I like Wilbon as well, and PTI is one of my favorite sports shows. Good article, and even though I really think he should retire for his health, if he is determined to play I wouldn't mind having him as a true off the bench role player with a largely reduced salary. He is still Yao Ming after-all, but if he does decide to play again, he should step down as the player in which the team revolves around on the court.
OK. I will ask the Question. Would his career have been longer and better served if he had remained the 'soft' 7 footer shooting from the elbow and making dynamic passes, that he was under Rudy? Instead of the Grind it out downlow monster he was under JVG? Rocket River Rocket River
It would be better if he sat at home playing counterstrike and transported himself via segway....otherwise, no.
I never thought Yao's stress fractures were caused by playing in the post. I always believed (and still do) that they were caused by running up and down the court and jumping for rebounds and shots. Those feet have seen a lot of hardwood in his life. Yao impacted me greatly by getting me interested in the Rockets again after Hakeem was traded. I could not have been more curious about anything than how this unknown Chinese giant was going to do in the NBA, playing with the likes of Stevie Franchise. Yao never made it to the very summit of the sport, but it was incredibly fun and interesting to watch him. It will be interesting to see how his story continues to unfold. I've always thought that Yao could help revolutionize Chinese sports training. With all of the rehab and training he went through, he knows what it takes to rebuild athletes' bodies and stamina. He's seen the best of Eastern and Western medicine and training techniques. Who better than Yao?
Players of yao's figure are supposed to be playing less, but yao managed to play much more than even the most durable players in the leagure( nonstop all year basketball in half a decade). Now people are supprised that he's injured so often lately?! Of course nobody cares of that because he's 'supposed' to deliver, China will blame Rockets' usage of yao, Rockets will blame it on his national team commitment, and NBA fans only care about why he can't be the next 'dream'. If we can go back to 2002, I'm sure we can find a way for him to be the real durable big thing. Things could be done: Less upbody strength training, less defending pnr on perimeter, more precaution and find one more backup center other than old&effective Mutombo... To me, yao's first year is the most exciting one. Not enough strength(enough to destroy Bladley though) but plenty of mobility, creativity and shooting touch. I can live with a more durable and rich man's Pau Gasol any day of the week.
I attribute Yao's problems, in large part, to only wearing an 18 size shoe. Seriously, at his size, he should be wearing something in the lower to mid 20s. The weight distribution would be spread more evenly and not focused on such fragile, crucial bones in his feet and ankles. Sadly, there is nothing he can do about that.
Great article by wilbon, one of the view guys at espn that truly is a basketball diehard. He knows more about the current NBA than any of the so called experts on their shows.
Whoa there partner!!! Let's not get carried away. Yao has earned his money and meant a lot to the game internationally. But he ain't the Tyler Rose!!
Like Earl Campbell, he's a genetic marvel, who was fated to play on teams that were never good enough to go all the way, and his body was prematurely broken down through over use.
He should have never played more than 30 minutes a game. I don't know if that would have made a difference, but it would have been a good start.
it was cool that they went to sam cassell to give comments on Yao. maybe in the future, coach Cassell will come back home
why would you want a 7'6" guy on the elbow making dynamic passes? he should be on the block moving bodies.
I think the fact that all the stress fractures happened on his left foot shows that it likely had something to do with him playing in the low post. Left is his pivot, so it took most of stress while wrestling with his opponents.
I recall the time around when we drafted Yao, and learned part of the deal for China to let him play was that he had to be available for their summer competitions. I remember even now what a bad idea that sounded like. And now in retrospect, cant deny it probably accelerated his injury proneness. Would he have had this type of injury(s) if he had had summers off? Maybe. Would they have occurred later in his career? Probably. Could he have avoided injury altogether? Probably not.
He never should have played during the summer, playing almost 5 straight years in the nba and the Olympics it has literally destroyed his body, but what can you say, Yao is a guy full of pride and would never let his country down.
