'Rocky' arrested on harassment charges

DENVER - Ken Solomon, who is employed by the Denver Nuggets as their mascot, "Rocky," was arrested Friday on charges of first- degree criminal trespass and harassment after an altercation with his ex-wife.

Solomon, 36, was booked into Arapahoe County jail and was held without bond.

According to an Arapahoe County Sheriff's report, Solomon showed up unexpectedly at a Denver-area doctor's office where Solomon's wife and their three children had an afternoon appointment. Solomon, who has been divorced from his wife for the past two years, reportedly became engaged in an argument with the doctor after voicing his request to be present at the session.

The report states that Solomon's wife then left the office and was followed by her ex-husband to her vehicle. After more arguing, Solomon's wife drove away, with Solomon in pursuit. Solomon entered his ex-wife's residence in Centennial and prevented her from closing the automatic garage door. According to the report, while at the residence, he continued to harass, annoy and alarm his ex-wife.

Sheriff's deputies then took Solomon into custody.

"I don't think it's fair to comment," said Tommy Sheppard, Nuggets director of player relations. "We don't have enough information about it."

A stand-in "Rocky" mascot was at Pepsi Center on Friday, but kept a low profile.

YAO IN THE HOUSE: Yao Ming's traveling show made its first stop in Denver.

The NBA's top pick in the June draft isn't starting for the Houston Rockets, but that isn't enough to keep three media members from China from following Yao's every move, on and off the court. The 7-foot-5, 296-pound Yao - supported by surprisingly thick legs - is the third Chinese player to appear in the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers' Wang Zhizhi and ex-Nugget Mengke Bateer beat him to the world's top basketball league.

But neither garnered the attention of Yao. A small contingent of fans cheered him Friday when he entered the game with 3 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first quarter. Yao, making Denver's 7-footers seem small, controlled the middle, gathering seven rebounds and redirecting countless shots. But he scored just 2 points in 13 minutes, pushing his season average (after a scoreless opener) to 1.0 per game.

BACK IN TOWN: It was Marcus Camby who was supposed to prop up the Denver Nuggets through the early stages of their vast rebuilding project.

But when it came time to start, the 6-11 veteran center's uniform was a suit, tie and crutches. He was the one needing support.

Three weeks after hip surgery, Camby arrived in Denver just in time to catch the home opener. Camby had surgery on Oct. 10 and has spent the time since rehabilitating the injury - and hanging out with his former Knicks teammates, particularly Latrell Sprewell - at home in New York.

NUGGET NUGGETS: Denver held a moment of silence for ex-Nugget Bison Dele, believed to be lost at sea this summer. ... General manager Kiki Vandeweghe addressed the crowd before the game, calling fans "the most important part of our family. ... We're going to work our hardest to be your team." ... Houston's Glen Rice didn't play, due to a knee strain.

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