the NBA and that I can compete against any players in the NBA," Yao said through a translator during a brief interview on Wednesday.

Yao and his teammates went through a 2.5-hour workout on Wednesday.

Yao played on Friday in China's 94-66 loss to Canada, scoring 17 points.

American basketball fans will get their first glimpse of Yao against a team of NBA stars when China and the U.S. meet on Thursday.

The Oakland game will serve as tune-up for the World Basketball Championships which will begin Aug. 29 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The 2.28-meter-tall and 133-kilogram Yao is looking forward to facing NBA centers Antonio Davis, Raef LaFrentz and Jermaine O'Neal.

"This will be a great opportunity for me because that is the way I am going to have to play in the future," said Yao, who averaged 32.4 points and 19 rebounds per game for the Shanghai Sharks last season.

"It will take me two or three years to adjust to the NBA."

China will rely heavily on Yao, Mengke Bateer of the Denver Nuggets and possibly Wang Zhizhi of the Dallas Mavericks if they are to improve on their best finish at a Worlds, which is eighth place.

Yao fielded questions on a variety of subjects on Wednesday but the one subject his handlers refused to let him discuss was money.

The interview was cut short when the subject of dollars came up.

"(Reporter) is asking about pay cheques and I don't want to get into that," translator Song Chenxiang chimed in after Yao said he hoped to buy a new car.

Yao still has not signed a contract, but a Rockets' spokesman said Wednesday it is just a matter of working out a few details. He said Yao's four-year deal is worth over 13 million dollars.

Rocket coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been traveling with Yao the past week. He met with Yao on Thursday in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he gave Yao a copy of the Rocket's play book.

"I am just happy to get a look at him and get my mind churning with ideas," said Tomjanovich.

In the 1990s Tomjanovich constructed an offense around a young Hakeem Olajuwon. Since the current Rocket's offense is built around Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, the challenge now is to fit Yao into that system.

"I like Akeem's footwork, hook shot and the way he does a fade away jump shot," said Yao.

Yao is not expected to join the Rockets until after pre-season practice begins in October.

"I have to learn to adjust to living in the United States. It is not up to them to adjust to me," said Yao.

The U.S. team went through its sixth day of practice Wednesday, with the pace picking up to the point where several players hit the deck hard either from taking charges or battling under the boards. While other teams competing in next week's World Championships have already played several exhibitions, this will be the first for the Americans.