Thursday, October 12, 2006

Yao is out again; Fears are in

Chinese basketball fans should be watching the CBA. Houston Rockets fans should be celebrating their win against the Grizzlies in their opening preseason game. Yao Ming fans should be revving up to watch Yao in action for the 2006-2007 season. Instead, every fan in those three categories are looking at this news article from the Houston Chronicle. The long and the short of it is that Yao is sidelined again, and this time for 10 days. The worries are not over the missed time (10 days in the preseason is not a big deal at all). It's the fact that, once again, Yao is missing time. And it's not missed time from unrelated injuries. It's the same toe, again and again. This is a problem that Yao has had for over a year.

Perhaps the first question this raises is whether Yao is still durable. For the first three years of his career, Yao missed two games in total. Now, a year and 27 missed games later, there a question. Just a whisper, but if he misses time in the season, then those whispers will come out in the open.

And how tragic would it be for a guy like Yao, with an indomitable spirit, and an unquenched will to work, to become just another guy who could have been so much better, but got overtaken by injuries. In every sport, in every league, you can name guys whose careers were interrupted, shortened, or even cancelled altogether because of their injuries. Perhaps the first NBA player to come to mind would be Bill Walton. How ironic would it be if Yao, who was hyped by Walton from the very beginning, would become like him?

Chinese basketball fans should be watching the CBA. Houston Rockets fans should be celebrating their win against the Grizzlies in their opening preseason game. Yao Ming fans should be revving up to watch Yao in action for the 2006-2007 season. Instead, every fan in those three categories are looking at this news article from the Houston Chronicle. The long and the short of it is that Yao is sidelined again, and this time for 10 days. The worries are not over the missed time (10 days in the preseason is not a big deal at all). It's the fact that, once again, Yao is missing time. And it's not missed time from unrelated injuries. It's the same toe, again and again. This is a problem that Yao has had for two years.

Perhaps the first question this raises is whether Yao is still durable. For the first three years of his career, Yao missed two games in total. Now, a year and 27 missed games later, there a question. Just a whisper, but if he misses time in the season, then those whispers will come out in the open. And this quote from Yao's personal trainer, Keith Jones, will only make them louder:

When asked if Yao could have such problems as long as he plays basketball, Rockets trainer Keith Jones said: "It's possible. It's very possible.


And how tragic would it be for a guy like Yao, with an unquenchable will to work, and a great willingness to play through pain, to become just another guy who could have been so much better, but got overtaken by injuries. In every sport, in every league, you can name guys whose careers were interrupted, shortened, or even cancelled altogether because of their injuries. Perhaps the first NBA player to come to mind would be Bill Walton. How ironic would it be if Yao, who was hyped by Walton from the very beginning, would become like him?

However, below those concerns is the underlying question – did Yao bring this upon himself? There is a delicate balance for a professional athlete as to whether he should continue playing despite an injury, or to sit out to avoid aggravating it further. His doctor can advise and recommend, but the decision is ultimately in the player's hands. Throughout his career, Yao has been choosing to keep on playing, and has focused on the short-term, even though it hurt him in the long run. I find it so sad that Yao's career could be messed up because of a few decisions early in his career that were made with the best intentions, yet hurt him a lot later on.

Is this too doom and gloom? As a Yao fan, I am desperately hoping that I'm overreacting. 80 games a year, every year, is still possible in Yao's career, but right now it's looking a lot less likely than it was two years ago.

No comments: