I feel I have to say something

There have been a plethora of articles, blog posts and internet rumblings written about Yao in the last day and a half. It's a shame that this doesn't happen for one of 5 guys in the NBA averaging 20 and 10 without it having to be about an injury. It's even more of a shame that these articles mostly seem to focus on calling China out and insinuating that they are behind him sitting out the rest of the season. And most of the ones that aren't putting blame on China are actually coming from China in forms such as Titan Sports saying the Rockets playing Yao so much is why he is injured. Titan actually tried to say that the Rockets lack of a substitute for Yao is why he is injured. I don't throw the term idiots out very often, but there are a lot of those writing in the last day and a half, a lot.


Here's what really happened: Yao is 7'6 and 300+ pounds. He runs hard, he cuts hard and he jumps high, he puts that weight on a size 18 foot. You know what happens when you do that? You quite probably get a stress fracture. You know who is to blame for this? No one. Not the Rockets for playing him the normal, or in some cases lower than normal, minutes expected of a superstar. Not the Rockets training staff for not finding it sooner. They found it in a few weeks,, players have had stress fractures not found for many months. Not China for making him play for the National team, because that is extremely overrated. Basketball players do not really rest in the off-season, at least not the driven ones like Yao. They play in summer leagues and in the Olympics most days of the off-season. Neither the Rockets nor China are to blame, period, end of story.

You know who else isn't at fault? Yao. He wants what is best for everyone even at the jeopardy of himself, I 100% guarantee you that if the Rockets told him that he could play and it wouldn't get worse and that he could also play in the Olympics he would do it. Asking him to play on this injury is selfish and idiotic, it would effectively end his career. Do we really want him to end up like Bill Walton? On the plus side Yao isn't smoking up to forget his troubles and ruining his career by playing on this anyway. He is wisely shutting it down, not because he doesn't love the Rockets or doesn't want to honor his contract, but because he does not want his career to end this way.

Here is the big picture: The Olympics to me are more important, plain and simple. Your country should come shortly after God and family in my book, and for Yao, as the face of Chinese sports, that is doubly true. Yao is too good of a person and to loyal of a teammate to allow that to cloud his judgement, he is out because he has to be. And even if 51% of him does want to play in the Olympics first and foremost, who is to blame him? I know in this day and age when NBA players repeatedly puss out of representing our country it's easy to overlook how big of an honor the Olympics are. At one point in time these guys took it as an honor and a privilege to play in the summer games, now some would besmirch Yao for doing what is right for him and in the short run his country. I for one will not do that.


Good luck to you Yao, get healed up, come back pissed off and destroy these guys. While I won't be cheering for your team in the Olympics, I will be cheering for you to be there, representing your country with your honor and pride. Here at The Dream Shake, we salute you sir.