Yao Ming's Injury Could Prove Costly to Rockets

In 2002, the Houston Rockets drafted Yao Ming with the first pick in the NBA Draft, a then-anomaly as Asian players were not that highly touted before the league’s first glance at Ming’s thin yet towering 7’6” frame. After 7 injury-plagued years in the league to moderate success, it looks as if said frame could be Ming’s undoing and could cripple the Rockets for some time to come.

Though he has been one of the more dominant centers in a time in the NBA where a quality number 5 has been hard to come by, Yao has been accused of not living up to his potential, considering the fact that the past four years have been derailed thanks to various injuries. Included in this list of ailments, ranging from osteomyelitis of his left big toe to breaking his right knee attempting to block a shot, is his most current and most potentially damaging injury: a hairline fracture in the left foot. There have been rumblings around the NBA that this injury, suffered in the Rockets’ second round loss to the Lakers, could cost Yao the season, a damaging blow to a franchise that had the eventual champion on the ropes.

This injury couldn’t come at a worse time for the Rockets, considering that last season featured their first playoff series win in more than a decade. It seemed as if next year could be the year the once mighty Rockets could break back into the top 3 in the western conference, as questions had come up about the Spurs’ age, the Nuggets’ readiness to step up, and the Lakers’ free agency woes. While the Rockets were able to exist (and some say flourish) without the services of Tracy McGrady, Ming’s injury is going to be one that hurts the most. As much as his physical presence in the paint, however frail or inept it has been accused of being, will be missed, it’s Yao’s leadership and steadiness that the Rockets will be sorely missing 4 months from now.

The other half of the Rockets' "dynamic duo", McGrady comes from the Allen Iverson School of Basketball; he will get his points night in and night out, but when it comes down to the clutch, he’ll fall short. It’ll be up to the unsung members of the Rockets to step up and make up for the lack of Yao, as McGrady’s return won’t be the spark to keep the Rockets from the lottery at the next NBA Draft. The Western Conference is a slugfest and one major injury can send a team hurdling from the perch of the conference to the depths of said lottery. With Amar’e Stoudemire being drafted in the top ten alongside Yao, one has to wonder if the Rockets have been reconsidering whether or not the big man from the big country was the smartest decision for them.

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