I'll admit that even I had a hard time believing Bill Walton when he was quoted as saying this after seeing Yao at the Olympics:

"Yao has a chance to alter the way the game of basketball is played,"

Um, ok, Bill. Sure.

I'm as ready as the next guy to jump on the big Chinese Connection bandwagon, but I want to be realistic as well. After spending quite some time pouring over articles about Yao and his skills, I have come to the conclusion that those who are skeptical of his playing abilities haven't seen him play because the guys who watch most closely are almost unanimously convinced.

I'm speaking of scouts and personnel directors. A journalist can call someone the next coming of Michael Jordan or Pervis Ellison and keep their job. Scouts and personnel directors put their jobs on the line when they recommend players to teams. They follow these players around sometimes for weeks or even months at a time to evaluate them on every aspect of their game and personality. So, you'll forgive me if the knowledge of a columnist in Milwaukee doesn't impress me as much as say Marty Blake.

Blake is the NBA's director of scouting services. He has been working in the NBA since the 1940's and helped found the Continental Basketball Association. Here's what he had to say about the Chinese center:

"Yao Ming is the guy. He's obviously the first pick in the draft. Ming is a great talent. He can shoot the ball, pass the ball and he can run the court. He has great legs and he is a guy you can build a team around.

He'll develop better in the NBA because you will have better coaches and play against better players. What he has been able to do by playing in China is not conducive to developing his skills even though he has been able to develop his skills. There is no X-factor about his ability." (source: CBS Sportsline)

What is important to understand is that his ability still has shortcomings. He will need to get quicker to play in the NBA. Guys here are much faster and more athletic. He will need to build strength in his upper body to battle on the low block.

Maybe most importantly, Yao will need to learn the art of basketball. He comes from a highly structured league where all the plays were called and players were expected to follow those plays without question. The NBA game is much more fluid and open. He will have to adapt just like another foreign-born center that played for the Rockets did in the 80's and 90's.

Setting that aside for the moment, the question becomes does he have the will, the intellect and the competitiveness to be successful and to grow as an NBA player? Scouts think he has the skills. What do they think about him as a person?

More good news. It appears that scouts are even more impressed with his desire and basketball IQ. Here's what one NBA scout who chose not to identify himself had to say:

"I know some people are saying he's like [Shawn] Bradley, but I disagree with that. This kid has a passion for the game; I never saw that with Bradley. This kid wants to be good." (source: Basketball News)

If you don't believe that, just listen to what Yao had to say about himself.

"I have determination like Charles Barkley. Even if Barkley never won a championship, he never lost his fire to win one. I also like his slam-dunks." (source: Christian Science Monitor)

I know you are probably thinking this column looks like a term paper without the "ibid" and "op cit" but it is important to illustrate the point that the guy's whose jobs are on the line nearly without fail believe Yao is worthy of the number one pick in the NBA draft.

From their perspective, he has the requisite skills, he certainly has the size and he appears to want to be great. It is easy for a writer or broadcaster to criticize. What do they have to lose? If they say something wrong, they just say that they didn't have all the information or that they were given incorrect information. More often than not, they simply ignore it and hope we all do as well.

Remember that Dick Vitale once traded away the number one and the number 13 picks to Boston for Bob Mcadoo. Boston turned those two picks along with another trade into Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale, two of the best players in NBA history. Again, pardon me for thinking Vitale's lack of skill as an NBA coach and GM along with his unwavering love for the Blue Devils factored into his dissing of Yao. Whatever.

I'd rather know what the guys who actually make a living deciding on the future talent in the NBA have to say, so here's a few more comments.

"There aren't many 7-foot-plus players out there, and fewer still with the talent and agility of Yao Ming.'' - Tony Barone, Personnel Director, Memphis Grizzlies (source: GoMemphis)

"The thing a lot of people need to know is he's not just some guy who happened to grow to 7-5. Yao has a pedigree, which I personally feel is important. The guy loves basketball. It's very important to him to succeed. He will meet some adversity. Adversity can overcome some guys. But it's so important to him to be a very good to great basketball player. He catches very well for someone his size. He finishes tremendously. On any type of guard penetration, those passes to him are dunks or easy layups. Those are things we do best. He has the jump hook. He can face up. Makes shots off the backboard like (Tim) Duncan, and it's hard to get to his shot because he keeps the ball up. He can pick and pop with range. He's rebounded well at all levels. This guy is going to be a top player at his position. The bet is how quickly he can get there." - Dennis Lindsey, Personnel Director, Houston Rockets (source: Houston Chronicle)

"If he was coming out of the University of Houston right now, he would be averaging 30 points, eight blocks, a bunch of rebounds, ESPN would be going crazy, Houston would be going crazy. I just love the kid. But especially being with (Rockets coach) Rudy (Tomjanovich) and playing with Steve Francis, I think great things will happen." - Tony Ronzone, Assistant Coach, Detroit Pistons, former Assistant Coach, Chinese National Team (source: Houston Chronicle)

"Skills and size, that's a lethal combination. Skills and size make (Yao) a special player. It may take him one or two years to acclimate himself and to get to where he understands his position in the NBA and the challenge of the players he's playing every day. I think that once he goes through that period, which almost every rookie -- even the great ones -- must go through, I think he'll be a great player." - Donnie Walsh, Indiana Pacers (source: Sporting News)

If that isn't convincing enough, I don't know what is. Who knows how skilled Yao will be? But, there is no question that scouts agree that he has all the tools necessary to be a productive and talented NBA player. So, next time some internet columnist or writer for the New York Post starts blathering on about how bad (or good) a player is going to be, don't rush to judgement. Just ask the guys who are paid to know.