Yao Ming is such a talent, so prodigious in both size and skill, that he's made the Rockets his team in just over a year.

Now, says coach Jeff Van Gundy, the only thing keeping the 7-foot-6 Yao from dominating the whole NBA might be Yao himself.

In Houston's 86-75 win over the Nets last night, Yao showed why developing a nasty streak on the court is the one hole in his game.

Yao towered over the Nets, but despite playing a team without forwards Kenyon Martin and Rodney Rogers, the Rocket center too often was invisible.

He showed flashes of brilliance among his 10 points and 11 boards - but not what Van Gundy calls the "disposition to dominate."

"There's no physical basketball skill that he doesn't have," Van Gundy said. "But that disposition to dominate every night [is missing]. He's a very kind man, which is great. But at some point you have to develop that disposition [that], if you get 10 [points] early and they're playing you single coverage, to want to get 12, 14, 16. That disposition is what stars have, and it's in the early stages of [Yao's] development.

"I love his humility. But you don't want him trying so hard to fit in that he can't stand out. If he gets single coverage every time, he should be thinking score every time."

Last season, Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 49.8 percent shooting. He came into last night averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 boards and 64.3 percent shooting - the latter second-best in the NBA. But against the Nets, he didn't even take his second shot until 8:58 was left in the second quarter.

When he got position, there was a highlight-quality spin move around Alonzo Mourning and a baseline jam. But too often he deferred to lesser teammates, or settled for long jumpers.

"I have to be meaner," acknowledged Yao, who has worked with assistant coach Patrick Ewing to develop a more aggressive, physical style.

"There is a cultural difference, but there are also aggressive players in China."

Said the Nets' Jason Kidd: "He might be too unselfish, but that's never a problem. He's getting more confident. It's a matter of time before he really dominates this game."

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