The Rise and Fall Of Yao Ming

Yao Ming is the center of attention in an off-season that’s been nothing short of a whirlwind stretch for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are coming of one of there most successful seasons since Hakeem Olajuwon bolted for Toronto.

A 53 and 29 record and a second round birth proved to be a successful step forward for a franchise that rightfully so has not been taken seriously since the “Clutch City” days. Going into the off season the Rockets had to have been feeling optimistic, anticipating that Yao Ming would be healthy to start training camp next year, and Ron Artest had vocally stated he would like to remain a Rocket after posting up successful numbers in his first year.

Also knowing that Tracy McGrady was a valuable piece whether or not he would be in a Rocket uniform did not hurt the cause, now it seems like the logical choice for the Rockets is to keep him on the roster and get him back on the court as soon as he’s ready to play.

All of these different scenarios changed the minute the Rockets realized that Yao Ming’s recovery was not going according to plan. Yao has been the centerpiece (no pun intended) of this team since the day he was drafted June 26th 2002.

I still remember the day; I was in my room waiting for the Rockets to make Yao Ming an official member of the team. It was incredible to see how all of China the most populated country had there eyes glued to the television set, with such proud smiles on there faces, knowing that this was going to be such a historic day for a communist driven country.

A country that was surprisingly willing to share Yao Ming with the rest of the world. A decision that was well thought out by both countries, and a situation that would give Yao Ming endless opportunities to shine.

From a business aspect it was a win—win situation for the NBA and China. Houston a culturally diverse community was a great market for Yao to succeed in. David Stern could not have been any happier to welcome Yao to the states; he knew this would open up endless possibilities for the National Basketball Association.

Basketball without borders, a wide range of players with different skill sets mixed into one league, what could be better? The potential of having every country represented in one league, not only brought uniqueness to the game, but also sent a strong message of equality and opportunity. Up to a certain point and time international players had to have felt that it was a long shot to ever play in the best basketball league in the world.

Yao Ming without any choice of his own carried a country on his back that’s filled with dreamers who in some ways didn’t know the NBA was a realistic option. Now every other block in the streets of China has an outdoor basketball court with kids from the community playing and looking up to there role model Yao Ming.

I think at times people tend to forget or downplay what Yao Ming has done for his country, and how much responsibility he carries outside of just playing basketball. Yao has always had a demanding path to success.

He has had to find a balance in making his NBA career successful, all while not insulting or forgetting about the country that gave him this wonderful opportunity. A responsibility of epic proportions, that no other NBA player can relate to

The minute Yao landed in Houston it was instant media frenzy. A large mix of American press along with a huge outpouring of support from the Chinese National media. Keeping two countries happy was not going to be easy. But from the looks of things, Yao Ming was what the business world called an "instant success factor."

The great thing about sports is it brings a city together, no matter what race or ethnicity you are or what life throws at you there is always sports to come home to. Yao Ming instantly caused a spark in the city of Houston, an optimistic feeling that had been lost for so long. This was the glamorous part of the journey, but lets stop and put ourselves in Yao Ming’s shoes for a moment.

Think about the culture shock he must have felt, the secluded environment he was coming from, all while being thrown into the demanding heart of the media. This was certainly a tough transition that most people in this world do not go through. The great thing about Yao was his sense of humor.

Even though he did not know English, he was a quick learner and adapted to our community in ways that people loved. His patience is what caught most people of guard. Every single day he was pounded with questions of doubt, and anticipation, but Yao always remained cool and calm, and did not let the stressful introduction to the media detour his main goal.

When Yao was drafted by the Rockets, Rudy Tomjonavich was coaching, and boy was that one interesting ride. Just trying to explain a play to Yao in practice was like opening up a whole new world of basketball, yet the Rockets made it work.

Yao's popularity and skill level grew year by year. Yao broke the record for most votes in an All Star Game in 2005 racking up a staggering 2,558,278 votes. It seemed like nothing could stop Yao from being a great basketball player and a global icon for his country.

When things are going good, you forget the possibility of bad, it becomes invisible. Well the phrase "its to good to be true" could not have made more sense to some Rockets fans by Yaos fourth season in the league. A whirlwind of inures, had everyone doubting Yaos resiliency.

The Injuries Begin

The first three years of Yao Ming’s career were clearly years of transition and maturity. Certain people doubted his abilities, one could not even pronounce his name correctly

Charles Barkely - "Chow Mang can not score more than 20 points in a game!"

Kenny Smith - " Its Yao Ming, do you ever stop thinking of food?"

Yao proved that he was the real deal, year by year getting better and better. By his fourth season in the league at a point where people expected Yao to really enter his prime, injuries slowly started to take over his career. His first diagnosis involved his big toe on his left foot.

Yao missed 21 games but quickly returned and had an excellent second half of the season averaging 25ppg and around 10 rebounds, proving that he was a hard and determined worker. In his fifth season Yao was playing some of the best basketball of his career, to the point where he was being mentioned as an MVP candidate. On December 23, 2006 Yao broke his right knee and yet again was sidelined killing high hopes from his worldwide fan base. Fans in Houston began to see a trend, and questioned whether or not Yao was capable of handling a rigorous NBA season. Yao continued to have issues with his lower body the next season, along with Tracy McGrady’s sporadic absences the Rockets never really culminated into an actual team.

This season was a positive one for Yao, which is what makes this whole ordeal even tougher to analyze. Yao played 77 games, the most he had played in a few years, but yet again injured himself during the playoffs.

So the question still lies, is Yao Ming capable of playing big minutes throughout an NBA season? There are important factors to be taken into consideration; Yao has been committed to his Chinese National team, which has led to Yao playing year round basketball.

Now you don’t have to be a genius to realize, a man of his stature can only handle so much wear and tear in one year. Because he is such a committed and genuine person, he keeps his complaints to the side and does what he is told to do.

Unfortunately this has led the Rockets into uncharted territory. What do they do with Yao Ming, and will he ever be able to play at full strength ever again? Yaos contract expires in the 2010/2011 season. The Rockets obviously still need to see how effective this surgery will be, but until then the Rockets are in a "halt" mode position.

Revolving around Yao Ming has become a huge burden, but in hindsight it was the obvious route to take. Its not everyday you find a legit center that you can build around similar to Yao.

I don’t think any fan wants to see Yao end his career due to injury, he has made such a huge impact in so many people lives, and has been on such a long journey, but the history and facts show that Yao Ming may very well be done with basketball on a superstar scale. Its a really sour feeling from a fans point of view, that I could not even imagine how Yao Ming feels.

From a fans perspective it almost feels like Yao has been treated like a "workhorse" in the sense he has been worked to the point of no return. In some ways you feel like maybe Yao has taken on more than he can handle, but ambitious people tend to do that.

They try to be the nice guy in every aspect of life, but in Yaos case he may have been to nice, which has resulted in a shortened career. Whether you are a fan of Yao Ming or not, his maturity, respectability, and passion for the game will never be questioned or forgotten.