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Where EAST meets the Northwest
SIDELINED. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, center, of China, looks on as teammate Luis Scola, right, of Argentina is introduced before an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards last month in Houston. It was announced recently that Yao was lost for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)
From The Asian Reporter, V18, #11 (March 11, 2008), page 8 & 9.
Yao and Yi suffer from the NBA’s punishing seasons
By Mike Street
Special to The Asian Reporter
Just as the Houston Rockets seemed to be putting all the pieces together for a playoff run, the shocking news came that dominant Chinese center Yao Ming will miss significant time due to injury for the third time in the past three seasons. On February 25, the Rockets announced they had diagnosed a stress fracture in Yao’s left foot, which began hurting him before the All-Star break, and that Yao would miss the remainder of the season. Once again, Yao and his fans must shift into the subjunctive mood and speak about What Might Have Been this season. Yao’s appearance in the Beijing Olympic Games may even be in doubt, which would leave Milwaukee Bucks’ power forward Yi Jianlian as the only current NBA player on China’s national team.
With all the abuse placed on their lower extremities from leaping up and down on a wooden floor and the scrums they fight in to make blocks and secure rebounds, tall players tend to have problems with their feet and legs; Yao has been no exception. An infected toe led him to miss 21 games in 2005 before a broken left foot ended his season prematurely in March 2006. In December 2006, Yao broke his right fibia, putting him out of action for three months. As understandable as they are, Yao’s injuries have also curtailed spectacular seasons.
Yao had been averaging a double-double for the first time in his career when his 2005-06 season ended early, and he was a candidate for Most Valuable Player before his December 2006 letdown. This year, he had again been averaging a team-high 22 points and almost 11 rebounds per game and had been the starting All-Star center selection for the sixth straight year. With superstars Yao and Tracy McGrady both healthy and playing well, the Rockets had been widely regarded as a championship contender, especially of late. After staggering to a 15-16 start in all of 2007’s games, Houston had exploded into the new year. The team was 10-4 in January and undefeated in February when the shocking announcement was made.
Now the Rockets must look to 41-year-old backup Dikembe Mutombo for its inside presence as it tries to shine in one of the NBA’s strongest divisions. They share the Southwest Division with the champion San Antonio Spurs, perennial contenders the Dallas Mavericks, and this year’s surprising New Orleans Hornets. During Houston’s fantastic 2008, San Antonio has gone 17-9, the Hornets have gone 15-4, and Dallas is 18-7, which is why the Rockets remain in the seventh playoff spot, in spite of their strong surge.
As for Yao himself, he faces surgery to insert screws that will hold the broken bones together, and he hopes he can heal in time for this summer’s Beijing Olympics. If not, the team will rely heavily on its other export to the NBA, rookie Yi Jianlian, who has had to adjust to both a new team and city.
After being chosen sixth overall, Yi was reluctant to play for Milwaukee, citing the lack of a strong local Chinese community and his desire to play significant minutes.
Some of Yi’s concerns have been addressed this season, as the Bucks have already responded to his presence with the launching of a Chinese language newspaper, The Milwaukee Chinese Times, which published its first issue December 29.
Yi’s minutes, on the other hand, have come and gone. After a shaky November, Yi increased his stats in virtually every category, including a .503 shooting percentage and 6.6 rebounds per game, earning him December Rookie of the Month honors. He put together a 22-point outburst against Minnesota and racked up his first career double-double against Charlotte, pouring in 29 points and 10 rebounds. Both games were victories for the Bucks — only half of their wins for the month — and they remain at a lackluster 22-37 for the season.
During his run, Yi had been starting for Milwaukee, but his production fell off in January, just as Charlie Villenueva — his rival for the power-forward position — surged. A shoulder strain on February 4 put Yi on the bench, and it wasn’t until Villenueva injured his ankle a few weeks later that Yi saw significant playing time again. The Bucks held Villenueva out through the All-Star break, and since his return, Yi has yet to return to a starting role.
Yao endured a similar roller-coaster ride in his rookie season, peaking in December before slipping back the rest of the year. Both Chinese stars are learning that the NBA season is long and gruelling, and one can only hope that Yi does not suffer the same heartbreaking results as Yao. Regardless, both will now look to next season to continue their improvement, with Yao hoping he can shake the injury bug once and for all, and Yi hoping his team can coalesce around him the way the Rockets have around his taller, more experienced countryman.