Missing Yao Ming

Most of the news about the NBA over the next couple of months will be dominated by talk of the lock out.  It won't be much fun.

The NBA news cycle got even worse a few days ago when Yao Ming, just 30-years-old, retired due to injuries that have limited him to only five games since the 2009 playoffs.

I remember going to the Garden (or whatever the hell it was called back then) to see Yao as a rookie with the Rockets.  My brother and I got there early enough to see warmups and watching Yao nail three-pointers with ease and then execute a variety of hook shots with both hands from spots all around the basket convinced me that this 7-5 monster had the skill set to dominate the NBA.  Sadly, his health problems prevented him from becoming the player he could have been.

Yao is the 21st Century version of Bill Walton.  After leaving China to come to America following his selection by the Houston Rockets as the top overall pick in the 2002 Draft he established himself as one of the great centers of his generation only to have his career derailed by constant foot injuries, similar to what Walton faced in the NBA after his legendary career at UCLA.  In his first three seasons, Yao played in 244 out of 246 games but after that he only played in as many as 77 regular season games one time (2008-2009).  It is a shame that we did not get to see Yao be healthy during his prime just like fans a generation ago lament they missed the best years of Walton's career.

Despite the premature end, Yao still has a good case for the Hall of Fame.  His NBA career was highlighted by eight trips to the All-Star Game (2003-2009 and 2011), some of which were aided by the 1.3-billion people in China having the ability to vote for the hero on the internet, two appearances on the All-NBA Second Team (2007 and 2009), and three appearances on the All-NBA Third Team (2004, 2006, and 2008).  His contributions to the global game are also important and we are already seeing the potential of China as a world basketball power less than ten years after Yao came to the NBA.  Along with Dirk Nowitzki, Yao did as much for earning respect for international players in America as anyone who ever played the game and that is just as important as any trophies or awards he could have earned.

The one major blemish on Yao's resume is his lack of playoff success.  The Rockets made the playoffs just four times in his career and advanced past the first round just once, in 2009.  A lack of support from his teammates - Tracy McGrady, one of the most overrated "stars" in NBA history was the best player that Yao ever played with - was the major cause for this but it will still be a mark against him.  The irony is that in the second round of the '09 playoffs, he was on the verge of tearing apart the Lakers (he had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1, hat tip to Jonathan Abrams at Grantland) but a foot fracture ended his season and ultimately his career.

As a diehard NBA fan I will always wish Yao stayed healthy because in an era in which there are no other premiere centers playing in their primes except Dwight Howard, he would have dominated and provided basketball fans with great memories.