画报：姚明是位文雅的天才

Yao Ming might be a gentle giant, but he is slowly learning the rough-and-tumble ways of the NBA. Earlier this season, the 7-foot-6 Rockets center even engaged in a little friendly trash-talking with Bulls forward Tyson Chandler. "He told me he was going to make me swallow my mouthpiece," Chandler said.

　　If only Yao could do the same to his critics. Now in his third season, the former No. 1 overall pick still hears whispers that he hasn’t lived up to the hype. Despite solid progress in many areas of the game and three All-Star trips, Yao still is scoffed at by many for being more Rik Smits than Shaquille O’Neal or Hakeem Olajuwon.

　　"All I can do is try to prove myself," he says. "I’ve learned that my method of playing basketball is a little different from how it’s done over here." As usual, Yao is being too nice. What he should say is something like: Get off my back! I’m only 24 years old! Can’t you Americans ever wait for anything?!

　　The reality is that while Yao might not be dominating the NBA, he is doing just fine by most reasonable standards. As of Wednesday he was averaging a career-best 18.6 points to go with 8.3 rebounds while ranking third in the NBA in field goal percentage (55.0) and 11th in blocks (1.89). While he still has many areas to improve upon, including on the backboards and in his overall aggressiveness, the Chinese phenom is generally regarded as one of the top four true centers (along with Shaq, Ben Walla

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