I found it extremely difficult to find the right piece of sports news to comment on for this week's column. There was no specific event that warranted the type of in-depth, sarcastic observations you've become accustomed to reading every week. That said, I felt obligated to break out one of two important issues that deserve greater analysis. I want to talk about Yao Ming and how he may best be remembered. First, I believe it is important to establish what he is and what he is not. In order to place his statistics into the proper context, it is only fair first to establish that it took over a month of the regular season for Yao to become accustomed to NBA-style basketball both on and off the court. So we can only begin to put his performance into the proper context. Over the course of the 20 games he's started, his stats are good, but not great. And they definitely do not represent the type of skill that demands a starting All-Star nod in place of Shaquille O'Neal.

Yao (in the games he's started) averages 15.8 points per game, 10.3 rebounds, two assists, and two and-a-half blocks. He's shooting a hair under 50 percent from the field and nearly 83 percent from the free throw line. If people want to compare him to "The Man" over in L.A., then we should realize that Shaq didn't miss a beat upon his return from off-season toe surgery. He's averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and close to four blocks, while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and 59.2 percent from the charity stripe.

You have to compare Yao to other top rookie centers that have come into the league and realize that he matches up most favorably to former Pistons pivot Bob Lanier and former Cleveland Cavalier Brad Daughert. Unfortunately for Yao loyalists, Daugherty's numbers are the closer of the two. Why then, does Yao continue to warrant such complementary international and domestic press? Well, to put it gently: He is different. Obvious to most is that Yao is 7 feet 5 inches and a Chinese basketball player attempting to dominate an historically American game. Therefore, every move in the post, alley-oop slam and blocked shot warrant overblown coverage from ESPN to Chinese government television.

Sadly, when comparing Yao to centers of the past who were over 7 feet 4 inches tall, he currently ranks below all-time underachievers such as Manute Bol, Gheorge Muresean, Mark Eaton, Rik Smits and Ralph Sampson (in points, rebounds and blocks). No sweat, though, at least he's ranked above colossal busts Chuck Nevitt and Priest Lauderdale.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that Yao will just improve over time as so many of the others have, in due course. But the torch is in no way being passed from Wilt to Kareem to Shaq to Yao. His game is void of significant luster and would benefit from major NBA rule changes or new coaching tactics before he makes a greater impact.

Hopefully Yao will continue to churn out comedic gems such as his Apple Computer commercial with Verne Troyer ("Mini-Me") and daily quotes that feature obscure Buddhist folk tales.





--Brian Ashin'03 submits a column to the Justice

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