Yao Reports to Rockets

Finally, Yao Ming has joined the Houston Rockets.

Yao, the NBA’s overall No. 1 draft pick, landed in Houston on Sunday in time to see his new team play the Orlando Magic in an exhibition game at Compaq Center.

His arrival came after months of contract negotiations, releases from the Chinese government and a pledge of allegiance to the Chinese national team.

Yao, who led the Chinese national team to a silver medal in the recent Asian Games, signed an agreement to return home for future international competition. His four-year contract with the Rockets is worth $17.8 million.

The 7-foot-5 center will begin workouts with the Rockets to try to get ready for the Nov. 1 season opener at Denver.

The Rockets’ next exhibition game is Wednesday at San Antonio. His first chance to play before the home crowd would be Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers--if Coach Rudy Tomjanovich decides to play him.

Yao, who averaged 32.4 points and 18.9 rebounds with his club team in Shanghai last season, is the first foreign player who didn’t play college basketball in the United States to be chosen as the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick.

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Center Nate Huffman of the Toronto Raptors will undergo arthroscopic surgery today on his right knee.

The 7-foot-1 rookie is expected to be sidelined from four to six weeks. He sat out the last two exhibition games because of swelling in the knee.

Huffman, 27, signed with Toronto after averaging 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for Israeli League champion Maccabi Elite Tel-Aviv last season.