Yao Ming Retires: What Does This Mean for the NBA Big Man?

Yao Ming's retirement is another blow in for the traditional NBA center. The league is no longer ruled by giants. It is ruled by giant-killers.

A tall, powerful, post-up center is no longer necessary to succeed in the NBA.

What does Yao's retirement mean for NBA big men? Not much initially, due to his tragic irrelevance from foot injuries the past few seasons. However, it is a continuation of a larger NBA trend.

To succeed you must become quicker, more powerful and more athletic. Not taller.

With Yao and Shaq riding into the sunset, Dwight Howard must carry the mantle of the overpowering NBA center. The dominating players in the game today are not 7-foot post players.

They are athletic slashers who can score from anywhere on the floor.

If you ask for a name of the best players of the 2010-2011 season the list would probably look like this: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, etc.

Dwight Howard is the only true center who would crack the top 10. The list 15 years ago would probably look like this: Jordan, Olajuwon, Shaq, Robinson, Ewing.

Over the last 20 years the production at center has changed. Looking at the point totals for players who primarily played center during the 2010-2011:

Dwight Howard: 22.9
Brooke Lopez: 20.4
Al Horford: 15.3
Andrew Bogut: 12.8
Roy Hibbert: 12.7

These are all good players, but Hall of Famers? Howard is probably the only one in the conversation.

Now looking at 1993-1995 (years without Jordan). Here are the top center averages.

David Robinson: 29.8
Shaquille O'Neal: 29.3
Hakeem Olajuwon: 27.3
Patrick Ewing: 24.5
Alonzo Mourning: 21.5

All players that are or will be enshrined in Springfield.

Granted, this is not a complete statistical analysis of the best NBA players. But can you name a true dominating center of the past 10 years? Only Yao, Howard and Shaq are the only centers that have truly made an statistical impact in the past decade.

There are big men who still dominate (Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Amar'e Stoudemire), but they are not in the classic center mold.

This doesn't mean that short guys will be taking over the NBA any time soon. It just means the role of the five spot is evolving. More centers will be like Tyson Chandler.

Their first role will be to play defense and rebound and then be a second or third scoring option. Or the tall guys will be wing players who can shoot the three and play a mid-range game.

So goodbye, Yao Ming, a nation (of 1.3 billion) turns its lonely eyes to you. You are the last of a breed.