Yao Ming To Retire?

By: Stephen Patterson

While talking to the Chinese media, Yao Ming recently said he may call it a career after this season if he can't completely recover from his lingering foot injuries. He had previously said he would no longer play for the Chinese national team, which sparked controversy in his native country, but this is the first time he has publicly said he might call it a career in the NBA as well.

During his conversation with the reporters, Ming said "If the foot injury does not heal next season, I might choose to call it quits". There were reports after the injury occurred during the 2008-09 postseason against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round that it could be career threatening, and he was forced to miss all of last season due to the broken foot.

Yao has a history of injuries to his feet and knees, and has missed more game than he has played over the past few seasons. While he was an All-Star when healthy, Yao never lived up to the expectations placed upon him when he arrived in the NBA. Even though it pains me to say it, his career stats are slightly higher than I thought they would be at this point (I thought he would be a total bust), but he has still been riddled with injuries and never taken Houston past the second round of the playoffs.

Ming is scheduled to earn $17.7 million from the Houston Rockets this season in the final year of his contract, and it is highly unlikely they will pay him nearly that much if he comes back to the franchise. He hasn't been able to stay healthy and he hasn't even gotten the team to the Western Conference Finals during his eight seasons in the league. He will turn 30 in September, and is already on the down side of his career for a center even if he didn't have the history of injuries.

He also angered his native country during the interview when he stated the chances of him appearing in the 2012 Olympics for China were "very small". While he previously played almost every game he was available to suit up for with the national team, he has finally realized that his body can't even handle the NBA season, much less any additional competition. In my opinion, even if Yao doesn't retire and he plays a few more seasons, he will never be a star for a team and probably won't even average a double double again. I also think he will be finding a new home after next season if he does continue playing in the NBA, as Houston needs to move on and finish their overhaul in an attempt to change the franchises' fortunes.