Yao Ming -- Career In Danger?

The Rockets report that Yao's broken foot may keep him out all of this upcoming season, and rumors are swirling that he may be done forever.

Since I am super old, let me teach you younger folk what history has taught me about talented big men with bad feet:

-- Bill Walton:

big white guy, unbelievable player, MVP of the league. For an 80 game stretch in the 1970s, he was the best player in the game. But he had foot problems before his run, and he had foot problems after his run. He played 2000 minutes in a season......once. He played 60 games in a season.......three times. He played 468 games in 13 years (including 3 seasons in which he did not play at all). So, about 38 games a year (and even in "healthy" years, 46.8 games).

Yet Portland got a title out of the guy and so did Boston (as a reserve where he played 80 games and won Sixth Man of the Year).


Sam Bowie:

Would you like a center who averaged 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks a game while shooting about 50% from the floor? I sure as hell would.

Well, meet Sam Bowie in Year 1 of his career. He posted similar numbers in Year 2 before injuries brought him down. In 1985-89, Sam Bowie played 63 total games and about 1,700 total minutes. He also missed an entire year.

Bowie, by the by, was then traded to New Jersey for........BUCK WILLIAMS!!! (Yes, that is correct, the Portland team that threatened for the title twice was powered, in part, by the Sam Bowie pick). Bowie suddenly regained his health in NJ, but he had lost his explosive shotblocking ability (his one high end NBA skill) and he toiled as an adequate NBA center for 4 years before 2 disappointing seasons with the Lakers ended his career.

-- Zydrunas Ilgauskas --

a brighter story for the Rockets; a guy with bad feet as a young man, he played nearly 2,400 minutes his rookie year and then had a three year stretch where he played a total of 2,100 minutes (91 total games).

But a surgery that, as I recall, involved some big-old screws fixed Z's feet and from age 27 to 32 he averaged about 2,300 minutes a year and played in virtually every Cavs game. He has slowed substantially at age 33, but he still is very effective in a 1/2 time role (except when forced to guard Dwight Howard).


SUMMARY:

Worst case for Houston? Walton. Let's face it, there was no way Portland could hold onto the guy, the Clippers used him part time and he only managed one last final run as a Celtic by the grace of God (played 10 games the following year).

Medium Case: Bowie -- you concede that the guy isn't going to ever be a reliable force and you deal him for someone who helps you to a conference championship

Best Case: Ilgauskas -- let's face it, Z has amazed us and has been the same player post-injury as he was pre-injury. In fact, his top 4 shotblocking years have been post-injury.


HM