Yao, the romantic. (Insider).

Oh, take out those hankies and be prepared to swoon, ladles and gentlemen, because when the Rockets made Chinese star Yao Ming the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, they did not just draft a 7-5 center. They drafted a basketball Casanova.

In an interview with China's Titan Sports, Yao had this to say: "Every sound in the gym is so fantastic. The screams of the fans, the whistle of the ref, the teammates calling to each other, the sounds of the ball touching the wooden floor, the sneakers touching the floor, and the sounds of the fight, the muscle and the sweat. Oh, and the last one--when the ball goes through the net. Don't laugh at my sensitivity and romanticism, those sounds really attract me."

This is the Yao that a billion or so Chinese fans know, the one who is at times moody, at times witty and at times overly sensitive.

By now, we have seen enough of Yao to know that he has the size and skill to justify the Rockets' use of the first pick on him. What we don't know is whether he has the toughness to translate talent into success and whether he has the mentality to handle everything that comes along with playing in the league.

Yao will be in a fishbowl, but it will be a fishbowl unlike any other.

"It will take time to adapt, but I think I can handle it," Yao says. "I don't know how easy or hard it will be, but I think I can have help with it, too."

Yao must adapt to a new culture and language and must do so without his close friends and family, who might come to Houston later in the season. He also must adapt to big-league scrutiny, the kind he never has gotten in China. The NBA makes it a point to provide reporters with access to players daily. In China, players deal with media only if they want to.